The chairman of the nonprofit organization One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), Mr. Nicholas Negroponte has come out in support of the project from the Indian government to mass produce a $35 Tablet computer, a prototype of which was unveiled last week.
Mr. Negroponte offered OLPC hardware and software technology for the project and extended invitations to the Indian officials are invited to visit the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and OLPC to share results and also said that they will have full access to the OLPC technology without any cost.
OLPC has been developing its own low cost tablet and has the aim to ship a $100 XO tablet by 2012. He said the Indian project will not compete with the OLPC project but both can collaborate to promote education across the world.
He said in an open letter, "The world needs your device and leadership. Your tablet is not an “answer” or “competitor” to OLPC’s XO laptop. It is a member of a family dedicated to creating peace and prosperity through the transformation of education."
He also offered some sincere advice for the project. He warned against creating a device for the media consumption but urged the development for an education tool. He urged the project team to focus on children aged between 6 to 12 years and include hardware which is simple, rugged and low on power consumption.
As for the software, he adviced that tablet be based on open source system and use Linux so that other developers can build apps for the device. He said that the tablet should also be designed to be attractive and fun to use.
India’s minister for Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal showcased the affordable touch screen device in New Delhi as part of the government efforts to provide high-quality education to the students in the country. The tablet computer will support web browsing, video conferencing and word processing, according to its developers.
The tablet is based on Linux-based computer and has 2GB of RAM and USB ports but it does not have a hard disk. The students from the various branches of the Indian Institute of Technology have designed the motherboard. The ministry expects that the price of the device will drop to $20 and then to $10.
