Posted by: Raru November 8, 2005
Free iT computers tackle digital divide
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I got this story form following link -http://www.vnu.co.uk/vnunet/news/2145726/free-computers-developing-world or -http://www.vnu.co.uk/2145726 Nepal could take advantage from this offer....... Please send this link and story to concern people, organisation, governmnent official or any individual, or ngo from nepal could try for it............... Following are more detail from the above site:.......... Free iT computers tackle digital divide Hong Kong company helps the rest of the world get online Iain Thomson, vnunet.com 08 Nov 2005 A Hong Kong computer company has promised to give away three million computers to the developing world to help bridge the global digital divide. Asiatotal.net has spent six years developing the hardware, dubbed iT, which features a 7in screen, mouse, built-in keyboard and speakers. Internet access comes from a dial-up connection, and the computers run Windows CE but are capable of upgrading to XP. "It is estimated that only 10 per cent of the world's population is connected to the internet and 70 per cent of the world's internet users live in the 24 richest countries which only accounts for 16 per cent of the world's population, " said Judy Chen, president and chief executive of Asiatotal.net. "Our iT computer has grown from a vision to close this great digital divide by providing the means for the less privileged to access the internet." Distribution will be funded by commercial sponsorship; the devices have a series of hot keys which local companies can buy or rent so that users can navigate quickly to their websites. Asiatotal.net is also looking to gather support from local telecoms providers to facilitate internet access over dial-up networks. Individuals and small businesses are eligible to receive the free computers, and the first 200,000 units will be shipped to Brazil over the coming months. Latin America, China, India, central and eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East are also slated to receive deliveries. Several major players in the IT industry are already providing support, including chip firm VIA Technologies and Taiwanese system builder Biostar. ----------------- There was also similar story on bbc, few month ago -http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4292854.stm Sub-$100 laptop design unveiled -http://laptop.media.mit.edu/ $100 laptop
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