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$50 PC Will Teach Chicago School Kids

by Thomas Houston , posted Mar 14th 2008 at 10:34AM



Here's another entry in the expanding line of low-cost computer technology that's geared towards the classroom: Innovations for Learning, a Chicago-based nonprofit, recently debuted its $50 Teachermate handheld, which now joins the OLPC XO and Intel Classmate in the quest to teach kids how to compute on the cheap. The bare-bones PC comes with 512MB of RAM, an SD slot (for external memory), a tiny 2.5-inch display, and a microphone and speaker. It lacks Wi-Fi (wireless connectivity) or Ethernet, however, so the Teachermate won't be able to go online. Because the handheld device also lacks a keyboard, it forces the user to maneuver around the onscreen interface with just a four-way directional pad and three buttons.

Innovations for Learning will be launching the new computers in over 500 Chicago public elementary schools during the next two years. While both the OLPC and Intel Classmate are built on freely-available open-source software -- which makes them more versatile and upgradeable -- the Teachermate currently only runs a small proprietary set of classroom management tools and reading and math educational software.

The Teachermate will be available soon on Amazon, for those who are interested in trying it out on their own.

From Engadget

Gallery: Teachermate - $50 PC

  • Teachermate side view
  • Teachermate side view


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Sears One-Ups Wal-Mart With $185 PC

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jan 18th 2008 at 11:41AM

Sears One-Ups Wal-Mart with $185 Linux PC
We have a new reigning champion in the competition for the world's cheapest desktop computer. Sears.com is now selling a Mirus-built, Linux-based desktop PC for $285. We know, we know -- what about the OLPC XO or the Wal-Mart Everex Green PC?" ) Well, friends, what makes the Sears Mirus PC cheaper, for a limited time anyway, is a $100 mail-in rebate, making it total out to $185, which is $15 cheaper than the Green PC and $3 cheaper than the XO.

The Intel Celeron-based system also comes with 1-gigabyte of memory, giving it significantly more horsepower than anything else out at this price point.

The Mirus is part of a larger trend towards low cost, low power, Linux-running systems (Linux is an open-source operating system that's generally more stable than Windows and Mac operating systems). The OLPC XO, the Asus Eee, the Green PC, and the upcoming Intel powered MIDs are all aimed at users who just need typical daily computer functions such as word processing, image and music management, and Web access. Linux already owns the server market (almost every Web site you visit is sitting on a Linux-based server), and is now beginning to make a mark on the low-cost PC market.

If things continue along this route, 2008 will be the year that Linux finally becomes a household word.

From BetaNews

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Apple Fans Show Feelings of High Superiority, Low Modesty

by Tim Stevens, posted Jan 18th 2008 at 11:02AM

Apple Fans Show Feelings of High Superiority, Low Modesty

Apple fans are usually easy to spot. Maybe it's the trendy glasses or the messenger bag with the iconic Apple logo stitched on the side. Maybe its the way they cradle their iPhone gently. Maybe it's how they laugh at you every time you mumble something about your PC crashing. This has led to certain ... stereotypes being applied to Mac users, stereotypes largely reinforced by Apple's own advertising. Now those stereotypes have received some (debatable) scientific backing, with a recent personality study given to Macworld attendees showing some revealing findings.

The study was given to 7,500 people at the show, and the results depict Mac users as "more liberal, less modest, and more assured of their own superiority than the population at large." The study rated individual personality traits as "high" or "low" depending on the responses. Interestingly the findings show that participants had low modesty and high superiority but also have low self-esteem, an interesting combination that some could say results in a somewhat defensive position. Also interesting that, contrary to other stereotypes, Mac users did not rate high in creativity.

We're hoping a similar study is performed at the next Microsoft press event to see just how things compare and give a different perspective on this Mac vs. PC war that has been raging for decades. Any guesses on how PC users would score? We're thinking high in patience and low in bravado.

From Engadget

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The Worst Keyboards of All Time

by Tim Stevens, posted Nov 28th 2007 at 6:36PM

Worst Keyboards of All Time Rated

Most of us here at Switched H.Q. are old enough to have lived through the ergonomics disasters that were early personal computers. Computers from the 70s and 80s were revolutionary, but their manufacturers were still trying to figure out what people wanted their keyboard to do, This resulted in some far-out and, often, completely unusable designs. And, since everybody likes lists of things, PCWorld.com has gathered their 10 Worst PC Keyboards of All Time.

The one most people will find familiar is that big, ugly, brown Commodore 64 keyboard (which actually was the computer), coming in at the number 10 slot. Far more problematic was the Atari 400, number seven on the list, which used a "membrane" keyboard that offered zero feedback to would-be BASIC programmers of the day, feeling a little like the flat buttons on Motorola's RAZR.

The number one worst keyboard on the list is the 1984's IBM PCjr, which on paper sounded great. It was wireless, something that's still considered a bit of a luxury today, and featured dedicated keys for Backspace and for moving the cursor about (surprising rarities in those days). However, the infra-red wireless connection meant the keyboard had to have a clear line of sight to the computer itself, and the thing's hunger for batteries was unmatched, leaving it dead more often than not.

This list only includes personal keyboards, so those thumb-crampingly bad keypads found on many mobile phones today weren't eligible. However, we expect that list to be compiled shortly and hope that it won't take 20 years for cell phone makers to get those perfect.

From PC World

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Sweaty Man Electrocuted By PC - and Other Gadget-Related Deaths

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Aug 4th 2007 at 2:03PM

PC Power SupplySeems tech has a contract out for geeks.

Let this be a warning to all of you: Don't touch the inside of your PC when you are wet. According to Shanghai Daily, a young man, simply identified as "Wu," was shocked to death by his PC.

Wu took the case off the outside of his PC to prevent it from overheating. For some unexplained reason, he was not running the air conditioner in his home, so he wasn't wearing that much clothing. At some point, his sweaty leg came in contact with his PC's innards and Wu was dealt the deadly jolt -- 380 volts right from his PC's power supply.

Let's not forget that gadgets are electric, after all, and these kinds of deaths can happen just like that, so follow the precautions you'd take with any other electricity-powered device (like don't touch it if you're wet!).

But electrocution is not the only hazard that can come with a gadget. Take a look at some of the other tech-related deaths we have covered in the past few months (surprisingly, there are a lot more than just these).

We hope each of the following examples will serve as some kind of warning for you:



From Engadget via Shanghai Daily

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Attack of the Clones

by Tom Conlon, posted May 20th 2007 at 6:06PM

Attack of the ClonesAOpen Pandora
Whenever a cool new Adidas sneaker comes out, it's immediately given a fourth stripe by some hack out there and sold under a different brand name. Well, Apple is kind of like the Adidas of the tech-world. But it's not just Apple's phone and music players that get the Payless treatment. The Mac Mini, for example, found a fan in Taiwanese computer maker AOpen, who in 2005 released the Pandora. To its credit, AOpen was up front about its source of inspiration. That said, the Pandora is still a pretty shameless 'tribute' to the Mac Mini. On the outside, the only difference seems to be the power button and the lack of an Apple logo. On the inside, of course, the difference is a choice of Linux or Windows instead of OS X.

Spotted at CNET


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