Sunday 26
February 2012
|
Costa
Rica News. News on
Costa Rica continually updated.
1500
Costa
Rican
Kids
Get
Free
Laptops
Thanks
to
the
One
Laptop
Per
Child
NGO
and
their
local
partner
Fundación
Quirós
Tanzi,
1,500
Costa
Rican
grade
school
students
got
their
own
laptop
that
they
can
use
in
class
and
even
at
home.
The
kids
are
from
15
different
schools
in
Alajuela,
Turrialba,
Grecia,
Curridabat
and
La
Union
in
Cartago.
The
schools
were
chosen
for
the
first
phase
because
they
already
have
the
technology
in
place
to
implement
the
program.
The
XO
laptop
is
designed
to
specifications
from
the
OLPC
organization
and
began
production
in
2009.
The
XO
is
about
the
size
of a
textbook
and
lighter
than
a
lunchbox.
The
laptop
easily
assumes
any
of
several
configurations:
standard
laptop
use,
e-book
reading,
and
gaming.
It
has
rounded
edges,
an
integrated
kid-sized
handle,
and
(in
most
cases)
a
sealed,
rubber-membrane
keyboard.
The
XO
contains
no
hazardous
materials,
enhanced
battery
management
features
and
batteries
that
may
be
charged
from
alternate
sources,
even
car
batteries!
The
XO
has
no
hard
drive
to
crash
and
only
two
internal
cables.
For
added
robustness,
the
machine's
plastic
walls
are
2mm
thick,
as
opposed
to
the
standard
1.3mm.
Its
wireless
antennas,
which
far
outperform
the
typical
laptop,
double
as
external
covers
for
the
USB
ports,
which
are
protected
internally
as
well.
The
display
is
also
cushioned
by
internal
bumpers.
The
initiative
for
Costa
Rica
was
spearheaded
by
the
Conectándonos
project,
sponsored
by
the
Fundación
Quirós
Tanzi
.
The
project
objectives
include
enabling
students
who
otherwise
would
never
have
access
to a
laptop
to
do
their
school
work
on a
computer.
The
idea
of
having
a
laptop
that
can
be
taken
home
is
also
to
allow
family
members
to
learn
about
and
use
the
computer.
Teachers
are
also
given
specialized
training
in
order
to
fully
implement
the
project's
objectives.
The
laptops
cost
less
than
$100
each,
and
are
linked
into
the
school's
server.
If
the
laptop
is
"lost",
it
may
be
disabled
at
the
server
level
and
once
access
is
denied
it
will
become
unusable.
The
Fundación
Quirós
Tanzi
expects
to
deliver
25,000
laptops
all
over
Costa
Rica
by
2013
and
is
supported
by
GESSA
--
which
owns
the
Peri
supermarket
chain.
By
Russ
Martin,
Fijatevos.com
Costa Rica's Daily English News
Source
Apdo. 2133-1000, San José, Costa
Rica
Tel: (506) 8399
9642
Fax: (506) 2232 6337
Email:
editor@insidecostarica.com
