[OLPC India] HCL MiLeap = Intel Classmate ?

[Joshua N Pritikin]

On Thu, Jan 17, 2008 at 01:16:15AM +0100, Marc Valentin wrote:
> With Asus launching the EeePC and Intel/HCL the Classmate/Mileap both
> in India this month. What is the future for OLPC in India ?

http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20080107182525297

Classmate is more expensive, consumes 10 times the power, has 1/3 the 
wifi range, and can't be used outside. Also, the Classmate doesn't use 
neighboring laptops to extend the reach of the internet via hopping 
(mesh-networking) like the XO does. So not only is the XO cheaper than 
the Classmate, the XO requires less infrastructre expenditure for 
electricity and for internet access. In Peru we can run off of solar 
during the day and handcrank at night for an additional $25 or so per 
student – this is one-time expense – the solar panel and the crank will 
last 10 or perhaps 20 years. Just try running electricity cables up and 
down the Peruvian Andes for that cost while making sure it's 
environmentally clean energy. The Classmate isn't as durable as the XO, 
and its screen is about 30% smaller, the batteries are the type that can 
explode and only last 1-2 years and can't be removed by the user and 
harm the environment. The batteries are expensive to replace: $30-40 per 
replacement. The XO batteries last for 5 years and cost less than $10 to 
replace. Finally, the XO is the greenest laptop ever made, the Classmate 
isn't – this matters a great deal when one proposes to put millions of 
them in the developing world.

Also see:

http://etech.eweek.com/content/desktops_and_notebooks/classmate_pc_useful_but_not_in_xos_class.html