Intel ships Classmate OLPC

Intel has become one of the first companies to ship an OLPC-type machine in the form of the Classmate, which should soon be arriving in bulk in Brazil and Mexico. While only one computer is technically an OLPC, the term has come to apply to any system designed for schoolchildren in poor countries, where many institutions cannot afford even a so-called budget system.

The Classmate is a small, ruggedized laptop with extremely minimal specifications. It uses a 900MHz Celeron M processor for instance, and has only a seven-inch screen, and 1 to 2GB of flash as permanent storage. It is mostly dependent on Intel-assisted network infrastructure, to which it can connect through 10/100 Ethernet or 802.11b/g wireless. Future countries expected to buy or receive Classmates include China, India, Nigeria, Thailand and Vietnam.

By Electronista Staff