India's $10 Laptop Isn't A Laptop... And Nobody's Sure Exactly What It Is
from the land-of-confusion dept
Earlier in the week, I posted that a new cheap laptop initiative from the Indian government was following the OLPC project's strategy of forging ahead on its own, instead of collaborating with market players and taking advantage of the benefits such collaboration could offer. Some more details about the project have emerged, and I'm glad to report they weren't doing what I predicted, in that they didn't launch a new student-focused netbook; instead, they launched... well, this thing that isn't a laptop. The problem is it's not very clear at all what, exactly, the device is. The Times of India calls it "a damp squib," and a storage device that could lead to the development of a $60 laptop. Photos aren't a lot of help, nor is the description that it "helps e-learners access the Web easily." Even the most detailed list of specs doesn't help. As far as we can tell, it's some sort of glorified 2GB thumb drive, in a 10-inch by 5-inch case, that may or may not include some networking technology. It's somehow related to a project to put textbook information online so it can more easily be accessed in remote parts of the country. So, congrats to the Indian government for not going down the laptop path, but if they could better explain just what they hell they have made, everybody would be grateful.![Hide This Hide this](https://ii.techdirt.com/s/t/i/topclose.png)
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A Guess
Priced content. Could it be somekind of decryption module, with each unit using a unique key? If so, it's a pity. Some are still focused on locking up content. Here's hoping that's a silly guess.
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Problem is that with so much of the internet being data driven, the flexibility is limited to sites whose content is static. Good for research or teaching material, if presented correctly.
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If anything, this looks like a more modern version of the old internet appliances that just never really took off, machines running some proprietary stripped-down OS that let you access basic email and websites, and nothing else. If it really is sub-$100, I'm guessing that's all it's really going to be capable of doing.
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Biggest joke sponsored by Indian Gov.
So what I'm thinking is that this is just another joke sponsored by the Indian government.
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A Question
In this $10( or $20 or $100 or whatever the true translation is) computer, douse it include the monitor keyboard and mouse?
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Yes they are called the Military and Congressmen.
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populist research...
Indian research institutes do have decent labs and creative people. But usually the funding process is not as open as in europe or US. Ultimately professors have to pimp their research to politicians and only such populist, but utterly useless inventions get the media coverage and funding.
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damp squib indeed
I hope that after the shock of the IT outsourcing giant Satyam's $1 billion fraud the government will be cautious.
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what a bullshit stuff
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It is a desktop NOT a LAPTOP
This is an interesting initiative. I am sure x86 processor companies are not going to like this.
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Why not just add a screen and keyboard and market it as a cheap desktop, for something like ~$50 (I'm guessing), it's no laptop, but a step in the right direction to close the digital divide.
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prob a pda...
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palmtop
Betty
http://cellularaccessoriess.com
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