2nd Generation "$100 Laptop" Will Be an E-Book Reader

waderoush writes "At a conference sponsored by the One Laptop Per Child Foundation this morning, OLPC founder unveiled the design for the foundation's second-generation laptop. It's actually not a laptop at all — it's a dual-screen e-book reader (we've got pictures). Negroponte said the foundation hopes that the cost of the new device, which is scheduled for production by 2010, can be kept to $75, in part by using low-cost displays manufactured for portable DVD players."

Comments

Re:Fool me once, shame on you

[servognome]

Don't dismiss backwards compatibility, look at how much software is there for Windows computers, it was the defacto standard for a decade.
Yes Mactel is outselling Wintel, but Apple still recognized the influence of Microsoft by including Bootcamp in their latest OS - do you decry them for abandoning the idealism of computers without Windows?

The *only* reason Windows hasn't been abandoned by its disgruntled users is because of Microsoft's continued illegal actions in maintaining its monopoly. All too many users say "I hate it, but have to use Windows."

Yes, I agree people are locked into Windows, but the reason they use it isn't because of monopolistic actions, it's because they need it to for the software they want to use, low cost for hardware, and support from hardware suppliers. The only reason I run Windows is because of computer games, if I could get the games for OSX I would abandon windows.

There is *no* practical reason to put Windows on the OLPC. It brings nothing to the table but additional cost. The only purpose for it is to satisfy a vengeful and corrupt monopolist.

The practical reason is all the software out there written for Windows. Why spend time trying to find software for Linux or Mac when there are shelves of software for Windows at the mall for less than $1