To OLPC epelegh sthn kathgoria "computing" apo to "Popular Science Magazine" ... -- The goal of the XO is simple and noble: to give every child a laptop, especially in developing countries, where the machines will be sold in bulk for about $130 apiece. But the One Laptop Per Child nonprofit, formed at MIT, didn't just create a cheap computer. In addition to cutting costs—by designing lower-priced circuitry and using an open-source operating system, among other things—it also improved on the standard laptop by slashing the machine's energy use by 90 percent, ideal for a device that could be charged by hand-cranked power in rural villages. The biggest power hog is typically the display, so engineers invented a new LCD. Each pixel has one part that reflects light and one that lets light pass through a colored filter. Turn on the LED behind the screen, and a full-color image appears as rays stream through the tinted filters. Turn it off to save power, and light bounces off the reflective parts of the pixels to form a black-and-white image perfect for e-mail or e-textbooks. Even more efficient, the CPU suspends itself when the image is static. Expect the tech in full-price laptops in a few years. laptop.org ... http://www.popsci.com/popsci/flat/bown/2006/ http://www.popsci.com/popsci/flat/bown/2006/grand_awards.html http://www.popsci.com/popsci/flat/bown/2006/product_31.html http://www.popsci.com/popsci/ -- ______________________________________________________ http://www.ellak.gr/component/option,com_mambowiki/Itemid,49/