Intel Unveils PC for Developing Nations

Poppler writes "Intel has announced it will produce a PC aimed at developing nations, the 'Community PC.' Instead of giving out minimal PCs to as many individuals as possible, Intel wants to sell these machines to 'kiosk owners' who will rent out use to their village. Price TBA. How does this stack up against the $100 laptop, in terms of helping the developing world?"

Comments

Q. What's new here?

[Whiney Mac Fanboy]

A. Nothing.

Intel's talking about "Kiosk" PC's - has noone from Intel ever travelled to a developing nation? PC's in Kiosk mode are everywhere allready.

What intel really need to do, is make a cut-down macbook style notebook and take Steve Jobs up on his generous offer to help third world children.

Re:Q. What's new here?

[digTro]

From TFA:

Most consumer PCs are not designed to withstand unusually adverse climate conditions or handle fluctuating power supplies, and that has severely limited their use in parts of some developing countries.

Intel's Community PC is designed to withstand temperatures of 113 degrees Fahrenheit and up to 85 percent relative humidity, and has a removable dust filter. To keep the motherboard cool, the chassis houses an integrated fan.

Wild power fluctuations (and frequent power outages) are quite commmon in rural India and the summer temperatures in many parts of the country average at 38 C (100 F). I for one would welcome such a PC. The only other option to build a cheap sturdy PC is to buy the components off the shelve and build it yourself, which is a highly unlikely option for the intended population.

Whoah.

[cephalien]

Really.

Someone needs to hit these people with 2x4s.

Let's see now. If I want to help people in the third-world.. hmm. Well, they obviously aren't starving, have -spectactular- medical care, there's no problem with HIV, and we made sure they all have clean water and nice 2-story ranch houses. Crime is at an all-time low and there aren't -any- despots or tyrannical dictators that let American corporations in to use their citizens as dirt-cheap overworked labor for pennies.

So, lets get them all cheap, ubiquitous computing.

(You show me a man who can eat a $100 laptop, and I'll show you someone who needs affordable health care)

A combination of the two approaches

[Kevbo]

It seems to me that a combination of the two approaches might be the best idea. Although the mesh mode is a great idea in concept, it still needs a way to get out to the greater part of the internet. Enter the kiosk: this could stand as a sort of hub or gateway to the internet for the mesh network, allowing the $100 laptops to reach those services. I don't know if that type of cooperation would be possible, but we can hope.

As regards medical supplies and the like: there is no doubt that this money could be used for other things. I do not venture an opinion as to which is right or better; everyone has their own agenda and beliefs. I suppose the idea behind the computers is education. Many experts think that education is really the only long-term solution to these over-populated countries and that through education we can begin to turn the overwhelming tide. Just throwing money at the problem is not a solution, but that is what is done at first (in the form of drugs and/or laptops) and then the hope is that some sort of training or education will come along with it and remain long after. I wish them all luck