by Nigel YapSaturday, 01 December 2007 02:22 AM
No MIMOS isn't going around promoting or selling aunties with IT knowledge. The Makcik in question here actually means MIMOS' MAK-CIK PC (yes the name sounds ridiculous whichever way you see it), a device that they are currently developing that ought to help reduce the digital divide between the more tech savvy and affluent Malaysia and the more less tech savvy and rural Malaysia. Just think of it as Malaysia's version of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) PC that Nicholas Negroponte conceived except it being made in Malaysia.
MIMOS is also working on a low-cost tablet PC called the CyberTablet that would cater to primary and secondary school students. The CyberTablet would mainly be used in education, especially the smart schools, to 'enhance' teaching and learning experience. Well from experience, anything that enters school usually ends up not being fun so I doubt the students will be enjoying a game of WOW or F.E.A.R with the CyberTablet should it come out and be implemented.
Its great to see that something is being developed here in order to reduce the digital divide though we'll just have to wait and see WHEN it will actually come out. And just in case you're wondering how much these devices will cost, well the MAK-CIK PC has an expected target retail price of less than US$160 while the CyberTablet should cost between US$160 to US$300.
Read on for pictures of the MAK-CIK PC and expected functionalities of both it and the CyberTablet.
The MAK-CIK PC is being designed to be lightweight and mobile and to work with any TV. The device is also expected to be equipped with Wi-Fi (and soon WiMAX) capabilities to enable remote connectivity. It will also have built in flash memory instead of a large hard disk capacity to achieve the desired form factor and lightness.
The content/applications currently built into the MAK-CIK PC device is divided into 4 categories – Communication, Information, Community and Learning. Studies are also being conducted to gauge the response of the MAK-CIK PC by the group most affected by the digital divide - the rural elders.
MIMOS CyberTablet
The product version of MIMOS CyberTablet will be equipped with:
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and WiMAX connectivity
- Flash memory
- Softphone (VoIP Phone)
- Virtualization software to allow software applications to be downloaded on the fly from MIMOS Grid Computing
- Personalization software developed by MIMOS
- The latest social networking tools
