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August 05, 2008, 12:53 PM ET
International Team Aims to Develop a $12 Laptop During MIT Summit
An international team of six designers and engineers has set the ambitious goal of building a $12 computer during the International Development Design Summit, which is being held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from mid-July through mid-August.
If the team succeeds in building a computer at that rock-bottom cost, it would be more than eight times cheaper than the latest attempt to design an inexpensive computer: India’s quest to develop a $100-laptop for higher-education purposes. Previously, Nicholas Negroponte had attempted to build $100 computers for children in Third World nations, though finally the cost of the devices added up to close to $200.
A $12 rudimentary computer already exists in India, consisting of a cheap keyboard and a console that people hook to their TVs to run simple games and programs, reports The Boston Herald. But the team gathered at MIT, with members from the United States, Brazil, Ghana and India, wants to upgrade those devices and build a new system based on Apple II computer labs. The designers are currently working on writing improved programs, hooking the prototype computer to the Internet through cell phones, and adding memory chips.—Maria José Viñas
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