Word of the Day: $100 PC

[WhatIs]

Title: Word of the Day

February 04, 2005 Published by  WhatIs.com Word of the Day LOOK IT UP     LEARNING CENTER     FAST REFERENCES     CAREERS         Issue Sponsored By:   >  Voice over IP Newsletter IN THIS ISSUE:   >  Word of the Day: $100 PC   >  Today's Tech News   >  Brain Food   >  Additions and Updates     Voice over IP Newsletter Get breaking enterprise voice industry news and tips from VoIP experts delivered directly to your inbox from SearchEnterpriseVoice.com. The VoIP Newsletter reports on the latest happenings with major vendors, industry trends and provides technical advice from leading voice communication technology experts. Update your profile and subscribe today.     $100 PC The $100 PC is a product that several computer companies and thinkers have suggested is needed to help bridge the digital divide and bring information service to people in places such as China, India, and Africa who otherwise couldn't afford them. In October, 2004, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer observed that since most users in developing countries rent their PCs by the hour at Internet cafes, a $100 PC was needed that they could use everywhere. Microsoft has recently announced its intention to sell low-cost versions of Windows XP packaged with entry-level PCs for large-volume purchasers in India, Russia and Thailand. MIT's Media Lab founder Nicholas Negroponte advocates a $100 PC as a way to encourage education, especially in rural areas of the world. He believes PCs could replace textbooks in schools; he and his wife already help fund three schools in rural Cambodia with laptops and Internet connection. Together with a number of major computer companies including AMD, Google, Motorola, Samsung, and News Corp, Negroponte is working on a cheap PC with a color display screen, AMD microchips, and Linux software. These would be sold in orders of 1 million or more to education ministries in China and perhaps elsewhere. Meanwhile, in November, 2004, SolarPC announced the availability of the first $100 PC. Called the SolarLite, the PC is a book-sized three-pound computer that comes loaded with dozens of software programs. With a 12-volt DC battery, it can be run from a solar panel, car battery, or bicycle-based generator. The minimum order is 100,000. The PC was developed in part to serve the Global Link Project (GEL), which hopes to give away a million SolarLite computers to schools in developing countries around the world. MORE INFO: > CNET's News.com offers a story, "Ballmer: We need a $100 PC." > Red Herring writes about Negroponte's plan in "The hundred-buck PC." > LinuxPR describes SolarPC's announcement of their $100 PC. New Sun strategy looks familiar to CIOs [SearchCIO.com] Sun Microsystems has a new pay-as-you-go plan, but some CIOs say they are waiting on proof before purchasing. VoIP upstart tackles gradual migrations [SearchEnterpriseVoice.com] One expert says Zultys' expanded portfolio of VoIP products shows it is focused on firms making gradual migrations, but another says that to compete with Avaya and Nortel, it must focus on long-term survival. Consolidate painlessly and save money [SearchStorage.com] There are three new technologies that can reduce TCO if you are undertaking a consolidation project: blade computing, storage aggregation and iSCSI. Here are some hints on how to get it right. More Tech News Catch up on all the latest IT news! Secret Word of the Day This is the term for areas of coverage created by multiple wireless network access points located in close proximity to each other. What is it? Answer Today's Trivia Question Is a softphone software or hardware? Answer IT Alphabet Soup The Standard International (SI) unit of thermodynamic temperature is abbreviated as K. What does K stand for? Answer Learning Center Update: Offshore outsourcing This CIO Survival Guide offers the necessary resources and advice to help IT executives make smart offshore outsourcing decisions. Do you speak geek? Down in the engine room Q signaling channel legacy application EDRAM Contact Us Sales For sales inquiries, please contact us at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Editorial For feedback about any of our articles or to send us your article ideas, please contact us at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ABOUT THIS E-NEWSLETTER This e-newsletter is published by WhatIs.com, a targeted Web site from TechTarget, the most targeted IT media and events company. Copyright 2005 TechTarget. All rights reserved. To unsubscribe from "Word of the Day": Go to unsubscribe: http://WhatIs.techtarget.com/u?cid=503275&lid=430801&track=NL-34 Please note, unsubscribe requests may take up to 24 hours to process; you may receive additional mailings during that time. A confirmation e-mail will be sent when your request has been successfully processed. Contact Us: WhatIs Member Services 117 Kendrick Street, Suite 800 Needham, MA 02494