Back in 2001 when I first heard of the Simputer, I asked a question
that was never replied to by anyone with the capability of producing
Simputers. That question had to do with the open product license
scheme and why it was prejudiced against Western interests in
supporting the Simputer development.

It wasn't long before the well capitalized West began to produce so
called competitive products to the Simputer. Slowly over the years,
they simply out classed the Simputer efforts to the point that now
there are questions w\regards to the need for the Simputer.

Of course there is still a need. This planet is not connected. As a
result all to often we (humanity) resorts to violence as a policy of
interaction with people we don't know or are not regularly
communicating with. The role of the Simputer is to give more people
the ability to communicate effectively.

The mechanics of communication are widely misunderstood. When we talk,
we take for granted that the air will transmit our voice to the ears
of our audience. In the virtual visual world of computer
communications, the mouth and the ear are nodes (Much like PCs and
PDAs). All of the behind the scenes stuff that goes in forming a
thought to be spoken is equivalent to what happens in the multitudes
of computing centers at the thousands of the Internet servers
globally. Simputers, were designed to overcome the lack of
center\server density in most of the Third World.

Simputer was envisioned as a new form of end point, and it was
announced as a stand-alone device that could be shared amongst many to
assist the vast majority of people who are illiterate on this planet
communicate with each other and the literate. This was good economics,
but it took back seat to questions that now need to be addressed.

The Open Source Product License is a good idea w\the exception to
regional restrictions that inhibit Western adoption. OSPL is still a
GOOD IDEA, but just like any other artificial tax or tariff, the $100K
USD licensing price tag for licensing in the West opened the door for
competitors to take the initiative to change the basic premise. OLPC
is what you get when you let someone take your ball and play with it
in their yard.

Globally, what is needed is 'One Simputer Per Family.'

The way to get what we need is to consider how to join up with
minority interests in the West (specifically in the USA) who have both
the experience and the ambition to manufacture Simputers (and if not,
assemble them . . .); in vast quantities from parts shipped to North
America from various Simputer component manufacturing nations in the
developing world. This strategy allows the Western interests to sell
Simputer as a product that is competitive in the West and utilizes the
dynamics of a seasoned and potent information technology marketing
mechanism to promote the product throughout the West.

Who cares if they (competitors) call it a toy if it works and people
buy it because they can use it the same way as anybody in Calcuta
might? You forget that relative posperity doesn't translate to actual
affluence when all that separate people is geography. As an education
tool, the Simputer would help to unleash the energies of millions of
North Americans who are as illeterate as anyone someplace else on the
planet.

The illiterate of the West may have more disposable income than their
counterparts in the rest of the world; but that isn't significant in
light of the expense of resources available to them to lift themselves
out of poverty. We have to begin with opportunity where it exist.

Adoption of the Simputer in the West by the poor and illiterate could
assure a consistent market for the device components and drive
adoption in East and South where domestic production could be
sustained by replication of the US efforts. Another way of putting it
would be, "you must sell where people buy despite the fact that what
you are selling is so new that people have difficulty understanding
the utility and value of your proposition."

Simputer is to OLPC what bricks are to space flight. Only remotely
associated if at all. Simputer started out as a purposed initiative
for electrifying rural communications at the personal and family
levels. Where did it get off track?

ML "Mickey" Hayes
Simputer Advocate




--- In simputer@yahoogroups.com, "afolly_mil2" <afolly_mil2@...>
wrote:
>
> I wonder if there is any need for Simputers any more. If there was,
> then wouldn't they be selling?
>
> Puzzled,
>
> Ahmad
>
>
> --- In simputer@yahoogroups.com, Soumyanath Chatterjee <souchatt@>
> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Anupama,
> >
> > Simputers are handheld computer running on battery. So these
should
> be
> > convenient for capturing data at the point of action. More over
> these are
> > immune to power cuts.
> >
> > Frankly, now we should have a version of simputer with wireless
> > connectivity with Wifi. and choice of CDMA/GSM-GPRS.
> >
> > > > Best regards
> >
> >
> >
>
> > Soumyanath Chatterjee
> IBM
> >
>
> > SAP-AM-BW Consultant / Ericsson Account . souchatt@
> > Signum ID:
> XBMSOCH
> >
>
> > ( Telephone :+91-33-4009 3656 + IBM India Pvt.
> Ltd.
> > ( Cellular :+91-98318 04223 BCS SL*-6A-
> 075
> > X 1-7 Block
> EP/GP
> > Sector â€" V Salt
> Lake
> > Kolkata 700
> 091
> >
> INDIA
> >
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> > "gemprex"
>
> >
> <anupama66@rediff
> >
> mail.com> To
> > Sent by:
> simputer@yahoogroups.com
> >
> simputer@yahoogro cc
> >
> ups.com
> >
> Subject
> > [simputer] simputers
> in
> > 06/25/2008 08:59
> Chhattisgarh
> >
> PM
> >
>
> >
>
> > Please respond
> to
> >
> simputer@yahoogro
> >
> ups.com
> >
>
> >
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
> Hi
>
> > we are engaged in a study on " Gender Evaluation of E -Gram
> Suraj
> > scheme of chhattisgarh , India" .The simputers are used in
> the
> > scheme. Recently we have carried out a survey in 64
> gram
> >
> panchayatas.
>
> > Many of the Sarpanchas(Heads of the village self governance
> unit)
> > suggested that it would have been better if Computers would
> have
> >
> been
>
> > provided in place of Simputers. The reasons cited include 1.
> The
> > computers can be easily repaired at local level 2. Its easy to
> get
> > an expert of computer at village level 3. the bigger screen
> of
> >
> computer.
>
> >
>
> > we are not technical persons hence we would like to know from
> group
> > the exact difference between A simputer and a computer and
> why
> > simputers are considered to be better than computers for
> rural
> >
> setting.
>
> >
>
> > Dr. Anupama
> Saxena
>
> > Head, Department of Political
> Science
> > Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh,
> India
> >
> www.ggu.ac.in
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>