"Raj Reddy, a pioneering researcher in artificial intelligence and a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, plans to unveil at the end of this year his new project, called the PCtvt, a $250 wirelessly networked personal computer intended for the four billion people around the world who live on less than $2,000 a year, reports the New York Times (via CNET).
"He says his device can find a market in developing countries, particularly those with large populations of people who cannot read, because it can be controlled by a simple TV remote control and can function as a television, telephone and videophone."
"Because his low-cost computer doubles as a TV and DVD player, Reddy believes that he will be able to use it as a vehicle to take computing and communications to populations that until now have been excluded from the digital world."
The project is being backed by Microsoft and Korean manufacturer TriGem among others. One of the interesting things the NYT points out is the question of bringing digital technology to often illiterate rural populations.
