Giant chipmaker Intel has a new baby born from the One Laptop Per Child project called the Studybook, a rugged tablet PC meant for use by students of all ages in developing countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Scientific American Wednesday reported that computer makers in participating countries will make the Intel Studybook, and students at the nearest schools will use the tablets, a manufacturing system that will dramatically reduce the cost per unit.
The Studybook will have a 17.8-centimeter multi-touch LCD screen about the size of an Amazon Kindle Fire. It has basic front and rear cameras with 0.3- and 2-megapixel capacities, a microphone, one gigabyte of memory, and 22 gigabytes of storage.
The Intel tablet—its low cost notwithstanding—will also be equipped with an accelerometer and light sensor.
And since the Studybook is primarily meant for use by students in all conceivable environments, one of its best features is its sturdiness. Made from a single piece of plastic, the Studybook frame contains a rubber gasket seat for its screen, making the tablet waterproof. The sturdy plastic construction allows the Studybook to absorb a 70-centimeter or 2-foot drop without breaking.
Intel’s Wayne Grant, director for research and planning for the chipmaker’s Education Market Platforms group, said the tablet can also connect to networks via Wi-Fi, 3G or Bluetooth, and current models now run on Windows 7 OS.
Grant said in a few months, versions that run on Google’s Android operating system would be available, depending on schedules announced by the various participating manufacturers.
The tablet will likely cost around $200 – $300 each, a clear third of the price of other tablets in the market today.