LAUNCH OF PIONEERING INTERNET ACCESS DEVICE
FOR DEVELOPING COMMUNITIES
Innovative computer is being offered free of charge to narrow the digital divide in China
HONG KONG, 26 October, 2005 – Hong Kong-based technology company Asiatotal.Net has just launched iT, the first dedicated desktop Internet-access computer to be distributed free of charge. Eligible individuals, groups and small businesses who until now have been unable to take advantage of the Internet, will have the potential to transform their quality of life with access to healthcare and social, educational and economic opportunities.
The first 200,000 units are set to be dispatched to Brazil over the next few months. Subsequently iT will be distributed to other communities in Latin America, China, India, Russia, Continental and Eastern Europe, South Africa, Mexico, the Philippines and the Middle East.
The iT (Internet terminal), the first of its kind, comprises a portable, language-adapted package, which includes keyboard, mouse, a 7-inch LCD monitor with speakers and all necessary accessories. Its unique design provides one-touch access to the Internet through a range of 14 dedicated and generic ‘hotkeys’ that take users direct to their Internet destinations.
Ten of the hotkeys are dedicated, each one sponsored by a leading telecommunications, financial services or other product/service providers, and lead straight to that organization’s site. Four generic hotkeys, each shared by several sponsors, also provide information in a particular area such as healthcare or educational opportunities.
- Judy Chen, CEO of Asiatotal.net, says the hotkeys are pivotal to the magnitude of success of iT, both for ease of use, and to increase the quantity of iT’s distributed free in each country. For the Sponsors, particularly lead sponsors such as a country’s tele-communications companies, the potential is immense. Not only will Sponsors benefit from a huge new market, but the social responsibility and impact of being involved with iT cannot be underestimated. Not to mention the fact that sole ownership of a hotkey ensures a level of brand loyalty that you could only dream about.
“To achieve the altruistic aims of this exciting project, the cost structure and financial model have to work,” says Chen, who has steered the iT project since its inception. “Sponsor participation is part of how we fund distribution of iT free to the millions who long to improve their lives and their children’s future.”
Other user-friendly features of iT include a smart card reader for secure transactions, easy voice and text messaging via Windows Messenger, virus immunity and increased system stability from using the embedded Windows CE operating system (upgradeable to embedded Windows XP), and ready to connect to a wide range of USB peripherals including USB card reader to facilitate photographic image reproduction.
iT hardware was designed, developed and technically managed by Taiwan-based technology leader Biostar, which also has the task of manufacturing the units. The units incorporate key components supplied by other Taiwanese partner companies including VIA and GBM. Together, they are preparing to produce over 3,000,000 units per month in anticipation of huge worldwide demand.
With regard to the ‘digital divide’, it is estimated that just 10 percent of the world’s population is connected to the Internet, with over 70 percent of websites available only in English language versions. Women and girls suffer a further ‘gender divide’ with even less access to the Internet.
“Asiatotal.net and its partners feel inspired about pioneering change in this area in order to bridge the opportunity gap,” says Chen. “Universal Internet access will surely tap into the huge potential talent pool in developing countries to create tomorrow’s doctors, teachers and entrepreneurs.”