CCT+333+Lab+2

Tutorial #2 Wiki Question: Choose a country on the map 'Design for the Other 90%' at[| **http://other90.cooperhewitt.org/**] and read through the description of the products designed for each country.

1. Which product interests you the most, and why? (200 words)

2. Which category would interest you to research further for your group project, and why? (100 words)


 * Question 1: **

The product that interests me the most is The One Laptop per Child, or aka $100 laptop. This laptop is used as an educational tool to bring information, and communication to children in developing countries. (Cooper-Hewitt) This device is great as it is a very cheap solution to distributing educational technology to developing countries on a mass scale. This will allow children to learn with new technologies that the developed nations take for granted everyday.

The design of this product is also intriguing as it looks and feels like a toy, with its plastic casing, its lime green colour and its antennas that make it look like a cartoon character. The design is also very durable, with its rubber sealed keyboard and it does not have any hard drives that will crash as it uses flash memory. These traits make it appealing to children as it is fun and yet durable. Underneath this however are a set of sophisticated hardware.

It has a 1 GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of flash storage (upgradeable to 32GB) and Wi-Fi internet, a keyboard and touchpad. It also has a swivel screen and a battery that charges 25% faster and suspends more efficiently, meaning it can use less energy to charge and give out more energy, extending battery life. (OLPC)

It also uses sophisticated software called Red Hat. This very simple software puts emphasis on learning and ease of use. It allows children to express themselves creatively rather than getting instructions to perform a task. (OLPC)


 * Question 2: **

The category that would interest me to research further for my group project would be education. Education is a huge problem in developing countries as they have low literary rates. If they are given a chance to learn, their opportunities to better themselves, their family and their country in general will be substantial. One great example of literary improvements is in countries such as India and China, as they have the highest rate of development in the world. This is due to improvements in education, which in turn improves their overall quality of life due to better use of resources.


 * Works Cited: **

"Design for the Other 90%: One Laptop per Child." Design For the Other 90% | Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Web. 16 Jan. 2011. []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Hardware." One Laptop per Child. Web. 16 Jan. 2011. []