U.N. is loving the $100 laptop

We talked about the $100 laptop earlier, but it has officially had its day at the U.N. now. Secretary General Kofi Annan went so far as to call it an “expression of global solidarity”. MIT’s Nicholas Negroponte unveiled a working prototype of the unit at the U.N. net summit it Tunis this week. He intends to have millions of the machines in production within a year.

The laptops use very little power, which is good because that power is generated by a handcrank on the unit. The interactive element of the machines was trumpeted in Tunis. “Children will be able to learn by doing, not just through instruction – they will be able to open up new fronts for their education, particularly peer-to-peer learning,” said Mr Annan.

The machines may be cheap and simple, but they aren’t lacking in features. They can be used as a computer or an electronic book. They are controlled by a touchpad. They can be held and used like a gaming console and they can even work as a TV. “The idea is that it fulfils many roles. It is the whole theory that learning is seamless,” said Professor Negroponte.

Of course, these little lime green bargains are not for you. They will be sold to the governments of developing countries for distribution to their country’s children. They will start with six countries and then expand to many more six months later.

With the support of the U.N., a board full of very powerful people and the significant support of many large companies, this is a project that can’t fail. It will make a real impact on millions of lives.