Its been more than a year since i first heard about Prof. Negroponte’s fabledHundred-Dollar Laptop. Launched with much fanfare, we still have heard plans, but not seen this computer. In his column over on the MIT Technology Review, Jason Pontin asks, “Can a $100 computer be built? Maybe.”
No Jason, it has been built, by Novatium, an Indian company based in Madras. I write about them in the latest issue of Business 2.0. (Sub-required to read the article!) Admittedly it does not have Negroponte’s star power, making do with home-grown engineering chutzpah. But they have come up with possibly the best solution for their market. And having finished Pontin’s piece, I will only believe Negroponte’s laptop when I see it. And that’s not happening anytime soon.
Om, did you get to lay hands on the Novatium Nova NetPC? And more importantly, can I? How do I buy one of these things outside India?