OLPC project - great article from IEEE spectrum

[gator]

I am sure most of use here have heard about the OLPC project. For those who want to learn about it in a bit more detail, there is an excellent article in this month's IEEE spectrum. I have uploaded it here:
http://plaza.ufl.edu/psrivats/OLPC.pdf

Even though I have been following the OLPC project since its inception, only today I came to know the details of some of its really intriguing features:

1. Did you know that the laptop has its entire motherboard in the back of the LCD (ala the iMac). Only the keyboard connector passes through the hinge. The laptop can function as a tablet with ease.

2. I knew that the laptop was wifi enabled, but I did not know that they have impelemented the draft version of IEEE 802.11s standard - wherein each laptop also acts as a wireless router also. I don't think any of the current laptops (or those coming out in the near future) have this feature.

3. The LCD itself can switch between greyscale mode and color mode (at a lower resolution). The LCD is just 7.5", but has a greysclae resolution of 1200*800! Moreover, it is very well readable in daylight because of the new design (details in pdf). The color mode runs at 800*600, but has some very interesting engineering behind it, esp the color filters.

4. The hand generator (one of the various power sources) is designed like a yo-yo, and the idea was so good that the parent company that designed it is bringing similar chargers for handhelds soon!

[Kyocera]

Sri, there was a discussion about the hand crank laptop to enable the third world to join thinkpads.com about a year ago, it's somewhere in the off topic conference way back.

[spt60]

Love it... will buy one if I can get my hands on it.

I am sure most of use here have heard about the OLPC project. For those who want to learn about it in a bit more detail, there is an excellent article in this month's IEEE spectrum. I have uploaded it here:
http://plaza.ufl.edu/psrivats/OLPC.pdf

Even though I have been following the OLPC project since its inception, only today I came to know the details of some of its really intriguing features:

1. Did you know that the laptop has its entire motherboard in the back of the LCD (ala the iMac). Only the keyboard connector passes through the hinge. The laptop can function as a tablet with ease.

2. I knew that the laptop was wifi enabled, but I did not know that they have impelemented the draft version of IEEE 802.11s standard - wherein each laptop also acts as a wireless router also. I don't think any of the current laptops (or those coming out in the near future) have this feature.

3. The LCD itself can switch between greyscale mode and color mode (at a lower resolution). The LCD is just 7.5", but has a greysclae resolution of 1200*800! Moreover, it is very well readable in daylight because of the new design (details in pdf). The color mode runs at 800*600, but has some very interesting engineering behind it, esp the color filters.

4. The hand generator (one of the various power sources) is designed like a yo-yo, and the idea was so good that the parent company that designed it is bringing similar chargers for handhelds soon!