As Vital Wave Consulting glanced at the headlines over the past several weeks, we see that the battle of computing form factors continues to rage. HP announced it will sell or spin off its PC division, including its struggling TouchPad. Meanwhile, in India, Lakshmi Access Communications announced the launch of a new US$99 tablet computer.

The tablet, which runs Google's Android OS and connects to the Internet using both Wi-Fi and 3G networks, comes only a few weeks after Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications launched tablets to compete with Apple's iPad and Samsung's Galaxy Tab. In the United States, Intel said it would invest US$300 million in companies that develop new technologies for Ultrabooks, a class of thin and light laptops, signaling that the company believes there is still a market for the notebook form factor.

These announcements recall the debut of OLPC's ultra-low-cost XO laptop several years ago and the subsequent netbook craze. The netbook category, which took off and then promptly fizzled, was a response to demand for low-cost computing devices that were lighter, consumed less power and accessed most functions and content via the Internet.

Yet its demise illustrated that fickle consumer preferences and technological convergence, especially coupled with the rise of mobile networks, can cause a category to stall just as quickly as it rose. Companies, like Intel, may be hoping that snazzy devices combining the best features of the tablet, smartphone and laptop form factors might help drive demand for devices packing its higher-margin processors. This is especially true in emerging markets where consumers may own just one or two devices and demanding more functionality from each device.

While it may be impossible to predict device trends with any accuracy (few foresaw the tablet boom), it is fair to say that only categories that address both a deep consumer need and align with market characteristics will have staying power. Purchasing power, evolving tastes and ICT infrastructure will continue to drive consumer decisions in both developed countries and emerging markets. A differentiated device strategy that caters to local market characteristics and needs can help multinational firms capitalize on convergence trends in diverse markets.

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Over the last 5 years, several low-cost laptops were introduced expressly for educational systems of the developing world. Starting with the XO-1 laptop from One Laptop Per Child, and expanding to include the ClassmatePC, these computers then spawned consumer netbooks like the Asus Eee-PC, which could also be used for education. Now we have tablet computers like the Amazon Kindle and the Apple iPad that also can be used in educational settings. In fact, there is a whole plethora of low-cost ICT device options for educators.

So which one of these computing platforms is the best for education? Which form factor can help students learn better and allow teachers to reach greater educational outcomes in the classroom and across school systems? Is there a single laptop that works better than the rest?

Let us first learn more about the four main types of low-cost computers that are widely used in education

Which one is the best?

This is a great loaded question as there isn't any one device that is best for every situation. In fact, experts in ICT for education (ICT4E) deployments have come up with six success criteria for educational ICT projects that should be considered long before choosing the hardware:

1. Infrastructure:
   ICT4E projects require a significant infrastructure in order to run effectively. This infrastructure need doesn’t just include technical aspects such as the availability of electricity and Internet access but also logistical aspects such as how to efficiently and reliably distribute hundreds of thousands of laptops in some of the remotest regions of the world.
2. Maintenance:
   Regardless of how robust an ICT device or software solution is there will always be issues with a certain percentage of them. This is especially true when computers are deployed in rugged environments, which are dusty, hot, and humid, and the main users are young children. As a result processes and solutions need to be developed to address how to repair broken equipment.
3. Content and curriculum:
   One of the core requirements for ICT4E projects is appropriate e-content and e-curriculum that enable the technology to be used as a tool for learning. Simply scanning in existing books and making them available digitally doesn’t come close to utilizing the full potential of a digital and connected device such as a laptop or mobile phone. Hence interactive learning content the supports the local curriculum, and supplemental materials such as digital multimedia libraries, need to be developed to effect learning, regardless of the hardware chosen.
4. Community inclusion:
   One component that often seems to be underestimated in ICT4E projects is the importance of community inclusion and the buy-in from key stakeholders such as teachers, parents, principals and administrators. Grassroots support is the main requirement for enabling initial adoption, daily project support, and long-term sustainability.




5. Teacher training:
   Using a new tool and approach is always hard, particularly when we’re talking about something as complex as learning and education. Therefore it is vital that teachers receive adequate training on how to efficiently and effectively use ICT such as laptops as a tool for education. Training people is both very resource-intensive and complex, yet without it ICT4E projects are very likely to fail.
6. Evaluation:
   Last but not least, evaluating the impact that ICT4E has on learning, and the broader society, is a key criterion. Unfortunately, appropriate baseline data is difficult to acquire in many cases, hampering the project evaluation process. Evaluation is often an afterthought that only receives attention once technology implementation has started. This is too late to gather baseline data. Ideally, evaluation is started in early project stages as well as a continually used toolset to refine and improve a project.

Recommendation to policy makers

Note what is not listed in the six criteria for success: the actual hardware form factor or its unit cost. In fact, research on the cost of ICT interventions in education by Vital Wave Consulting found that hardware was not the main cost in ICT4E activities:

Governments need to consider the entire cost of school computing solutions, rather than merely the initial expenses. A total cost of ownership model takes into account recurrent and hidden costs such as teacher training, support and maintenance, and the cost of replacing hardware over a five-year period.

Support and training are recurrent costs that constitute two of the three largest costs in the total cost of ownership model. They are greater than hardware costs and much higher than software fees.

So it is my continuous recommendation to policy makers to focus on the educational ecosystem, and support the change management that is required when introducing a new tool. Because no matter if it's a "$100 laptop" or a magical iPad, the success (or failure) of ICT interventions in education is directly related to the supporting investments in teachers, administrators, community leaders - people not devices.

Summary

We are always looking for the latest in low-powered devices and one that caught our eye recently was a touchscreen from Asus, the EeeTop.

Is this Netbook strong enough for a 24/7 job, substituting my computing needs on a 90% desktop, 10% mobile basis? Yes!

The performance of this Intel N270 Atom CPU @ 1,6GHz with 2 GB of RAM and a simple Intel on-board graphics solution is said to be somewhere close to 5yr old Pentium-M processor notebooks. A geekbench I was once did scored something like 935 points (old HP nx8220 15,4″ 1,86 GHz single core laptop = ~ 1200 // new HP 6930p 14,1″ 2,26 Ghz Core2Duo = ~ 3060 points) and it sure isn’t the fastest machine, but it also hasn’t failed to deliver performance for most of my tasks so far.

using a netbook as your daily computer