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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| India plans cheap laptop option | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| India says it is planning to produce a low cost laptop intended for use by school children and students. | |
| The cheap laptop has been developed as part of a broader national plan to update the technology used by Indian colleges and schools. | The cheap laptop has been developed as part of a broader national plan to update the technology used by Indian colleges and schools. |
| Details are scant, but it is planned to use wireless to connect and have 2GB of memory onboard. Reports of the cost vary from $10 to $100. | |
| It will be a rival to the other cheap laptops - One Laptop project and Intel. | |
| Cheap tech | Cheap tech |
| The cheap laptop will be the centrepiece of India's National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technologies. | |
| Included in the mission is spending on e-books and e-journals for students, development of translation tools, upgrades to educational networks and more PCs for high schools. | Included in the mission is spending on e-books and e-journals for students, development of translation tools, upgrades to educational networks and more PCs for high schools. |
| Much of the e-learning work will be co-ordinated via the Shaksat web portal, on which students can register and which they can then use to monitor their progress. | |
| Early reports of the cheap laptop suggested that it would cost only 500 rupees (£7). However, this could be a mistranslation, because transcripts of the speech, in which it was unveiled, mentioned it costing $10 (£7) but this was later corrected to $100 (£70). | Early reports of the cheap laptop suggested that it would cost only 500 rupees (£7). However, this could be a mistranslation, because transcripts of the speech, in which it was unveiled, mentioned it costing $10 (£7) but this was later corrected to $100 (£70). |
| Work on the device has been carried out at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras. | Work on the device has been carried out at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras. |
| Even if the finished device costs $100, it would significantly undercut other low cost laptops aimed at the developing world, such as the One Laptop Per Child's XO machine and the Intel Classmate. | |
| Originally, the XO was intended to cost $100 but the finished version ended up costing about $188 (£131). | Originally, the XO was intended to cost $100 but the finished version ended up costing about $188 (£131). |
| The development of the cheap laptop is the latest in a series of initiatives to create low cost computing devices for Indians. In late 1999, the Simputer hand-held computer debuted and has been used in a variety of projects, including digitising land records. | The development of the cheap laptop is the latest in a series of initiatives to create low cost computing devices for Indians. In late 1999, the Simputer hand-held computer debuted and has been used in a variety of projects, including digitising land records. |