Intel Develops Low-Cost Computers for Developing Countries

by Anton Shilov
05/08/2006 | 11:27 PM

Intel Corp. has demonstrated a prototype of a notebook designed for educational purposes in developing countries. The computers will cost around $300 per unit and could enable millions of people in developing nations with Internet connectivity and better education.

“Moore’s Law and volume economics made PC technology broadly accessible, and Andy understood the tremendous additive force of the Internet,” said Otellini. “But this power is still out of reach for most of the world’s people. The World Ahead Program, which integrates Intel’s efforts in accessibility, connectivity and education, seeks a multiplier effect to accelerate the next wave of gains.”

Otellini demonstrated one of the PCs developed from Intel’s extensive ethnographic research in developing countries, a small notebook PC for students code-named Eduwise. It is unclear what hardware the new laptop uses, but it is known that it does not feature a hard disk drive, but utilizes flash memory and is also capable of running Microsoft Windows XP operating system. Intel noted, that the Eduwise is a “fully-featured” personal computer (PC).

Eduwise is specifically designed to provide affordable, collaborative learning environments for teachers and young students. With students using the Eduwise notebook in class, a teacher can make presentations, control what a student has access to, and interact individually with each student in giving tests or providing feedback. The Intel-developed education application integrates with other non-computing learning tasks such as note taking and handwriting with wireless pen attachments. Because it is a fully featured PC, the Eduwise design can accommodate other standard software and tools for additional needs and uses.

Intel’s chief executive also announced that Intel and the Mexican government have reached an agreement to make Intel’s new low-cost, fully featured PC available to 300 000 teachers by year’s end.  The systems, unveiled last month in Mexico by Paul Otellini as part of Intel’s Discover the PC initiative, provide an easy-to-use, fully functional PC for first-time users. Intel also plans to extend teacher training to 400 000 teachers in Mexico through the Intel Teach to the Future program by 2010.

The Eduwise is a yet another low-cost PC project, such as Advanced Micro Devices’ Personal Internet Communicator and Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s One Laptop Per Child program.