According to an MSNBC news story written by Gary Krakow, a non-profit group in India has created a simple, inexpensive, multilingual handheld computer aimed at bringing computing to Third World nations — dubbed the “Simputer.” And naturally, it's based on Embedded Linux. Krakow writes . . .

“The project conceived two-and-a-half years ago during an international seminar on information technology for developing countries. The idea was to create a low-cost, mass-access device that could bring local-language computing to the masses.”

“The device is being created by the non-profit Simputer Trust, a group of academics and technologists from India's computing industry. Their vision is to create not only a computer, but also an 'evolving platform for social change' throughout the world by bridging the digital divide. They wanted a device that could be used by literate people in Third World nations who lack computer skills, as well as by illiterate people.”

“To do this, the Trust has created an alternative to the PC — a device with interfaces based on sight, touch, and sound.”

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