New computers for Bangalore slum

Karma Queen

I have just received some good news. The community centre in a slum in Bangalore that I was working in last year used to have 3 small rooms with very little in them - just a few books and some broken plastic toys. I have just learnt that they have been donated 3 new computers where they are going to teach the children and the women in the slum computer skills. Isn't that fantastic!

Just had to tell someone, and IndiaMike seemed like the place where people would care the most

beach

There was a simputer (simple computer!) developed here in Bangalore. This basic idea was to bring the digital divide narrower espicialy in the rural places.

www.simputer.org , the people who developed it.


India's simple computer for the poor
The Simputer, a new cheap computer developed in India, could help the poor join the information age. Go Digital's Tracey Logan spoke to Vinay Deshpande of the Simputer Trust, ahead of the computer's launch in November.Full story at BBC site


Indian handheld to tackle digital divide
A group of Indian scientists and engineers has developed a handheld computer to help the poor and illiterate join the information age. full story at the BBC site

Simputer for poor goes on sale
A cheap handheld computer designed by Indian scientists has been launched after a delay of nearly three years. full story at the BBC site

Karma Queen

how brilliant! i'd never heard of these. are they easily available/do lots of people have them? giving people useful skills seemed to be one of the most important part of people having decent living conditions

indiamike

Wow it's actually making it to the market. We discussed the Simputer many many years ago ---- Cool Little Handheld

crvlvr

What exactly will the slum dwellers use this for?

beach

There are many uses. At one end of the spectrum even the land records are getting digitised. Also it's not that every villager will own one and start using it like a laptop by a business exe. These uses something like a smart card, so the village own one like a community device. There are many uses, no need to say that villagers are villegers and they dont need alle these access to info (what ever useful to them). There were many examples quoted, like a shopkeeper maintains his accounts in the smart card etc.

Believe it or not, there is even a call center for the village farmers.

There was this story about a village girl who was the only person in her village to operate a internet browser. There was a particular bug attack on the corps. She took a photo of the bug eaten crop with the web cam and posted it at on a agri discussion forum. In few hours she got the name of the disease and the pesticide and treatment methods. She sold the info for 10rs to the farmer. Simple.

She was quoted as a good entrepreneur in the village using her limited knowledge about a seemingly advanced technology for the good.

No need to underestimate the use......

beach

India launches its first cheap PC
By LR Jagadheesan
BBC News, Madras


India's first low-cost personal computer has been launched in the Tamil Nadu state capital, Madras.

Designed by IT firm HCL Infosystems, it is priced at 9,990 rupees ($225) and includes all the basic features required for a first-time user......

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4735927.stm

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Hampi info

agni5454

Simputer is also used by cops to catch traffic violators in Bangalore.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4725639.stm

__________________
"Human Life without happiness or hope of happiness is not a life, but rather a death in life" - David Swenson The Dignity of Human Life

"History is always a perspective; but numbers never lie"

agni5454

HCL infosystems also launched an EVEN cheaper machine for students, faculty, lower-middle class families so they can use the computers to advance in their
educational endeavor

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4735927.stm

Education; the sole way to success. India is proof of it. now it is more accessible. and that is definitely good news.

iwanttogoback

karma queen, thanks for starting a good news thread.

manojb

I don't know why, but my latest issue of the IEEE Computer magazine has the following to say about Simputer:

"Given that even cell phones are shared, with a cost approaching US$40, it is unlikely that personal computers make sense—even a US$100 laptop would cost too much and use too much power. For example, both the Indian Simputer and the Brazilian Computador Popular did not succeed as personal devices for the poor."

"The design of the Simputer (http://www.simputer.org), one of the most prominent device projects in this space, had both a needs assessment and a UI design component, yet studies have suggested that the outcome was still hindered by a mismatch between technologists and users. In fact, the Simputer eventually became a PDA without development goals."

Quoted from IEEE Computer, Vol. 38 Issue 6, "The Case for Technology in Developing Regions"