Many school-going kids have to carry bags that weigh twice their own weight. This can have adverse effect on their health. The governments of many developed countries have made efforts to address this problem and have decided to minimize the number of books children carry to their schools by introducing mini notebooks and digitizing the textbook editions. Mini Notebooks have many exciting features that give them an edge over the usual textbooks. Besides, typing takes less time than writing with a pen or a pencil and information can be edited quickly. Lectures can be recorded and then heard on a notebook and things can be understood better with help of videos, pictures, PowerPoint presentations and other multimedia applications. These mini devices also encourage one-to-one learning with the teacher.

Mini notebooks were also introduced in developing countries to improve the quality of education and make it more interesting. The idea of One-laptop-per child, also known as OLPC or XO scheme, was the brainchild of Nicholas Negroponte. This scheme has benefited 900,000 children in 31 countries and resulted in the invention of a new breed of notebooks, which are now known as mini notebooks. Initially, many people doubted Negroponte’s vision of providing a notebook for every child. Michael Dell, founder of Dell, had earlier remarked that, it was an impossible task. But, Negroponte’s persistent efforts paid off when Asus launched its low-cost EEE notebook PC.

Experts from both academia and industry have collaboratively designed the XO mini notebooks after considering various factors including extreme environmental conditions such as humidity, high heat and technological issues such as local language support. The XO devices are extremely durable, energy-efficient, brilliantly functional and responsive.

The cheap mini notebook under the XO scheme was promised to cost $100, but it exceeded its promised price and currently, costs about $175 in the US markets. According to Negroponte, the cost of materials such as Zinc and plastic increased the cost of the XO. The impact of this mini notebook PC has been widespread. It is believed that in Peru, approximately 50% of children use this laptop to teach their parents how to read and write.
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