Taiwanese Computer Maker DMP Unviels $100 Edubook Netbook

The $100 price point is where computer makers have been striving to get for the education market. That price was what the OLPC first promised with its XO laptop and was ultimately unable to deliver on that promise. A computer maker from Taiwan called DMP has announced a new notebook that carries a price tag of $100 reports DigiTimes.

The netbook is the Edubook and it features an 8.9-inch panel and a low-power CPU that was developed by DMP itself. The device has the power to run Windows XP, but the OS is optional. Power for the machine comes from eight AA batteries promising four hours of run time.

The ability to power the device from AA batteries is important considering the sketchy power grid in many developing nations where the target market lives. Shipments of the Edubook have reportedly begun already in Latin America and several governments in Eastern Europe and Africa are said to be interested in the machine as well. The netbook is shipped in a component form where it is then assembled at the destination country to save customs duties or meet import requirements. The buildup reportedly takes ten minutes and has 30 steps.