AKA "The OLPC", AAKA "The Hundred-Dollar Laptop".
They've been giving 'em out to all the usual third world suspects.
Physical dimensions:
Dimensions: 242mm × 228mm × 30mm (approximate, subject to change)
Weight: Less than 1.5 kg (target only — subject to change)
Configuration: Convertible laptop with pivoting, reversible display; dirt and moisture resistant system enclosure
Core electronics:
CPU:
AMD Geode LX-700@0.8W (
datasheet)
CPU clock speed: 433 MHz
Compatibility: Athlon instruction set (including MMX and 3DNow! Enhanced) with additional Geode-specific instructions
North Bridge: PCI and Memory Interface integrated with Geode CPU (
info)
Graphics Controller: Integrated with Geode CPU, using a unified memory architecture
South Bridge:
AMD CS5536 (
datasheet)
DRAM memory: 256 MiB dynamic RAM
Data rate: Dual – DDR333 – 166 MHz
BIOS: 1024 KB SPI-interface flash ROM; LinuxBIOS open-source BIOS; Open Firmware bootloader
Mass storage: 1024 MiB SLC NAND flash, high speed flash controller
Drives: No rotating media
Embedded Controller: ENE KB3700:
Image:KB3700-ds-01.pdf
Display:- Liquid-crystal display: 7.5” Dual-mode TFT display
- Viewing area: 152.4 mm × 114.3 mm
- Resolution: 1200 (H) × 900 (V) resolution (200 dpi)
- Mono display: High-resolution, reflective monochrome mode
- Color display: 800 (H) x 600 (V) or greater transmissive color mode
- Power Consumption: 0.1 Watt with backlight off; 0.2-1.0 Watt with backlight on
- The DCON - Display Controller chip with memory that enables the display to remain live with the processor suspended. The display and this chip are the basis of our extremely low power architecture. The machine is usable and relaying mesh networking traffic while the CPU and much of the motherboard is regularly turned off. The display controller chip also enables deswizzling and anti-aliasing in color mode. You can examine this photograph of the display (it looks even nicer in person; photographing a display is remarkably difficult).
Copying and pasting gets the job done once again. It has no bluetooth, but how many of these kids have smartphones? It also comes with a webcam and a mic for conferencing with other nine-year olds. It's open source, a la Linux of the Red Hat variety but with the extremely simple "Sugar" GUI. Naturally, this can run anything Linux can.
Factoid: Steve Jobs, the kind soul, offered up his OS, (stripped down, of course), but they said no because it wasn't open source. Apple gets boned, even when they want to be charitable.
Anyway, they're available for consumer purchase in '08 and will probably be around $135 with the price going down as tech progresses. I'll be buying one. This thing rocks, especially the (completely and utterly optional) pull-string power supply.
On a side note: I'll give you three guesses as to whom the biggest order went to, but you'll only need one. I'll give you a hint. It's in Africa.
Fucking Nigeria.