$100 laptop project = Universal E-Book Reader?
$100 laptop computer for school kids? This would bring us very close to that $50 e-book reader. If they actually can make a laptop available for $100 it will give the PDF format a major boost.
Source: TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home » E-Ink pioneer excited over MIT’s $100 laptop project
2 Comments:
There were a couple of postings on Slashdot over the past week to ten days about the Simputer which was meant to be a low cost internet computer for third world countries (specifically India, I believe). There's also the Chinese government's initiative to supply ebook readers to their school children (to save on the cost of printing text books - and curiously the first major online community was Minitel in France, which came about because of a desire to avoid printing phone books.)
I think the Chinese initiative has the best hope of leading to a sub $50 ebook reader. Just look at the market.
I've been tempted to try buying a Simputer. I think there is one, maybe two ebook reading programs for Linux but I think we we will be getting closer with the next generation of PDA's and dedicated readers.
At least I think development is starting again on dedicated readers. Although I don't hold out the hopes for e-ink and e-paper type displays everybody else does. Back lighting is really important and so far these e-ink technologies do not support that.
I think you are right if China starts using e-textbooks I think the cost per unit will drop dramatically.
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