I found this article quite interesting and promising. The Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has come up with detailed specifications for a $100 windup-powered laptop which would be targeted at children in developing nations.

The proposed design of the machines calls for a 500MHz processor, 1GB of memory and an innovative dual-mode display that can be used in full-color mode, or in a black-and-white sunlight-readable mode. The display makes the laptop “both an electronic book and a laptop…”

Power for the new systems will be provided through either conventional electric current, batteries or by a windup crank attached to the side of the notebooks, since many countries targeted by the plan do not have power in remote areas…

For connectivity, the systems will be Wi-Fi- and cell phone-enabled, and will include four USB ports, along with built-in “mesh networking,” a peer-to-peer concept that allows machines to share a single Internet connection.

An excellent idea that could do wonders in bridging the computer literate gap between children living in third would nations and those that aren’t.