| OLPC laptop goes into final beta
The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project has unveiled the final beta version of its XO laptop, and mass production has been authorised for October. Production is based on the release of the final Beta-4 engineering model which will trigger the supply chains of 800 parts that come together and roll off the assembly line later this year. The OLPC project hopes to provide children with access to knowledge and modern forms of education no matter where they are in the world. "There is a lot of debate in technology circles about the cost of bringing laptop computers into the developing world," said Walter Bender, OLPC president of software and content. "But the real debate should not be centred on cost. A computer designed for Western office environments will not withstand conditions found in much of Africa, Asia and South America, and children engaged in learning have different needs." The XO Beta-4 laptops are engineered to withstand the diverse and often harsh environmental conditions found in developing countries.
DRAMeXchange: Laptop component capacity crunch to persist
Laptop vendors look headed for more challenge in Q3 as the component capacity crunch shows no signs of abetting, according to DRAMeXchange. The chip price tracker said in its latest report that manufacturers should expect shipments to exceed some 26 million for the quarter. This is a 14.4-percent increase from the April-June period, when vendors first began to feel the effects of a tighter supply of LCD panels, batteries, HDDs, casings and certain optical disc drives. Notebook brands are forecast to especially encounter difficulties in terms of the required laptop components for the third quarter. In the LCD panel segment, notebook OEMs who had strong working relationships with their LCD suppliers in the past fared better in Q2 than their counterparts. In the battery segment, not having enough battery cell production capacity contributed to tighter supply for the ended quarter, DRAMeXchange said, although a price increase in relevant metals, including raw materials, were also attributed to the undersupply.
Laptops that make the grade for students
Good news for students facing the inevitable computer upgrade: There's never been a better time to buy a new PC. Not only are computers becoming incredibly powerful and packed with convenient features - such as wireless connectivity and memory card readers - but prices are at an all-time low. What's more, PCs are also replacing other home technologies these days, including stereo systems (thanks to MP3s and Internet radio stations), telephones (thanks to webcams) and televisions (thanks to broadband video). Despite being slightly more expensive than their stationary desktop counterparts, laptop computers (also referred to as "notebooks"), are more ideal for a student's lifestyle since they can bring the computer with them wherever they go - be it a university lecture hall, study session in the library or in or around the home (or dorm room).
09 August 2007
Nicholas Negroponte's nonprofit One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project reported Monday that it has authorized mass production of its XO laptop. The decision triggers the supply chains of the some 800 parts used for the laptop that is targeted for use by children who can't afford traditional PCs. The production runs are based on the release of OLPC's Beta-4 (engineering model. In announcing the mass production approval, OLPC said the Beta-4 features three major innovations: Fully readable in bright sunlight, the B4 offers a paper-like reading experience for users. A new hinge lets users tilt the laptop's screen to take advantage of an optimum reading angle. Ruggedly durable, the B4 is constructed to tolerate severe weather and environmental conditions as well as falls from as high as five feet.
11 Maoists arrested in Jharkhand
Eleven Maoist rebels have been arrested from different parts of Jharkhand in the last three days, police said on Monday. Jeedan Gudia, a top leader of the Jharkhand Liberation Front (JLF), was reportedly arrested on Sunday along with his friend Sunita from Gorbeda jungle, around 45 Km from Ranchi. Police recovered a pistol, live cartridges and Rs 4,000 in cash from them. Seven other Maoists were nabbed from Bokaro district on the same day. One of the arrested, Jayant, was allegedly using the cell phone of slain Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI-M) legislator Mahendra Singh who was killed by Maoist guerrillas in Giridih district in 2005. Police claimed to have recovered Rs 1 million in cash, pistols, rifles, live cartridges, a laptop and Maoist literature from the seven rebels.
The Absolute, No-Questions-Asked Best Time To Purchase A New Computer …Sort of.
OAKLAND, Calif. -- With the recent release of Apple's sleek new iMac, it seemed appropriate to address the age old question when is the best time to buy a computer and get the best bang for the buck? After all, it seems like new models and upgrades come out daily, and the one you buy may be a month or maybe just a few weeks old before faster, sleeker, cooler machines come out (such is the nature of technology these days). While there are no hard and fast rules for when the best time is, here are some good guidelines provided by a former employee of Apple Retail (who prefers to remain anonymous). Since our so-called genius (they hate being called that, by the way) is a former employee of Apple, weve decided to use Macs for most examples, but the concepts here will apply to a Dell or HP or whatever personal computing hardware or OS preference you have.
Outage at All-the-Rage Social Networking Site Facebook
From the many reports of software glitches this week, (including an outage at all-the-rage social networking site Facebook), I decided to focus on a couple of interesting (to me, anyway) stories that have one thing in common: speed. The world of Formula One racing is not familiar to many Americans, and yet it is a wildly popular sport in other parts of the world. It also is seen as a crucial testing ground for many new automotive technologies that eventually find their way into the cars that we drive. Being an ex-European, I like to keep an eye on that sport, and so it was that this story caught my eye. Last Sunday was the date of the Hungarian Grand Prix, held in Budapest. The day of the race, crash.net ran a story indicating that Polish driver Robert Kubica was complaining about a software problem with his BMW car that was causing problems with acceleration.
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