THE markets of Bangalore and Shanghai are stocked with simple 8-bit computers based on chips that consumers in wealthier nations stopped using years ago. Could these machines offer a way to provide children in India, China and other developing countries with educational software?
That is the idea behind Playpower, an organisation set up by researchers from the US, Brazil and India. The team is calling on public-spirited programmers to develop educational games for these simple machines.
Manufacturers in China alone sell 10 million 8-bit devices a year for around $10 each, says Jeremy Douglass, a software researcher at the…
