Images of the $100 MIT laptop released

They're colourful and robust, but will we ever see the production version?

24 May 2006 16:04 GMT / By Amber Maitland

Pocket lint brought you pictures of MIT's hand-cranked laptop last November (here).

Now three more laptop protypes in a rainbow of colours have been revealed at the Seven Countries Task Force Meeting.

The One Laptop Per Child organisation hopes that over five million of the devices will be ordered and paid for in advance by the governments of developing nations so that they can go into production. The devices certainly appear child-friendly, with their candy colours and rubberised appearance.

Each of the three features a slightly different design, with screens that swivel and tilt, and some sort of inbuilt handle.

Microsoft's recently announced pay-as-you-go computer scheme is a slightly different take on the budget laptop, with similar goals of providing affordable laptops to people in developing countries.

Analysts warn that some countries may be loathe to part with money for the unproven and new technology offered by the $100 laptops.

Some also suggest that it may be more cost-efficient and useful to refurbish and upgrade old computers, thereby recycling unwanted models.

For more information on the One Laptop Per Child organization, visit here