Great MIT initiative to get cheap notebooks into the developing world. Mobile networks and the approach of wimax (citywide wireless internet access) mean that a lot of developing countries might be able to leapfrog installing traditional phone line infrastructure and provide cheap Net access.
Mind you, an item on BBC World yesterday detailed how Nokia are launching 3G phones in Indonesia, even though one of the handsets cost about half the average yearly Indonesian salary. Quite why phone manufacturers can’t concentrate on delivering the meat and potatoes voice and text stuff on supercheap handsets to developing countries is a mystery. They would get a far bigger takeup if they just did the basics, which also makes it affordable too.
More on $100 laptops:
Spike | Google | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Wikipedia
