A laptop for $100? This is a joke, right?

Nope, it's not. That's the target retail price of the Children's Machine 1 (or CM1) from US organization One Laptop per Child (OLPC). Amazing, innit?

Word has it that the computer will have a 400Mhz AMD Geode processor and an SD slot. It features a 7.5-inch, 1200×900-pixel, TFT screen and self-refreshing display with higher resolution (200 DPI) than 95% of the laptops on the market today. The CM1 can selectively suspend operation of its CPU, which makes possible further remarkable power savings. The laptop nominally consumes less than two watts — less than one tenth of what a standard laptop consumes — so little that CM1 can be recharged by human power. Hmm. Kinda like an old-school car, huh? We guess that when the OLPC guys say "Crank it up", they really mean it.

The CM1 will also have an integrated video and still camera, perfect for taking pictures of those smiley-faced kids who will finally be able to own a laptop thanks to the OLPC. And if they're looking to talk to their brethren (um, those who also benefitted from the project. we're not talking cult stuff here, ayt?), the CM1 will also be VoIP-enabled with a mic and speaker jacks.

Life expectancy for the CM1 is about 5 years according to OLPC. Those worrying that the $100 laptops will bring about an environmental disaster when their batteries run out permanently need not worry. According to the OLPC, "The CM1 is fully compliant with the European Union’s RoHS Directive. It contains no hazardous materials. Its NiMH batteries contain no toxic heavy metals."

Now why didn't things like this exist when we were kids?

One Laptop per Child is a non-profit organization set up to oversee the Children's Machine project and the construction of the CM1 "$100 laptop". OLPC aims to have test machines ready in November, to have pre-releases ready in February next year and to begin mass production of the CM1 in April.