MIT show U.N. delegates a prototype of its $100 laptop

The MIT Media Lab chairman was visibly excited about the prospect of placing the $100 laptop computer in the hands of millions of schoolchildren around the globe.   
Kofi Annan, general secretary of the United Nations, twisted off the computer's crank handle at the unveiling event, and the screen locked as Negroponte later tried to demonstrate the display. But after a few tweaks here and there, everything worked.

The hand-cranked laptop, shown for the first time at the U.N.-sponsored World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), operates at 500MHz, or about half the speed of commercial laptops. It features a low-power display that can be switched from color to black and white to allow viewing in bright sunlight.

The machine can be folded in different ways to serve as a computer, electronic book, or media player.

"We designed the device to perform many roles," said Negroponte, who also heads the One Laptop Per Child nonprofit group. "Learning should be seamless."

The computer will run Linux or some other open-source operating system.

The computers will be free to schoolchildren.

Talks continue with manufacturers to build the computers. One company has offered to build them for around $110 per unit, and four others are still considering. The goal is to drive the price lower as volume grows, he said.

The group plans to launch in six markets like Middle East, two in Asia, one in sub-Saharan Africa and two in Latin America. Brazil and Thailand have shown the most enthusiasm, he said. Talks continue with Egypt and Nigeria, among others.

Governments must buy 1 million laptops to participate in the program.

The laptops might become commercially available to the general public but at a higher price, possibly around $200.

The list of supporters in the nonprofit organization include Google and the media magnate Rupert Murdoch.