2,500 laptops cost USD 100 to poor countries

Children of 8 countries, including Pakistan, Uruguay, Libya, Thailand, Brazil . will receive cheap laptops called "XO" to read e-books, study, watch videos, compose music Or chat online with friends this February.

This will be the premise for the mass production plan of green computers in July with the number of 5 million units. Currently, the product price is calculated at 150 USD because the production cost is still high. Project executives said the price would fall to 100 USD in 2008, when production reached 50 million units. By 2010, this number will fall below 100 USD when they reach the goal of producing 150 million units.

" We will try to lower prices, " said Walter Bender, director of software for "One Laptop Per Child" of the Massachusettes Academy. " The features of the computer will be kept unchanged so that costs are not raised ".

The XO is equipped with a handwheel device for charging, the keyboard can switch between languages, digital cameras, wireless networking and use open source software based on the Linux operating system. The LCD screen of the device can switch from black to white to help users read in the sun.

However, the project also faces skepticism from many sides. Officials in Africa have not yet figured out whether this project is appropriate for their educational reality. They argue that the amount of funding for this cheap computer project should be spent on food, medicine, books. Others are afraid that poor people will have to sell off the black market. However, Bender said the XO can be controlled remotely permanently to avoid this phenomenon.