Matt Patey has drawn my attention to the 50×15 Initiative by AMD to create a PIC (Personal Internet Communicator) that is low-cost and easy to use so that by 2015 we could see 50% of the world’s population connected to the Internet. For a story on this see, AMD’s PC to increase online world / Low-end Internet model would assist emerging countries.
I, like Matt, have problems with the technology choices (Windows CE in a closed box with various preinstalled apps for media viewing.) This is a recipe for expanding the base of consumers not for empowering people to participate as creators on the net. The idea, if I understand AMD’s slides, is to market this through the telecommunication companies – reminds me of Minitel.
While Linux may not be the cure for all ills, why not imagine a project like this based on a cheap Linux laptop like the Wal-Mart $500 linux laptop.
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