According to a statement issued after the event, Negroponte, author of the best-selling "Being Digital," told the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) that "children are the main agents of change," and that he expects millions of the low-cost laptops to be distributed to children in developing countries starting next year.

The focal point of Negroponte's One Laptop Per Child initiative, which aims to produce a $100 laptop computer for distribution to children in developing countries, features a hand crank that generates the two watts of power the machine needs to operate. It uses a Wi-Fi mesh to connect to the Internet, and runs open-source software. All of the components are chosen for low power usage and low cost to make the portable computers as inexpensive as possible.

One of the project's most innovative developments is a dual mode display that can be easily viewed in natural and artificial light, helping reduce the machine's power consumption. In spite of its innovative features, the price tag of each computer still comes in at $130-140. Negroponte and others involved in the project however believe the cost will drop as component prices decrease.