 be a strategic bet for a developing country over the long term. But for an individual to be able to buy a device that could help them improve the quality of their life ... I said, Could a $5 device be built to help instead of a $200 or $100 laptop?"
So Schmidt set out to see that device built, and the Upper West Region of Ghana will be the first location to get the devices when they are ready. Schmidt said the devices right now cost more like $10 the way they are built today, but he said by the time they become widely available he is certain they will be built more efficiently and could be sold for $5. The goal is to make the device as affordable as possible because in the areas targeted for its use, people live on less than $1 a day, Schmidt said.
Thus far, "We've locked in on the mechanical engineering and the electrical engineering for the device, but we haven't really done the software; that's why I'm at OSCON," Schmidt said.
He said the team has built a layer of software to prove out the features of the device, "but we have to build an operating system. We have a design and we think the open-source world is the right place for us."
Indeed, open-source software plays into one of the three legs of Literacy Bridge's "sustainability stool," Schmidt said. That stool's three legs are environmental sustainability, business sustainability and engineering sustainability, he said.
"We want our code base to live beyond us, so we're working with engineering schools in Ghana and will be working with engineering schools in other developing countries," so there will be engineers knowledgeable about the project and the device, he said.
Moreover, "we'd like to find some embedded C programmers who could build some software for the device," Schmidt added.
The business and engineering legs sort of speak for themselves, but on the environmental sustainability leg of the project, Schmidt said:
Although we will introduce the device as powered by locally available batteries, we are developing a rechargeable battery program for the device. Small businesses and local organizations can get microcredit loans to purchase solar panels to charge rechargeable batteries. These batteries will be rented out to the Talking Book users for a price that is less than what they pay for disposable batteries -- about US$0.25. This will progressively shift users to a more environmentally sustainable option than disposable batteries.
Through this approach, we introduce the system by leveraging existing, available and familiar power sources and then give users an incentive to move toward less familiar but greener energy. Kiosks will be powered by solar energy when grid power is not available. The device is designed to allow local assembly and replacement of parts, rather than throwing out the entire unit when one part is damaged. We are also looking into ways to encourage broken materials[or] units to be returned to kiosks, service centers, and/or points of sale, rather than just thrown out.
The Talking Book device will be showcased at the upcoming LinuxWorld Conference & Expo 's Linux Garage showcase area. "The Linux Garage is a themed area of the show floor that pays homage to the tinkering spirit inside every successful Linux developer," said a description on the LinuxWorld site. However, while the Talking Book device may not necessarily run Linux as its core operating system, the kiosks associated with the devices will, Schmidt said.
"We also plan to build kiosks that act as your local library," for people in villages where the devices will be made available, Schmidt said. "It makes sense to build on Linux because we want the cheapest hardware and no software licenses."
In addition, one of the open-source projects Schmidt's organization plans to build is a Windows-based authoring tool for content for the device.
According to the Literacy Bridge's Web site, the Talking Bridge device includes the following features:
Users can store and play multiple audio programs; Users can record new audio programs (to reduce costs for most users, this feature may not be a