This is an article that I picked up from the San Jose Mercury News written by
Mark Dean, IBM fellow and vice president, IBM Almaden Research Center. Mark was the chief engineer on the development team that created the industry-standard IBM-AT personal computer. He holds three of the nine first patents on the original IBM PC.
In his article he suggests that it is the mobile phone not the PC that could be the key to bridging the digital divide. In looking towards the developing world he writes:
As leader of the engineering team that developed the core technologies still in use in more than 90 percent of the world's personal computers, I feel confident that the PC age is drawing to a close. Connectivity trumps processing power in this new era. The developing world has a unique opportunity to leapfrog previous generations of technology, so why burden it with outdated technology?
It is not surprising that the well-meaning efforts of the One Laptop Per Child program have met with disappointing results. It's pushing the wrong product. But all is not lost. There is a powerful device already blossoming in emerging markets, connecting rural people to each other and the rest of the world, and facilitating commerce. That device is the increasingly ubiquitous mobile phone.
Interestingly, Mark cites the UK as one of the countries where advances are being made in the use of mobile phones for learning applications.
Nothing that hasn't been suggested many times on this forum but significant given Mark's background and position.
The full article at:
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_8222868
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