Intel today unveiled the Intel-powered convertible classmate PC design, joining the existing clamshell design to meet the variety of school students' needs. Apart from this, Intel also announced a host of other initiatives to extend its efforts in providing the technology education needed to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
Addressing press here in Bangalore, John Davies, Vice President, Sales and Marketing Group and General Manager, Intel World Ahead Program, said, “Education is one of the best ways to improve the future for individuals, villages, or nations. There are 1.3 billion school-age children around the world and of those only 7 percent have access to a PC or the Internet. The IT industry has a huge opportunity to contribute to how technology can improve students' learning and students' lives. Intel continues its long-standing commitment to advancing education through technology to transform lives around the world."
New Intel-powered convertible classmate PC
The new flexible reference design by Intel converts instantly from a clamshell to a tablet mode with a touch screen to allow for a more intuitive classroom experience. The 180-degree swivel design, rotational camera and touch screen of the new design encourage flexible classroom interaction and natural collaboration. Both the convertible and the clamshell classmate PC designs are based on ethnographic studies and feedback from pilot programs conducted in both mature and emerging markets.
Built on Intel® architecture and powered by the Intel® Atom™ processor, these purpose-built netbooks provide an affordable and functional PC to support a wide variety of classroom applications and activities. Designed with students in mind, the classmate PC is small and light enough for a child to easily carry. Equipped with a water-resistant keyboard, the classmate PC is also "backpack friendly" – able to withstand bumping in a backpack and accidental drops by students. In tablet mode, the convertible classmate PC screen has a "palm rejection" feature that is designed to allow the child to write more naturally by resting their palm on the touch screen. It also includes education-oriented software and applications from software and content vendors from the Intel Learning Series.
The classmate PCs are part of the Intel® Learning Series, a cost-effective, end-to-end solution developed and deployed in collaboration with local suppliers to ensure cultural relevance and sustainability. Intel supports an extensive ecosystem to provide a complete education offering, including access, connectivity, hardware and software, localized content and professional development for teachers. More than 300 vendors, including hardware vendors, operating system vendors, software vendors and enterprise solutions providers are developing applications, peripherals and services optimized for Intel-powered classmate PCs. Wipro is the OEM partner for Classmate PCs in India
Addressing press here in Bangalore, John Davies, Vice President, Sales and Marketing Group and General Manager, Intel World Ahead Program, said, “Education is one of the best ways to improve the future for individuals, villages, or nations. There are 1.3 billion school-age children around the world and of those only 7 percent have access to a PC or the Internet. The IT industry has a huge opportunity to contribute to how technology can improve students' learning and students' lives. Intel continues its long-standing commitment to advancing education through technology to transform lives around the world."
New Intel-powered convertible classmate PC
The new flexible reference design by Intel converts instantly from a clamshell to a tablet mode with a touch screen to allow for a more intuitive classroom experience. The 180-degree swivel design, rotational camera and touch screen of the new design encourage flexible classroom interaction and natural collaboration. Both the convertible and the clamshell classmate PC designs are based on ethnographic studies and feedback from pilot programs conducted in both mature and emerging markets.
Built on Intel® architecture and powered by the Intel® Atom™ processor, these purpose-built netbooks provide an affordable and functional PC to support a wide variety of classroom applications and activities. Designed with students in mind, the classmate PC is small and light enough for a child to easily carry. Equipped with a water-resistant keyboard, the classmate PC is also "backpack friendly" – able to withstand bumping in a backpack and accidental drops by students. In tablet mode, the convertible classmate PC screen has a "palm rejection" feature that is designed to allow the child to write more naturally by resting their palm on the touch screen. It also includes education-oriented software and applications from software and content vendors from the Intel Learning Series.
The classmate PCs are part of the Intel® Learning Series, a cost-effective, end-to-end solution developed and deployed in collaboration with local suppliers to ensure cultural relevance and sustainability. Intel supports an extensive ecosystem to provide a complete education offering, including access, connectivity, hardware and software, localized content and professional development for teachers. More than 300 vendors, including hardware vendors, operating system vendors, software vendors and enterprise solutions providers are developing applications, peripherals and services optimized for Intel-powered classmate PCs. Wipro is the OEM partner for Classmate PCs in India
Teacher PC Purchase Offer
Davies also announced the Teacher Purchase PC offer, an offer on PCs with broadband for school teachers at special prices.
“We recognize that for teachers to effectively integrate technology with education, they must first be completely comfortable using technology themselves. This program aims to allow teachers to harness technology effectively”, said Davies.
Under the Teacher Purchase PC program, Connoisseur Electronics will provide a range of Intel® Core™2 Duo based teacher PCs with the complete school curriculum software from Edurite to school teachers at special prices. Connoisseur Electronics is the hardware partner for Teacher PCs.
skoool™ Learning and Teaching Technology
In related educational efforts in India, Intel has helped deploy the Intel® skoool™ Learning and Teaching Technology, an interactive Web-based resource for learning Mathematics and Science. Intel together with IT@School Project of the General Education Department, Government of Kerala announced the launch of the Malayalam version of the skoool™ Learning and Teaching Technology earlier this year and efforts are underway to scale this model by replicating it in other states.
All these initiatives are being undertaken under the banner of the Intel World Ahead Program which aims to enhance lives by accelerating access to uncompromised technology for everyone, anywhere in the world. Focused on people in the world’s developing communities, it integrates and extends Intel’s efforts to advance progress in three areas: accessibility, connectivity, and education
