Reuters news agency reports that the “Simputer,” a $200 Linux-based computer system, will launch in Bangalore, India on April 25. The device is intended to bring computing and connectivity to millions in India who do not have access to conventional PCs. Quoting the Reuters news story . . .

“A low-cost Indian computer aimed at spreading information technology in the country is due to be launched on April 25 in Bangalore, project officials said on Tuesday. The 'Simputer,' which stands for Simple, Inexpensive and Multilingual, is looking at an Indian street price of nearly $200 . . .”

“The Simputer, said to cost only as much as a cheap color television, was conceived in response to concerns that India, despite being at the forefront of a global software revolution, had a large mass of people with no access to computers. It is expected to help bridge the digital divide in the nation of one-billion people . . .”

“The Simputer's low price is the result of a global open source initiative under which technology is freely available to anybody . . .”

“Its hardware design will allow any licensee to improvise or develop the platform, Simputer Trust said on its Internet site, www.simputer.org.”

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