One of the high points of the World Summit on the Information Society, for both media and participants, was the unveiling of a "$100 laptop" by Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of the MIT Media Lab and UN secretary general, Kofi Annan.

"It is an impressive technical achievement, able to do almost anything that larger, more expensive machines can do," said Kofi Annan. "It holds the promise of major advances in economic and social development."

"When they start reaching the hands of the world's children, these robust and versatile machines will enable kids to become more active in their own learning," he added. "Children will be able to learn by doing, not just through instruction or rote memorization. And they will be able to open a new front in their education: peer-to-peer learning."

Nicholas Negroponte as well views the project very much in terms of education. "Every single problem that you can think of -- poverty, peace, the environment -- is solved either with education or including education," he said at the World Summit. "I cannot think of a world problem that is solved without education being a part of it. So when we make this machine