The United Nations Development Programme and the nonprofit organization One Laptop per Child signed an agreement to develop $100 laptops for schoolchildren around the world. The plan includes assistance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Laboratory for production of the laptops, which are battery operated and rechargeable by a hand crank. A prototype was revealed at the United Nations World Summit on the Information System in November. The U.N. agency and government leaders in developing countries have agreed to aid with distribution efforts once the first computer is available in early 2007.
