Aleutia E2
From AleutiaWiki
Contents |
Off grid
It's been designed from the ground up for use in rural Africa - able to handle high humidity, dust ingression, and even drops (as it has no moving parts). Storage resides on an Industrial Compact Flash card that can be instantly removed for security/anti-theft purposes, and is practically indestructible, ensuring that data is not lost.
Because the E2 consumes only 8 Watts of power (most laptops consume about 60W), it can be powered by inexpensive solar panels or 12V car batteries. We package the E2 with low-power LCDs, folding solar panels, and rugged batteries to form a 3kg, $900 kit that can be dispatched anywhere and set up in minutes, and is used by aid workers in the field.
For rural schools in South Africa, we've started offering discounted 5-Pack Kits, of 5 E2s and LCDs, and a roof-mount solar panel and truck battery to power them all.
Simplicity
The interface has been designed for first-time users with large icons laid out and programs opened with one click. Puppy Linux provides a stable Operating System, immune to the viruses and spyware that plague Microsoft Windows. It's not confusing - no pop-up windows asking to send "Error Reports" - and it's resilient - flip off the power suddenly and it won't be adversely affected.
Performance is fast - the Excel-compatible program opens in just three seconds.
The built-in web browser is slimmed-down to better handle slow dial-up connections, or mobile GPRS or CDMA data, rather than expect the user to be operating on broadband, and connections are easily configured.
Availabillity
Available in Quantities of 1, and Ideal for NGO Partnerships. Some low-cost ICT initiatives have required enormous minimum order quantities directly from government ministries.
Aleutia's aim is to distribute computers to as many small businesses, families, and schools in Africa as possible and we are rapidly setting up a sales channel to provide individual units and kits. We've started shipping pre-orders to Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, and Rwanda.
We're keen to position our computer appliance as a platform for NGOs. Why write great software that runs on a smart-phone that's too expensive to scale up? Or rely on used computers and infrequent power to create an ICT suite? Our end-user device is cheap, rugged, and power-independent. And it boasts a well-supported open-source OS.
Other
- Where to get one, FAQ, Aleutia - The Creation
- Tutorials, Getting Started
- Operating Systems, Applications, Included Software, Forthcoming Software
- Mesh Network - An outline of how mesh networks function and how ours is intended to.
- Customer Stories, Projects - Simple Ideas for usage of the E1/2
- Hardware Ideas
- Win an iPod Shuffle
