Mashable reported that One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) will introduce a $100 tablet concept a few months ago. Yesterday the company announced a partnership with Marvell that may make this a reality by 2011. Remember that the goal is a ultra thin TABLET at just $100 per device-- well, now we may soon have the XO-3.

This could be a truly disruptive device that may finally reach the lofty goals of Nicholas Negroponte, the companies' visionary founder and chairman who is currently on leave from the MIT Media Lab to pursue this project. He hopes to democratize education by allowing students in developing countries all over the world to utilize the vast educational resources that the web offers on a inexpensive, durable, and ultra portable device. The new device will be about 9 inches diagonally, unbreakable, and have a dual-mode display that can be used indoors as well as in direct sunlight.


This price point could make the device a hit in the states as will since it will reportedly be offered initially with the Android OS. Apple has crossed the 1 million sold mark a few months ago and it will reach 1 billion in sales very soon so, I'm sure Apple is paying attention to this device.


Negropante says the tablet will be a cross between laptop, iPad and Kindle. He also says that the company should be able to produce 100% plastic devices by 2012, reducing the cost by $25 which could lower the price to $75.

Marvell has a hardware package called the Moby Platform, that features a built-in camera for video conferencing meaning; underserved students will now have access to the best teachers via the web. The most impressive fact is it will support 3D graphics and Flash. These are features iPad users only dream of at this point. Weili Dai, Marvell co-founder, told The New York Times that the first version of the tablet would be equipped with Google’s Android operating system instead the the OS created exclusively for the OLPC in conjunction with the designer Yves Beher.

This is a smart move as it will allow students to access to the ever expanding marketplace of educational Android Apps. The cost effectiveness of Android, apps which utilize micro payments to drive sales, makes this device truly compelling as an educational tool for use in developing countries, and in the US for that matter. This combination of a inexpensive device, that utilizes cost effective software and offers students to access millions of digital books, could very well could be the silver bullet that kills the werewolf publishing industry that is already reeling--unprepared for the speed at which the conversion to digital is taking place.

Watch the video below for more information on the tablet.