Nickname: Amar

Review: Why not insert laser based virtual keyboard instead of a full keyboard and a laser based screen instead of a tft screen.

Date reviewed: Oct 4, 2007 12:23 PM

Nickname: guy

Review: Eell, as many others have hinted, a lot of these "customers" would rather buy $100 worth of food instead of buying something they can't eat or drink.

Date reviewed: Nov 12, 2006 12:01 AM

Nickname: Max

Review: A $100 PC already exists. Take a portable DVD player with an 8" display, battery and transformer on a Wal-Mart shelve. It's already run a tiny Linux OS. Add a USB port to daisy connect a keyboard, a mouse, and an USB flash disk. Just insert a DVD with Linux extensions and applications (Firefox, Open office, etc.) and switch on. Good day Max

Date reviewed: Sep 24, 2006 4:46 PM

Nickname: Max

Review: Why a keyboard? Most of these peoples don't have an alphabet, they write down sound or pictogram or they use different languages. (India +600) Why not use USB flash disk sound player recorder to communicate by voicemail or receive speech training courses while next to a wireless Internet router. These students can't afford a piece of paper, pencils, and rubber. This device can act as a phone, e-mail, browser etc. Thank you Max

Date reviewed: Sep 24, 2006 4:27 PM

Nickname: Todd

Review: The sub $100 laptop is intriguing to say the least. It's possbile, but with the specs listed it's not functional. Sounds like they're just trying to get something out there now. The point is to get these into the hands of children, or it was at one time. Best specs would be: 9-12" screen. AMD Geode CPU, 256mb ram, 10gig drive running PC-BSD not Linux. (Why? It's more stable and reliable and it only uses 1gb fully loaded-comparable Linux distro's are larger) again a free OS. Eliminate the optical and floppy drives. You could do a flash drive but you'd still want 10gb, 5gb min. But make the drive removable. Use the USB bus for everything so you can eliminate the AGP/PCI chipsets entirely. Use a standard keyboard, redesigning a smaller one is a waste, the customers will move on later. This is just to get them, their country, their minds working on a PC. KISS--Keep It Standard & Simple -Todd A.

Date reviewed: Sep 20, 2006 3:15 PM

Nickname: suneel

Review: It's a good effort. But do you think anyone would buy a laptop that has a small 7" screen and no hard drive even if it's coming in at $100? I wouldn't. Where are you going to copy MP3, DVD rips, JDK etc. Then only thing it can be used might be for Internet browsing for which you can get an old desktop for sub $50 on eBay or Craigslist.

Date reviewed: Jul 19, 2006 2:08 PM

Nickname: EddieTam

Review: Sounds good but how practical is this for the poor considering the different community resources and financial statuses available to different regions of the world? I think Quanta must first redefine what their mission is and narrow down their definition of what poor really means to their target market. After all, poor in the USA means something totally different to a village in another country without running clean water, no electric generators, no telephone services, and little to no money where some people must survive by eating dog "ends" (Cuba).

Date reviewed: Apr 28, 2006 10:05 PM

Nickname: D.K.night

Review: Even if we are indeed catering to the poorest of the poor, $100 US laptop is still an order of magnitude more attainable than a $1,000 US laptop. Think about the families who save up every coin they have in order to have a chance to give their children a better future. Well this is a giant step towards making that possible.

Date reviewed: Jan 5, 2006 9:25 PM

Nickname: mrrm

Review: If we think how much computer storage and computing processing we actually never use, plus all the plug-ins and special effects we buy with a PC or laptop in the rich world, it is easy to understand that 100USD laptop can be robust and easy to maintain. As for the applications, people who can use mobile phones can use these computers: both run on Linux. It is affordable because the 100usd laptop can create more entrepeneurs and economical wealth than all the aid combined in the world. Networking makes all the sense and it brings down the cost of internet connectivity. Computers do not need to be build for special effects and software can be as cheap and reliable as the e-mail protocols or the www programme.Voip can take the cost of communication to zero. In all, the 100usd laptop won't save the world on its own sake, but it can surely give a much needed hand (or pointing device). Quantas is bound for sustained profitability, why not keep a close investor watch on this one?

Date reviewed: Dec 26, 2005 4:59 PM

Nickname: NKV

Review: There are some issues to look out for: 1. Basic infrastructure for education is missing in many parts of these countries, let alone infrastructure for connecting these laptops. 2. Laptops are by nature delicate and a rural environment is not suitable for them. Better quality will come at a premium. 3. The $100 is still a big investment for the poor. It must show tangible results to make the initiative success beyond the initial hype. 4. Localized software is a must. To keep the cost down, the open source community must be involved in this initiative. 5. At such low cost, will anyone provide support to remote inaccessible corners of the developing countries? 6. To make it popular amongst the rural adults, its operation must be as simple as operating a radio or television. Complexity of maintenance and operation will surely be a big negative.

Date reviewed: Dec 24, 2005 5:59 PM