Reinventing the OLPC

One PDA per teacher (100GB/200$/Same functions as Laptop)

How about making a pocket Linux like the Archos PMA 430, built for less than 200$, with same functionalities as the 100$ laptop, but in a pocketable form factor and with a 100GB 2,5" harddrive inside. This device would also have a camera built-in, the teacher can use it to film documentaries and lessons to be used in education, and put up on the video server, for all students to be able to watch past lessons as video-on-demand.

So this device would be 100GB in the pocket and a camera, as well as it lets the teacher access all the same Linux software that is on the Laptops, and he can update the planning and the lessons for all students to access at any time of the day.

Why not also for kids? There may be a "right size" for kids' computers. Possibly a Palm/iPAQ size device may be too small - even if an integrated laser beam based full size virtual keyboard and virtual (projected) screen are available. The main reason for "right sizing" to notebook range size is to assure the system doesn't easily get lost. On the other hand ... one could then argue that cell phones too should be "right sized" to be at least notebook sized, but we seem to be able to do well with the current smaller size. So ... perhaps a kids' computer could be Palm/iPAQ size with a full size virtual keyboard/screen. By the way ... wonder what is the real internal parts +assembly + test + packaging cost to manufacturers of various models of iPAQ or Palm or what would be wholesale prices in 1 and 10 million batch quantity. In such stellar quantities manufacturers would be glad to make a custom version capable of running the OLPC software suite and envisioned interfaces. There may be significant advantages to this approach ... Another thought is that many programs support "skins". Why not the OLPC computer - with different shape, size, etc. casing based on a common "engine" (and crank)? L Pfeffer March 20, 2006

A "teacher" laptop could do the same thing...and is a less difficult platform,because embedded platform lend to technical dificulties...

you have several problem with this aproach:

• Hardware problems
  • battery life
  • price(too high technical specs)
  • inavalibility of hardware
  • size
• software problems
  • different cpu architecture than x86
    • cross compilations problems with some packages such as kde...

a device such as the pma400 isn't the right thing for puipils or teacher because of a lot of factors,first there is the hdd problem,a hdd consume a lot and is not that reliable but also the ram problem because theses devices have so little ram,for example the specs of the pma400 are:

• 30 GB 1,8" hdd that is too much and isn't cheap
• omap 5910 @ ~150mhZ that is an arm9
• 64 MB(i think) of ram with 41/42 MB usable on an EMBEDDED os that is very light...
• not a lot battery life due to the hdd...
• 320x240 screen that is problematic
• not hardened
• non standard battery components=>higly problematic...

if you construct a better one you'll have:

• soc
• 30 GB
• 640x480
• 128MB ram

that kind of device is a lot superior than the devices in america,europe or asia and would be resold... if you want a better one you'll have:

• no hdd:flash
• x86 cpu
• 128 MB ram
• flash
• hardened
• bigger...

so you'll have the same olpc than the one we have already there is also a big prolem!!! there is no keyboard!!! it will be very different from the computers beeing used in buisness and that will disavantage them while adding no counterpart

Perhaps one can rethink screen/keyboard approaches as follows:

a) having a current style PDA touch sensitive small screen. Many people get by with PDA-s and do some useful things on even smaller cell phone screens ... (I know someone who few yaers ago wrote a serious book on a PDA while waiting for airplanes etc. He used an external keyboard.)

b) having a laser (or LED?) large format projected virtual screen/keyboard. This could provide the standard localized keyboard layout

Perhaps a PDA variant could be co-developed by one or more vedors with capability to snap into a "secondary skin" which is similar to currently envisioned OLPC case, crank et al. This would be an "expansion box" and power source - with added memory, its own battery etc. capable of charging the PDA, ports, etc.

Maybe software problems noted above could be prevented by a dual processor chip - with on-board non-x86 and x86 processor. The former used in PDA mode and the later in "inserted mode" - and power management to assure only the required procesor is active (and draws current).

L Pfeffer April 6,2006