<div dir="ltr"><div>I hope there are some members on this list from Goa as well.</div>
<div>For anyone with Goan interest in mind, it may be helpful to present to the Goan government a rather simple case:</div>
<div> </div>
<div>OLPC's XO remains the technologically most suited to learning, child friendly, robust, screen that is sun-friendly, a keyboard that is spill proof, a laptop that is dual boot - both Linux and MS XP..</div>
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<div>What is more, it comes with MS Office needed for XO loaded. So its much less than what it will cost the Goan government just to buy a license of MS XP/office suite.. As good as by the MS for less than half the price and have a laptop thrown in? </div>
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<div>If this laptop were retailed, (not possible as MS would most likely not allow that to happen as part of its relationship to offer the package to OLPC for $3) anyone with interest in MS will be queuing up to buy it..</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Thanks<br><br> >> Goa: Kids to go to school with laptops soon<br>>> 10 Sep: Times of India. Kids in Goa could soon be going to school with<br>>> laptops in hand with education minister Atanasio Monserrate announcing<br>
>> that 12,000 students will soon be given the machines costing about Rs<br>>> 23,000 each. 168 words. Click here.<br>>><br>>> <a href="http://www1.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Goa/Kids_to_go_to_school_with_laptops_soon/articleshow/3465072.cms" target="_blank">http://www1.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Goa/Kids_to_go_to_school_with_laptops_soon/articleshow/3465072.cms</a><br>
>><br>>> --<br>>> FN * Independent Journalist <a href="http://fn.goa-india.org/" target="_blank">http://fn.goa-india.org</a><br>>> Blog: <a href="http://fredericknoronha.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">http://fredericknoronha.wordpress.com</a><br>
>> Tech links from South Asia: <a href="http://twitter.com/fn" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/fn</a><br>>> _______________________________________________<br>>> India mailing list<br>>> <a href="mailto:India@lists.laptop.org">India@lists.laptop.org</a><br>
>> <a href="http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/india" target="_blank">http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/india</a><br>>><br>><br>> From the article:<br>><br>> "Education department sources said the government pays about Rs 23,000<br>
> for a computer-printer set given under the cyberage scheme. With a tax<br>> rebate, laptops can be procured for the same amount, the sources<br>> said."<br>><br>> At 23,000 per student, that should get you 2.5 XOs per Goan Child :-)<br>
><br><br><br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">Maybe not as much as 2.5 if the cost of deploying servers, power<br>solutions etc. is budgeted for ...but the XOs would definitely score<br>
over conventional laptops in serving the purpose of being deployed<br>because of being designed specifically for kids having a number of<br>features like collaboration, rugged laptop etc.et...<br><br>It would be interesting however to see (and learn from) other XO<br>
deployments and how they were budgeted for. Anybody has any pointers<br>on that?<br><br><br>Arjun<br>
<div class="Ih2E3d"><br>> Sameer<br>> --<br>> Dr. Sameer Verma, Ph.D.<br>> Associate Professor of Information Systems<br>> San Francisco State University<br>> San Francisco CA 94132 USA<br>> <a href="http://verma.sfsu.edu/" target="_blank">http://verma.sfsu.edu/</a><br>
> <a href="http://opensource.sfsu.edu/" target="_blank">http://opensource.sfsu.edu/</a><br>> _______________________________________________<br>> India mailing list<br>> <a href="mailto:India@lists.laptop.org">India@lists.laptop.org</a><br>
> <a href="http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/india" target="_blank">http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/india</a><br>> <br>-- <br>-- Satish Jha <br>T: 301 841 7422<br>F: 301 560 4909<br>IN: +91 98 75 68 39 50<br><a href="http://www.laptop.org">www.laptop.org</a><br>
_________________________________<br><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satish_Jha">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satish_Jha</a><br></div></blockquote></div></div>