Libya's education ministry purchases 150,000 Classmate PCs

You may recall Libya's initial pledge to purchase 1.2 million low-cost lappies from OLPC, but some 12 months later, it looks like the nation's education ministry has given its business (for realz this time) to Intel and Microsoft. Reportedly, the country placed an order in August for 150,000 Classmate PCs, and deployment has just recently begun. Intel spokeswoman Agnes Kwan noted that Intel and Microsoft were "not subsidizing the price of the laptops," but she failed to mention exactly how much the Libyan education ministry was forking out for the machines. Furthermore, Kwan stated that Nigeria was also on board and should be placing an order of its own soon, but considering how sketchy these commitments have been in the past, we wouldn't hold our breath just yet.

[lyl545646 @ Oct 31st 2007 9:20AM]

lost my interest in OLPC when they decided to drop the hand cranking power generator... was probably the best feature, heck, I wish my laptop has a hand-crank power supply...

[Matt H. @ Oct 31st 2007 10:00PM]

They didn't drop the hand-crank... they were goign to change it to a more dependable design. It supposed to have a pull-cord recharger that looks like a yo-yo to recharge it with.

[NathanG @ Oct 31st 2007 9:31AM]

Is Nigeria going to be placing an order on these laptops to teach kids how to spam?

[jay @ Nov 1st 2007 2:39AM]

STFU

[thekid @ Nov 2nd 2007 2:26PM]

Thank you jay.
To any of the asshats that didn't get the memo. The comments about these being spam/porn tools are not any of the following:
-Funny
-Clever
-Insightful
-Meaningful
-Worthy of the bandwidth you take for granted

[Scott Culp @ Oct 31st 2007 9:39AM]

OLPC has some amazing features: mesh network, high quality screen, and unique charging options. Intel just wrapped up old hardware into a quick and dirty package and Microsoft hopped on board to guarantee it's dominance in the developing world.

It really is too bad that these two/three companies cannot get together and actually do what was originally planned; provide the developing world with a laptop at the lowest cost with innovative design.

(and I'm talking hardware design here, that green-eared case is FUG!!)

[Richard @ Oct 31st 2007 9:40AM]

DEAR ENGADGET SIR,

URGENT AND CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS PROPOSAL

I AM MARIAM ABACHA, WIDOW OF THE LATE NIGERIAN HEAD OF STATE, GEN. SANI ABACHA. AFTER HE DEATH OF MY HUSBAND WHO DIED MYSTERIOUSLY AS A RESULT OF SEEING THE OPERATING SYSTEM ON OLPC, I WAS INFORMED BY OUR LAWYER, BELLO GAMBARI THAT, MY HUSBAND WHO AT THAT TIME WAS THE PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA, CALLED HIM AND CONDUCTED HIM ROUND HIS APARTMENT AND SHOWED HIM FOUR METAL BOXES CONTAINING MONEY ALL IN FOREIGN EXCHANGE AND HE EQUALLY MADE HIM BELIEVE THAT THOSE BOXES ARE FOR ONWARD TRANSFER TO HIS OVERSEAS COUNTERPART FOR PURCHASING OLPC LAPTOP COMPUTERS FROM ONE MR. NEGROPONTE.

DUE TO HIS UNTIMELY DEMISE, I HUMBLY REQUEST YOUR HELP SECURING THESE FUNDS FOR PURCHASING CLASSMATE LAPTOP COMPUTERS.

[Jonas @ Oct 31st 2007 2:23PM]

Best. Comment. Ever.

[Christian Martin @ Oct 31st 2007 9:54AM]

I suddenly have an image in my head of Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future screaming "...THE LIBYANS!"

[Nigerian @ Oct 31st 2007 9:55AM]

I will be paying by Money Order and as soon as you receive my overpayment, send me the laptops and my change.

[John @ Oct 31st 2007 10:09AM]

"Dear Intel: I am a Nigerian Prince looking to purchase some Classmate PCs for my country. However, I need your assistance in transfering the funds. If you give me your bank account numbers, I will transfer the funds necessary to purchase the computers as soon as the shipment of computers has arrived"

[tekdroid @ Oct 31st 2007 10:26AM]

Dear Sirs,
Wikipedia has informed me of your ways. We shall keep our crapputers and reject any orders from youz.

Please be wells.

Simon Selleron
Wintel Crapputer Corporation, Education Division

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_fee_fraud

[anisa @ Oct 31st 2007 11:08AM]

i dont know...something smells fishy here. this whole deal smacks of coercion. perhaps intel and microsoft are not subsidizing the price of the laptops, but does that mean the gates foundation isnt either...?

[manu @ Oct 31st 2007 11:33AM]

WTF? im from libya .. and i can say that we are already a developed country .. and that we dont need this .... also most ppl already have PCs ... i just cannn't see why we would need this .. ?? in my opinoin the biggest issue is the population .. which is only 5.5 m .. for a country that is 2nd biggest in africa ... lets compare other counties to libya ... (egypt for example , it's smaller but has a population of over 80 m) .....! Hopefully you get the point im tryin to make here.

[Blah @ Oct 31st 2007 12:29PM]

I think a round trackpad is a really stupid design idea. The screen is rectangular --> the trackpad should be rectangular too. Why must they torture poor Third World Children with round trackpads?

[Brad @ Oct 31st 2007 2:57PM]

A trackpad doesn't run nearly the length of the screen, so making it rectangular (especially the same shape as the screen) might confuse first time users. This implies that it's a dragging surface, that moves in all directions. It actually does make sense.

Couple that with a patent Apple owns on "A rectangular touch sensitive surface centered on a laptop" and you see why by being round it's allowed to be centered, rather than offset.

[silverblackvoid @ Oct 31st 2007 1:41PM]

can i buy one.