 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(June 2008) |
The VIA pc-1 Initiative is a project of VIA Technologies, established in January 2005, to help bridge the digital divide by developing information and communication technology (ICT) systems to benefit those who currently do not have computers or Internet access.
The project sought to increase individual PC and Internet access for those who could afford it, and community access for those who couldn't, via community access deployments in schools, offices, libraries, Internet cafes, village kiosks, and telecenters. The project also sought to enable PC and Internet access in remote regions. [1] In January 2006 a development center was opened in Mumbai. [1]
The system platform architecture includes processors built by IBM using a 90-nanometer silicon on insulator (SOI) process with a VIA digital media chipset.
VIA provides reference designs, but vendors use different brand names. Examples include iDot pc-1 systems in Taiwan, Longmeng pc-1 systems in China, Geniac pc-1 systems in Nigeria, Sico pc-1 systems in Egypt, and Alaska pc-1 systems in Mexico.
The pc1000 and pc1500 platforms were described in 2006, using the VIA C3 processors. [2] [3] The pc3500 was introduced in August 2007 using the VIA C7. [4]
| VIA platform | VIA chipset | VIA processor | frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| pc1000 | CLE266 | C3 | 800 MHz |
| pc1500 | CLE266 | C3 | 1 GHz |
| pc1500E | CLE266 | Eden | 1 GHz |
| pc2500 | CN700 | C7-D | 1.5 GHz |
| pc2500 Mobile | CN700 | C7-M | 1.5 GHz |
| pc3500 | CN896 | C7-D | 1.5–1.8 GHz |
As a part of the pc-1 Initiative, VIA became involved in digital inclusion projects. These include working alongside the Geekcorps in Mali to design a computer for hot dusty conditions, as well as donating low-powered computers for use in Mali desert radio stations.[ citation needed ]
VIA worked with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC) to bridge the digital divide in emerging markets within Pacific Rim countries. One project includes donating 20 systems for use in the VIA pc-1 ICT Center at the Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry (TUAF) in the Northern Mountainous Area (NMA) of Vietnam. VIA worked with ADOC and the Institute for Information Industry (Taiwan) on an affordable computing advocacy project.
VIA works with the Samoan Ministry of ICT to establish Samoa's first solar powered information center, arranging for solar cells and computers to be provided.
In South Africa, VIA worked with Ikamvayouth in several projects - most recently[ when? ] providing computers and thin clients for a tuXlab IT center at the Nazeema Isaacs Library in Khayelitsha.
Project Athena was a joint project of MIT, Digital Equipment Corporation, and IBM to produce a campus-wide distributed computing environment for educational use. It was launched in 1983, and research and development ran until June 30, 1991. As of 2023, Athena is still in production use at MIT. It works as software that makes a machine a thin client, that will download educational applications from the MIT servers on demand.
Mobile computing is human–computer interaction in which a computer is expected to be transported during normal usage and allow for transmission of data, which can include voice and video transmissions. Mobile computing involves mobile communication, mobile hardware, and mobile software. Communication issues include ad hoc networks and infrastructure networks as well as communication properties, protocols, data formats, and concrete technologies. Hardware includes mobile devices or device components. Mobile software deals with the characteristics and requirements of mobile applications.
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Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications and computers, as well as necessary enterprise software, middleware, storage and audiovisual, that enable users to access, store, transmit, understand and manipulate information.
Geekcorps is a non-profit organization that sends people with technical skills to developing countries to assist in computer infrastructure development.
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One Laptop per Child (OLPC) was a non-profit initiative established with the goal of transforming education for children around the world; this goal was to be achieved by creating and distributing educational devices for the developing world, and by creating software and content for those devices.
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AMD Live! is the name of AMD's initiative in 2005 aimed at gathering the support of professional musicians and other media producers behind its hardware products. The primary focus of this initiative was the Opteron server- and workstation-class central processing units (CPUs).
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The OLPC XO is a low cost laptop computer intended to be distributed to children in developing countries around the world, to provide them with access to knowledge, and opportunities to "explore, experiment and express themselves". The XO was developed by Nicholas Negroponte, a co-founder of MIT's Media Lab, and designed by Yves Behar's Fuseproject company. The laptop is manufactured by Quanta Computer and developed by One Laptop per Child (OLPC), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
A personal computer, often referred to as a PC, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as word processing, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and gaming. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or technician. Unlike large, costly minicomputers and mainframes, time-sharing by many people at the same time is not used with personal computers. Primarily in the late 1970s and 1980s, the term home computer was also used. The advent of personal computers and the concurrent Digital Revolution have significantly affected the lives of people in all countries.
Microsoft Tablet PC is a term coined by Microsoft for tablet computers conforming to a set of specifications announced in 2001 by Microsoft, for a pen-enabled personal computer, conforming to hardware specifications devised by Microsoft and running a licensed copy of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system or a derivative thereof.
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Educational technology in sub-Saharan Africa refers to the promotion, development and use of information and communication technologies (ICT), m-learning, media, and other technological tools to improve aspects of education in sub-Saharan Africa. Since the 1960s, various information and communication technologies have aroused strong interest in sub-Saharan Africa as a way of increasing access to education, and enhancing its quality and fairness.