MIT Media Lab cofounder Nicholas Negroponte showed off the latest prototype of the US$100 computer to a gathering of educators in San Diego Thursday.Telling the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) that “children are the main agents of change,” the author of the best-selling Being Digital said he expects millions of the low-cost laptops to be distributed to children in developing countries starting next year, according to a statement issued after the event.The focal point of Negroponte’s One Laptop Per Child initiative—which aims to produce a US$100 laptop computer for distribution to children in developing countries—features a hand crank that generates the two watts of power the machine needs to operate. It uses a Wi-Fi mesh to connect to the Internet, and runs open-source software. All of the components are chosen for low power usage and low cost to make the portable computers as inexpensive as possible.NECC members got an early look at one of the project’s most innovative developments: a dual mode display that can be easily viewed in natural and artificial light, which helps to reduce the machine’s power consumption. Despite these efforts, the price tag of each computer still comes in at $130 to $140, although Negroponte and others involved in the project believe the cost will drop as component prices decrease.More information about this effort to reduce the digital divide can be found online. -Steven Schwankert, IDG News Service (Beijing Bureau)Related Links: Bill Gates Blasts MIT’s $100 Laptop MIT’s Negroponte Shoots Down $100 Laptop CriticismCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Who’s paying your data integration tax? Reducing your data integration tax will get you one step closer to value—let’s start today. By Sandrine Ghosh Jun 05, 2023 4 mins Data Management feature 13 essential skills for accelerating digital transformation IT leaders too often find themselves behind on business-critical transformation efforts due to gaps in the technical, leadership, and business skills necessary to execute and drive change. By Stephanie Overby Jun 05, 2023 12 mins Digital Transformation IT Skills tip 3 things CIOs must do now to accurately hit net-zero targets More than a third of the world’s largest companies are making their net-zero targets public, yet nearly all will fail to hit them if they don’t double the pace of emissions reduction by 2030. This puts leading executives, CIOs in particul By Diana Bersohn and Mauricio Bermudez-Neubauer Jun 05, 2023 5 mins CIO Accenture Emerging Technology case study Merck Life Sciences banks on RPA to streamline regulatory compliance Automated bots assisted in compliance, thereby enabling the company to increase revenue and save precious human hours, freeing up staff for higher-level tasks. By Yashvendra Singh Jun 05, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation Robotic Process Automation Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe