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Handhelds GNU is Not Unix The Almighty Buck Hardware

State Of The Simputer 219

Posted by timothy from the intention-attrition dept.
2br02b writes "Readers might recall the Simputer (Simple, Inexpensive, Multilingual Computer) whose story Slashdot has been following over the past few years, including its release in October 2002 and most recently the Scientific American article in November. Rediff.com has an informative overview on the status of what was introduced as a low-cost computer for the poor to be sold for under Rs 10000 ($200). Of the two companies that have been given licences, one has yet to put the product on the market while the other is only looking at bulk sales at prices from Rs 12000 to Rs 20000 ($400). Only between 1500 and 2000 Simputers are out on the market."
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State Of The Simputer More

State Of The Simputer

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  • Computer for the poor? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by InterruptDescriptorT ( 531083 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:01AM (#6984790) Homepage
    HOw about we concentrate on basic human needs like food, clean, running water and shelter before we go doling out handhelds to people?

    I'm not at all against technology education and maximizing its use wherever possible, but there truly are some things that must take priority here.

    • argueable, but... (Score:3, Insightful)

      by fons ( 190526 )
      You could argue that the poor could use these cheap computers to help them get food, water etc.

      For example: If you give poor farmers in Africa, India, ... computers, they could use them to improve there farming and harvest more food or to make a better profit selling their harvest.
      This is much better than just giving them food. Computers could help solve THE PROBLEM instead of just curing the symptoms.

      However, there are many other problems:
      - Lot's of poor people can't read/write.
      - If they can read/write,

      • Re:argueable, but... (Score:2, Interesting)

        by GoofyBoy ( 44399 )
        >If you give poor farmers in Africa, India, ... computers, they could use them to improve there farming and harvest more food or to make a better profit selling their harvest.

        Of course, because behind every third world poor farmer is a computer programming genius who can just program C/C++ his way into better and efficent ways of growing things.

        Next on freshmeat.net: GNU/RainMiracle.

        • Re:argueable, but... (Score:4, Insightful)

          by KDan ( 90353 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:35AM (#6985039) Homepage
          I think quite possibly what he meant is that they can use the computers to learn about ways of improving their farming, to learn to dig wells, etc.

          Knowledge is power, as they say...

          Daniel

          • The 35 cent solution. (Score:4, Insightful)

            by JonTurner ( 178845 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @09:53AM (#6985663) Journal
            >>They can use the computers to learn about ways of improving their farming...

            So what's wrong with a photocopied pamphlet or even a book? Hundreds, perhaps thousands of booklets could be printed for the cost of one of these computers.

            If the goal is the distribution of information, this is the wrong tool for the job.
            • Great. BTW, what is the cost of printing the entire internet in pamphlet form 1000 times and distributing it to poor Indian farmers? Unless you plan to know in advance all of the information they want to know, how are you going to print these pamphlets?

              Besides, even if the printing is cheap (not a given), distributing tons of printed material in areas with poor infastructure is problematic at best.

            • If the goal is the distribution of information, this is the wrong tool for the job.

              For a small distribution, perhaps. However, printing thousands or millions of pamphlets (and then distributing them) gets expensive.

              If each town had, say, 10 of these computers, 10 printers, and a hell-of-a-lotta paper (and ink), then the printing and distribution costs would be reduced.

              Further, these computers don't distribute information as a one-shot deal. Sure, the first pamphlet would "cost" a lot, but then y

      • Yes, But I worry that the farming practices in the US in particular are not sustainable. What is really needed is some appropriate technology that has meaning to them.

        I've spent years teaching tribals fish farming only to see them abandon it as soon as we left.

      • Re:argueable, but... (Score:5, Insightful)

        by perly-king-69 ( 580000 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:56AM (#6985215)

        For example: If you give poor farmers in Africa, India, ... computers, they could use them to improve there farming and harvest more food or to make a better profit selling their harvest.

        3rd world farmers suffer more from trade barriers, dumping by the US and Europe, beauracracy and wars than a lack of efficiency

      • However, there are many other problems:
        - Lot's of poor people can't read/write.
        - If they can read/write, can they often can't read/write English - Who will educate all these people on how to use computers?

        They have interfaces in local languages and try to be graphical enough to be "intuitive", though of course they still need some hands one instruction.

        PS No apostrophe in "lots".

    • The POINT is that this computer will enable them to better provide for themselves. Learn about farming methods, medicine, alternitive housing ideas, &c.

      It's the whole "Give a man a fish/Teach a man to fish" idea.

      M@

    • Re:Computer for the poor? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:25AM (#6984962)
      This is such an age old troll that it is not funny. You can actually post it to every article and slashdot and be on topic. Why buy a new iBook when we could stop world hunger? Why upgrade your kernel when you could be in Africa building houses? There is always something better than we can be doing with our time. If you are so altruistic then what are you doing posting on slashdot?

      This is a device that is meant to help close the digital divide. You take for granted how much information is at your fingertips and what advantages there are to having that information. If you are looking for a job where are you going to start? Probably on Monster or HotJobs or some other site. Send out some resumes by email that you typed in your word processor. Now take away your computer and try to do the old fashioned way. Type your resume on a typewriter, pay to have it photocopied, flip through a newspaper and walk door to door only to have them reject you because you don't have computer experience.

      Not everything is about helping the poorest of the poor. There are a lot more people out there who need some help too.
      • You can actually post it to every article and slashdot and be on topic. Why buy a new iBook when we could stop world hunger? Why upgrade your kernel when you could be in Africa building houses? There is always something better than we can be doing with our time. And sadly its the same argument that seems to get so much weight with those who think manned space exploration is a waste. Funny how the beneficiaries of humankind's temerity think so little of it.

      • One problem I see with this device is that it doesn't have a good way to connect to the internet. Yes it has a modem, but from what I have read, there aren't many land line phones in the third world, and instead of laying copper, the trend is to go with cell phones. It is cheaper to put up cell towers and let "the last mile" be bridged by RF rather than laying copper, which is more expensive can be taken.

        I would think that either a cell modem or 802.11 would be a more effective solution for this applica

    • Wonder what moron thinks that the parent post is *insightful*, if the world were to run on that advice there would be no progress! Grow up buddy

    • [This is recycled from something I posted about a year ago.]

      Alice is a shrewd 17 year old who plans to build on her investment in a Simputer and a cell phone until she achieves world domination. With the optimism of youth, she figures that will happen when she's about 25. After all, she needs two years to pay off the Co-op loan she took to get the things, and then she needs to really learn how read and write, too. That might take a little while. But she's willing to put off starting her family until she'

      • But she's willing to put off starting her family until she's 25. Much as she wants kids, she wants to be rich, first.

        ...

        Marriage and children have to wait awhile.

        Alice is in for a rude awakening, if she wants kids. Peak fertility in women is 15-25, as many Americans and Europeans are finding out the hard way. Of course, if the third world started limiting its population, maybe the first world will have a chance to catch up--so it's a good thing for us...

        • I don't disagree. Not at all.

          But let's put this in context.

          First, all seventeen year olds are in for a rude awakening. That's the nature of adolescence.

          Second, for women in good health the statistical drop-off in fertility is not concern before the mid thirties. These figures are generally based on births per 100,000 of population, and don't reflect the basic biology-- they are more reflective of societal norms, the pressures for birth control that come with the second, third, umpteenth child, and so on.

    • ... read "How the World Was One" by Arthur C. Clarke? In it, he describes (among other things) the massive social and economic improvements in rural India brought about by the SITE satellite TV project. A single satellite dish and even a small TV can be seen by a whole village, bringing education to even the poor and illiterate farmers.
    • HOw about we concentrate on basic human needs like food, clean, running water and shelter before we go doling out handhelds to people? I'm not at all against technology education and maximizing its use wherever possible, but there truly are some things that must take priority here.

      "we"? Where do you get this "we" from? The Simputer is manufactured by a for-profit corporation in India. Are you saying that they (a bunch of tech guys, obviously) should have gone into the food water and housing business? Or

    • The guys who made simputer might have had a benevolent idea in mind but its fucking going to go nowhere. Why?
      Firstly, at the rate the cost of electronics is dropping, PDA's made by Palm and other companies are more or less in the same price range as this simputer.
      Secondly, mismanagament is the name of the game for the Indians. They might make shit but selling it is another matter.
      Those people who have 200, 400 $ to spend are *very* brand aware.
      They know the fucking difference between a palm, handspring, son
    • Light a man a fire, he will stay warm for a night. Light a man afire, and he will stay warm for the rest of his life.

      Wait, that's the wrong adage. The point is, education is the long-term solution, and doing shit for people is short-term.

  • Correct me if I'm wrong, but I guess 200-400$ aren't that little for a poor Indian. Apart from that fact that I have to wonder whatfor people living in some fuckin slum need a computer!

    • Re: computer for the poor? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by bmongar ( 230600 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:08AM (#6984847)
      Apart from that fact that I have to wonder whatfor people living in some fuckin slum need a computer!
      How about to educate themselves and get out of the slum. I came from a poor rural area not realy a slum. My parents overextended their budget buing a C64 for us when I was in junior high. Many people saw that as a waste of money. My parents saw that as an investment. It paid off. I'm a programmer now.

      • Have you've seen the pictures of this computer?

        The thing doesn't even have a keyboard. I doubt that it even has end-user friendly programming language. And I can get an old desktop computer for cheaper.

        Not sure how much serious real-world skills from a thing that looks like an over-glorified GameBoy.
      • So then, every poor kid that gets a computer is gonna be a programmer? I kinda' doubt that. Computers are still largely uneeded luxuries for most people on this planet.
        • Right...

          And why should poor people be buying books? I mean they can just go to the library, right?

          And why should poor people be buying toys for their kids? Send them outside to play, or let them go to a park!

          This mentality is so shortsighted. These things that you consider a luxury for a "poor" person are actually great ways to encourage your kids to learn and enjoy learning. By buying your kids books, educational toys, even a computer you are encouraging them to enjoy learning and setting an exam

        • Computers are still largely uneeded luxuries for most people on this planet.

          In that case, why are you using one? Computers are excellent means of communication. You do understand that with a computer, you can access all kinds of information you couldn't get otherwise? You know, not everyone has a library near his/her house, and not everyone can read, especially in 3rd world countries? A computer can efficiently solve both of these problems.

          You have to realize that the 3rd world is very different. A

      • Outsourcing bonanza! (Score:3, Interesting)

        by JonTurner ( 178845 )
        >> have to wonder whatfor people living in some ... slum need a computer! ...
        >>I'm a programmer now.

        Enjoy it while it lasts. I can't help but wonder how long before your company outsources your job to some kid with a Simputer willing to work for 35 cents a day? Ouch!

    • Comparitive Soscio-Economics (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Corpus_Callosum ( 617295 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:16AM (#6984902) Homepage
      Correct me if I'm wrong, but I guess 200-400$ aren't that little for a poor Indian. Apart from that fact that I have to wonder whatfor people living in some **** slum need a computer!

      I'm not sure how it works in India, but it is probably (please correct me if I'm wrong) similar to the Philippines where the average college graduate makes about $300 / month.

      If you assume that the average college graduate in the US makes $3k - $4k / month, then a fair comparison would be a $3500 computer in the U.S. to a $300 computer in the Philippines (or perhaps, India). From an expense point of view, it is likely to be affordable (although certainly a luxury).

      But to imagine that these people do not wish to communicate, learn and reach out to the world through the Internet is fairly ignorant. In my experience with families from the third world, a computer (and even a broadband connection, which can be had for pennies on our dollars) is more desirable than a telephone or television.

      My conclusion? The simputer may not fit the bill, but the need and economics are right on.

    • Re: computer for the poor? (Score:5, Informative)

      by I8TheWorm ( 645702 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:27AM (#6984984) Journal
      What's the point when for $200 the "poor" could by a Linux pc from Wal-Mart [walmart.com].

      Let's not discount the fact that the per capita GDP in India is $2,540, which would make a $200 PC in India worth $2960.63 in US dollars (US per capita GDP = $37,600).

      Some help that is...

      • Re: computer for the poor? (Score:4, Insightful)

        by *weasel ( 174362 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @09:44AM (#6985597)
        so you mean that indians would be paying the same relative part of their salary on a computer now that boomers spent in the 70s and 80s?

        i would say its pretty clear that many gen-X-ers got quite a bit of a technological leg-up from their boomer parents overextending their salary similarly.

        the sale of cheap computing to underdeveloped countries is a Good Thing (tm).

        sure, they need improvements in other basic areas too - but not everyone who wants to help can work on the same project (too many cooks), and some people just don't have expertise or experience in providing and distributing clean water, replenishing spent soil, or extending the electrical infrastructure.

        does it make it a less noble goal to bring computing prices down? to provide an educational and informational medium to these people?

        indians in particular living in the world's oldest democracy, would certainly tangibly benefit from being more educated voters.
        the broader online marketplace also provides tangible benefits, even for the underprivileged (who benefit more from better prices/competition).

        if anything, that money makes more sense for them now than it did when the boomers bought into it for X-ers. The internet adds exponentially to the value of a home computer.

        not all of their children will grow up to be programmers or engineers, but there are tangible benefits to be had. yes, it requires some proactivity, and yes - not everyone in india (or any other underdeveloped nation) needs/would actually benefit from a PC.

        but if only a dozen, or a hundred take the opportunity and turn it to their will - that'd make it a worthwhile cause.
        • That makes sense, but that $200 PC ($2,960.63) that these guys are saying will be more like $300-400 ($4,440.95-5,921.26) isn't going to help in the least. They'd be better off with the ads you find in the computer section of the greensheet hyping "internet ready" PC's (translate, a 486 or P1 with a small hard drive, modem, and crappy 15" monitor) for $100. They would have the ability to get online, and still be able to afford dinner.

          What those GDP numbers fail to show is disposable income. If my $37,6
          • i'm just a big fan of people actually trying to bring the price down, to open opportunities.

            yes, i think the better solution would be to sell used/refurbished PCs with a localized fork of linux for $100-$150.

            but i'm not running their show. maybe they think the internet requires something more than a dx66 or a p1 350. maybe they have production contacts and not software contacts; so its easier for them to arrange for new machines than to find people to code support for old ones.

            i was just trying to point
            • With that I agree wholeheartedly. Having access to the information on the internet is a privelage that shouldn't be focused only on the wealthy.

              I just don't think this particular effort is newsworthy. To me it's just another half-hearted attempt to do the right thing, but make a buck or two hundred in the process.
      • "What's the point when for $200 the "poor" could by a Linux pc from Wal-Mart"

        Why spend $200 on a walmart PC, when you can get a used PC for $20. I just bought 6 of them (Pentium 200, 96MB, 2.5GB, CD, floppy, modem, 10/100 ethernet) to replace some older 286's we have (yes, there are still uses for these old machines)

        Sure it doesn't run Half-Life, but for the needs of "poor" people without a PC, it would be more than adequate. Besides it keeps it from ending up in a landfill.
        • Exactly! That's the point I was trying to make. This "effort" to make computers for the poor is half-hearted at best. There are MANY more CHEAPER ways to do it. But of course, the profit margin in selling used pc's isn't quite the same as making some new ones and selling them for whatever you want to.

          I was given two P-Pro 266's by a former employer who would have had to pay to get rid of them. Two used 30GB HD's and two 128MB sticks of PC-133 later (to the tune of $100) and they're now "servers" on m
          • The simputer is not just hardware as you seem to assume, it's a whole interface and system, developed for use by people who have never used a computer before.

            For example, it doesn't have a keyboard or mouse, and doesn't need you to know what one is.

            If you had read the article from Scientific American at http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000454 A E-7675-1D7E-90FB809EC5880000 [sciam.com] you'd of found all this out.

            Ewan

            • Well, I did actually read the article (again), and while I wasn't suggesting that a $20 PC can replace the whole "interface and system" of the Simputer, it is certainly an alternative worth considering - particularly since there seems to be some difficulty delivering the system at the price originally stated in the article.

              I think the last paragraph of the SciAm article say is best:

              "Perhaps the greatest obstacle for the Simputer, though, is cost. Will people in developing countries be able to justify the
            • Actually, I did read the article. $250-$300 for a palm pilot with some interactive software on it. Woo-friggin-hoo. That's different from a computer with the same software on it.. how?

              The bottom line is it's too expensive. Besides, have you ever tried to educate yourself with a palm pilot? Not easy to read a book at 200 or less characters per page. 64MB of RAM and 32MB of flash RAM. Wow. All for the low price of $250? That would help those people a lot, considering it's still tied to a modem line
              • Once again, for much less, they could have a PC tied to that modem line, running linux, and have much more capability. I think it's throwing money in the wrong direction to help people.

                You're missing the aspects of this device that make it more attractive than a used PC plunked down in a corner. The whole concept of using a simple palm-like device makes it low-power, rugged and ultra-portable.

                How were you planning on powering that old PC that sucks 30 watts of power, when there's no electrical hookup fo
                • and can be run off 2 AA batteries for a month

                  Given that it's a tool to be used by many people, do you honestly think 2 AA batteries will power it for a month? I would love to have that kind of technology myself.

                  I keep revisiting it, but everyone that's posted back to this keeps ignoring the price issue. That undersized computer would cost them the equivalent of $8,000 US. Hell, why don't they just get a palm pilot and a modem card for $120 instead of this thing for $250 ($300 for color)? Because t
      • What's the point when for $200 the "poor" could by a Linux pc from Wal-Mart.

        The simputer is design to be *gasp* simpler then the regular desktop computer.

        (i) It was made to to used in areas where electricity is very undependable or non-existant. Where are you going to plug in that walmart PC?

        (ii) It was made to be easily shared amongst a large group of people. eg. a co-operative. How are you going to share a desktop amongst a few dozen people? Wouldn't be easier to share a mobile computer?

        (iii) It w

    • I agree that $200 - $400 is quite a bit for a lower middle class person, let alone a poor indian. However, the poor do "need" a computer. If not today, tomorrow. At least shared computers, like those in public libraries in US.

      The access to latest information (and educational resources) can potentially open the gateway out of the slums.

      S
    • 10 seconds of thinking: MIT Open Course Ware, so they can make a way out for themselves

      Just a thought...

    • Another thought:
      Learn good English
      Learn computing
      Take support jobs away from overpaid arrogant first worlders.
      • Somehow, i'm not too worried....Probably 90% of the Indians and other Asians i've had to deal with in support positions frankly don't know shit about computing.

        Case in point: The Indian lab assistant I had to deal with this morning. The computer I was at couldn't see or allow setup of the normal network printer for some reason, so I waved him over. After seeing the situation, he then proceded to randomly click around in the root C: folder for 5 minutes, muttering "It should be in here somewhere...". After
    • Correct me if I'm wrong, but I guess 200-400$ aren't that little for a poor Indian. Apart from that fact that I have to wonder whatfor people living in some fuckin slum need a computer!

      Please mod this ignorant comment down. It is not insightful.

      I assist a charity that is installing computer training colleges in Ethiopia. The colleges have a huge effect - the students can go on to get jobs, move to a better location - it can literally change their lives, and they help pick up the local economy.

      I read co

  • how do they expect it to sell? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:04AM (#6984820) Homepage
    So now pricing it up there with laptops and high end handhelds will get it selling? Wasn't the whole point of the simputer as computing for the masses and not the uber-rich? (Yes kiddies, you are considered Uber rich to 4/5ths the worlds' population.)

    Another great idea tanked by a bunch of PHB's
  • with my Automated Bead Array Computational Unit System. This can be made much more cheaply, the batteries alst forever, and it never crashes!
    • >>with my Automated Bead Array Computational Unit System. This can be made much more cheaply, the batteries alst forever, and it never crashes!

      Is this compatible with Dirt-And-Stick 1.0? I've been looking to upgrade. I hate losing all my documents every time it rains...

  • just donate your old ones (Score:5, Insightful)

    by chrimage ( 701619 ) * on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:06AM (#6984833) Homepage Journal
    isn't there a better way to provide computing technology to the third-world masses? perhaps someone should start a program for donating old, outdated computers for the good of poorer nations. (if there isn't already one)
    • isn't there a better way to provide computing technology to the third-world masses? perhaps someone should start a program for donating old, outdated computers for the good of poorer nations. (if there isn't already one)

      [eyeroll]
      Didn't any of y'all RTFA? The Simputer isn't a 1:1 replacement for a desktop machine. It has a modem, GSM/CDMA interface, and GPS system built in. It runs on batteries. Figured out what it is yet? It's a PDA. It's not meant to be a tool for teaching children how to write "hello w

    • The problem is shipping. It would probably cost more to ship them and distribute them (more shipping, but overland) than they are worth at this point. It makes much more sense to buy the materials closer.

      As an interesting side note; Japan buys our recycled steel at like, a penny a ton or something. Imagine the disparity between purchase price and shipping price there :)

  • What a shame (Score:3, Insightful)

    by McPLUR ( 586375 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:09AM (#6984855)
    To be so close to having a computer accessible by all. It is hard to estimate what the implications could have been if everyone, every where had access to a computer. But of course the inventors yet again failed to factor in corporate greed.

  • Utopian ideals... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Ratface ( 21117 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:10AM (#6984859) Homepage Journal
    An idea like this sounds fantastic - but is riddled with potential problems.

    If they produce something with low capabilities, but a low, low price, then they will be accused of producing underpowered rubbish.

    As soon as you start to increase the potential of the platform, the costs start to rise until you have an elitist product that the intended market cannot afford.

    There *may* be a happy medium somewhere, but the edvil is in the details of finding it. In the consumerist marketplace we have in the West, production prices are already pushed as low as possible. Squeezing out extra pennies in production is almost impossible. The potential is there though to reduce prices through the marketing and adminitration side of things (pay no fat-cat salaries to the sales & management departments), but then again the product quickly becomes unfashionable and therefore undesirable.

    I would love to see such a product to succeed, but it's a hell of an uphill stuggle!
    • Their biggest mistake was the color display. You can get more display area cheaper if you use greyscale, which is sufficient for people in developing countries - hell, it's sufficient for 99% of what people do with computers in this country.

  • Those well-paid Indians (Score:4, Interesting)

    by vudufixit ( 581911 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:13AM (#6984876)
    If that's where our tech support and software development jobs are going, then their wages will go up, and an increasing number of them will be able to afford the simputer, right? As for those knee-jerkers who say, "let's provide food, water, etc. first" please remember that this is being marketed and sold by a private company that has no obligation to address those sorts of social problems. If anything, increasing a country's tech literacy helps increase the general prosperity

  • What it all comes down to is (Score:4, Interesting)

    by NDPTAL85 ( 260093 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:14AM (#6984885)
    They fucked up. $400 is way too expensive for a poor indian person to afford.

    "Well, it's not a cheap computer.

    Its proponents have since discarded the buzzword -- 'cheap computer' -- that brought the Simputer into the limelight.

    "We are not making a cheap computer. We are making a sophisticated device that will make computing possible for everyone," declares Professor Manohar."

    What a crock of bull. How is computing possible for "everyone" when "most" Indians can't afford to spend $400 on a PDA?

  • Um... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by GoofyBoy ( 44399 )

    >people were interchanging polarities while inserting batteries and battery contacts were coming loose due to rough handling.

    The UI interface better be really really simple.

    And yes I think this is a dumb idea. Just give them old desktop computers. There is no reason for portability to be simple, inexpensive or multilingual.
    • first off those are poor design problems. battery contacts can easily be engineered to withstand a severe stick beating and as for the batteries being put in the wrong way. That can be solved also with first better markings, second with a few simple diodes to make it work even if batteries were inserted randomly.

      they are making the outer casing insanely cheap to make up for the fact they screwed up big time on the innards.
      • Diodes won't do much good, it will cost you a lot of energy (current going through diode and voltage over diode) and it won't protect you from somebody putting in 5 batteries in the right direction and one the wrong way...
        What would work is make use of the shape of the batreries, they have a pin on the positive side for a reason, a few simple modifications to the plastic (to only allow a small pin to the contact instead of the entire back side) would do the trick and would be far cheaper.

        Jeroen

  • Needs a few changes (Score:5, Interesting)

    by heironymouscoward ( 683461 ) <heironymouscowar ... m ['oo.' in gap]> on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:26AM (#6984977) Journal
    1. AA batteries, not AAA or fixed rechargeable Li-ION. AAA have a terribly low capacity (~450mAh compared to up to 1900mAh for AA).

    2. Cheap and robust external power supply. Batteries are expensive.

    2. B&W screen, for godsake. Color is luxury, make a high-contrast large, protected B&W screen that can show decent amounts of information.

    3. Little chiclet keyboard that plugs in to a mini-USB slot. Something like the old Spectrum keyboards, cheap, nasty, unbreakable.

    That would make it cheaper and more useful. Imagine a computer you'd happily give to an 10-year old, no matter if it breaks.

