A platform aimed squarely at crossing the digital divide and targetted at the education sector is this handheld computer from India called the Simputer. It's pretty much based on open source software and hardware designs so the entrepreneurs amongst you might like to make your own!
Here's a quote from the Simputer.org website:
Welcome to Simputer simputer device
New ! PicoPeta Simputers Pvt Ltd unveils Amida Simputer for the retail market
The Simputer is a low cost portable alternative to PCs, by which the benefits of IT can reach the common man.
It has a special role in the third world because it ensures that illiteracy is no longer a barrier to handling a computer.
The key to bridging the digital divide is to have shared devices that permit truly simple and natural user interfaces based on sight, touch and audio.
The Simputer meets these demands through a browser for the Information Markup Language (IML). IML has been created to provide a uniform experience to users and to allow rapid development of solutions on any platform. [/size]
Simputer as an idea has been around for a few years but things got noisy when the President of India gave Amida Simputer a plug on his personal
web site and the Amida was officially launched a year ago.
The specification is pretty good - embedded linux, dual USB, built-in Wi-Fi, etc.
Currently available only in India but that won't be for long I'm sure.
I'm not sure why we haven't heard more about it since - anybody else know much about this platform?
Check out Amida Simputer's web site:
http://www.amidasimputer.com/
FORUM
Technology matters 
