Microsoft looking beyond low-cost laptops
WinInfo | at | by Mike
Microsoft Looking Beyond Low-Cost Laptops for Emerging Markets In addition to its work with OLPC and other ultra-low-cost PC (ULCPC) makers, Microsoft is investigating other ways in which it can introduce computing to emerging markets. One such avenue, of course, is the cell phone, which has grown from its humble roots as a glorified pager into a powerful mobile computer in its own right. Cell phones can allow people in remote villages to stay in touch with the outside world and access financial services that would otherwise be unavailable to them. Some geographically diverse countries--like the island nation of Indonesia--are already using cell phone technologies to connect people with the government and with bill-paying and emergency services.