    Lastly, I'd add bluetooth because it's a tiny extra cost, only a few $, and provides unbreakable networking and connectivity better than any physical connection, and make the whole thing run on a stripped-down embedded Linux.
    • Okay, here's my list:

      (1) Basic similar to Applesoft, but with native-language lookup tables. Instead of "GR" for "Graphics", you can have "PI" for "pirstiniai"

      (2) C compiler.

      (3) Assembler/Disassembler a la DOS Debug.

      (4) Two ports: USB and Infrared, for file exchange, I/O, and so on.

      (5) Solar power blanket. Hang it outside your wall for the power, if you need it.

      (6) SRAM (no HDD).

      (7) Substitutable mapped ASCII codes. That is, the computer allows you to map a Win98-equivalent character set's speci

  • $400 is much too expensive (Score:3, Insightful)

    by NineNine ( 235196 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:33AM (#6985019)
    Considering the fact that 16% of the planet doesn't even make $400 a year [globalrichlist.com], this is still ridiculously expensive.
  • Views subject to media-frenzied hype and/or misunderstanding, as pointed out in the article, but nevertheless...

    "We are fairly clear that commercial success has to go with our development goals,"

    I seem to remember, when the Simputer first hit the backpages of IT newspaper supplements, that the point of the simputer was to provide a set of designs that could be produced cheaply, the idea being that this production would then be available to anyone with the right resources/motivation, rather than just t

  • The High Cost of Software (Score:3, Funny)

    by TheVidiot ( 549995 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @08:43AM (#6985100) Homepage
    It's strange how SimCity, SimCoaster, SimSafari and the Sims all were priced normally, and yet SimPuter appears to be behind schedule and way overpriced.

    Perhaps moving development offshore isn't the cost saver it's been promoted as.

    :)
  • I dunno, but at Price.Ru [price.ru] you can find plenty of PCs for $200+ and plenty of monitors for $100+. That's $300-350 for a new off-the-shelf computer and you don't even need a new name for that. There surely must be a way to make a functional computer for $200. That would be worth mentioning, not a $400 low-end PC.
  • Commodity computers are still on "Internet time". The design-to-distribution cycle of a Dell, Gateway etc. is less than sic months. Their performance-per-price nearly doubles annually. Custom computers cannot keep up. Silicon Valley is littered with the wreckage of scientific computing companies and PDAs who fell off this relentless developement trajectory.

  • Simputer became expensive because.. (Score:3)

    by mritunjai ( 518932 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @09:06AM (#6985299) Homepage
    ... it was loaded with goodies. Quoting from the article- "Our Simputer comes with a smart card reader. It has a USB master that can host different kind of peripherals. It has an in-built modem, GSM/CDMA data interface, GPS receiver and the equivalent of a 400 MHZ Celeron [comment: its a SA proc]. It is a power packed machine," says Samyeer Metrani, group manager (embedded systems), Encore Technologies. Probably they needed to include the goodies for special purposes, but somehow they got in the "basic" model where many of these weren't even needed. Comeon... even Palm and Zaurus don't have GPS receiver and CDMA+GSM interface, buildin modem and a 400(!) MHz processor. The cost can surely be brought down, but then they would be competing with established players. So they chose the alternative route to play in niche markets with feature packed versions... and its very well known that benefits of economies of scale are usually not available to niche players!
  • [sorry for HTML submission previously.] ... it was loaded with goodies. Quoting from the article-

    "Our Simputer comes with a smart card reader. It has a USB master that can host different kind of peripherals. It has an in-built modem, GSM/CDMA data interface, GPS receiver and the equivalent of a 400 MHZ Celeron [comment: its a SA proc]. It is a power packed machine," says Samyeer Metrani, group manager (embedded systems), Encore Technologies.

    Probably they needed to include the goodies for special purposes,

  • Cheaper than the Simputer (Score:3, Informative)

    by cyber_rigger ( 527103 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @09:14AM (#6985369) Homepage Journal

    The Simputer is a neat idea
    but who is going to buy them
    if you can already get something cheaper/faster
    with more storage?

    Here is a 1.2 Duron with a 20 gig drive for $200 US.
    [walmart.com]
    http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product _id=2138700&cat=86796&type=19&dept=3944&path=0%3A3 944%3A3951%3A41937%3A86796

    Of course if you have no place to plug it in
    then you're hosed.
  • I think this whole Simputer deal was all about deceptive marketing by a company to get their name out. They touted a cheap computer for the poor and got a lot of media attention. They came up with an expensive PDA and their name got quite well publicized in the bargain

  • more tech details about the simputer (Score:5, Informative)

    by pamri ( 251945 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @09:51AM (#6985655) Homepage
    Not long ago, the guys from encore gave a talk at our local lug on the simputer and from what i could gleam, they now seem to be moving towards customizing the simputer for special sectors like Manufacturing cos., etc., instead of relying too much on it's original purpose to fund themselves. You can find slides from the talks here. [linux-bangalore.org]

  • I think we're missing the point.... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by gordie ( 139287 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @10:10AM (#6985840) Homepage
    IIRC the whole point of the simputer, was to produce a cheap multi-language system that would work reliably in third world conditions i.e. areas with unreliable or no local power, high levels of dust etc. for sale to poor governments, NGA's etc. for use in educational programs. The ideal setting is one set up in the "mud hut" one room school in a small rural village. The teacher uses it for classes, both for the village children and adults. Yes our obsolete systems could be donated, but if they sit unused because of overheating and dust or a burned out power supply, due to the poor local electrical system etc., then all we have done, is save space in our own landfill.

  • This product makes sense in India. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I have seen all the previous responses - provide them food, not computers.. provide them clothing and health facilities .. not computers.. blah blah blah..
    But obviously who ever was posting it didnt have even the vaguest idea about India or for that matter any third world over populated nation.
    Firstly, this is not for personal ownership. I dont think that marketing people in India expect to sell $400 product to Bhole Ram (equivalent of Joe Consumer) who earns $500 annually. This product would be for c
  • With devices like the Palm Zire at $99 why do you invent a "low cost" device at $400??? The Zire 71 has colour, integrated camera, lots of memory, memory card (SD/MMC), 320x320 screen what else do people need? Startup hardware companies just don't make sense anymore buy a standard platform or have some far east company (China, Singapore, Taiwain, Malayasia ....) build a standard or copy a standard, write some custom software for you're app and you are done. These guys had some blue sky idea that they cou

  • cheap linux pc (Score:3, Interesting)

    by mehtars ( 655511 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @11:04AM (#6986297)
    Currently in india, as soon as a community gets electric power, the first thing they buy is a TV.
    The tv becomes their gateway to the rest of the world-- a one way feed.
    if you really want, you should build a computer that costs 150$ linux machine and uses the tv as a monitor-- i think that would be a more ideal solution. Basically, if walmart can make linux machines and sell them at $200, it shouldn't be that much harder to bring the price down by 50.
    in cost in rupees, that would be 7500/- cheaper than the simputer.
    • Heard of 'Sinclair' ZX Spectrum +? Yes, it was sold in India too, used to cost about Rs 14,000, and yes, you needed to plug in to the TV. And oh, *all* apps in it were open-source, and if I'm not wrong, it actually had GUI even before IBM PC's did (this app called 'Artist II')

      There are, of course, many reasons why it flopped, but here's one reason why it flopped in my household:- the Spectrum + had to fight for TV space along with daily soaps, news and cartoons, among other things. You know which ones won

  • Pictures (Score:4, Informative)

    by $exyNerdie ( 683214 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @11:14AM (#6986402) Homepage Journal
    I know ya'll like pictures and here are some (before the final outer design):

    More recent picture [jetro.go.jp]
    Picture 1 [jetro.go.jp]

    Picture 2 [jetro.go.jp]

    Picture 3 [jetro.go.jp]

    Picture 4 [jetro.go.jp]

    Picture 5 [jetro.go.jp]

    Use of Simputer for Spot Billing of Electricity Metering [picopeta.com]

    More Case [picopeta.com]

    Studies

  • See Simputer in action in the Bay Area (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Bill Kendrick ( 19287 ) <bill@newbreedsoftware.com> on Wednesday September 17, 2003 @03:39PM (#6988860) Homepage
    The Peninsula Linux Users Group (PenLUG [penlug.rog]) will be hosting a talk on the Simputer at their September 25th meeting down near Redwood City, in the SF Bay Area.

    The same speaker will be visiting the Linux Users' Group of Davis (LUGOD [lugod.org]) on October 20th [lugod.org], near Sacramento, Calif.

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