The recent Technology at the Edge posting by Al Hammond reminded me what amazing ideas can come about while re-imaging products and services for the poor. Hearing his descriptions of innovative technologies in Africa is thrilling. It reminded me of another article I had just read which discusses the recently re-announced sub $100 laptop by MIT.

See: Switched On: Cheapest laptop boasts rich innovation over at Engadget.Com. There the author outlines some of the innovative tech in this new PC and notes how useful it might be for the general market:

Earlier this year, the Shell Foundation released a report - Enterprise Solutions to Poverty - arguing that enterprise and business thinking must be placed at the heart of the war on poverty if we are really going to "Make Poverty History". Backing its words up, the Foundation has established a $100 million fund to enable Small and Medium-Size enterprises (SMEs) to scale throughout Africa.

In its newly released follow-up report, Aid Reform and the Role of Enterprise, the Shell Foundation shows how the aid industry can finally put poor country entrepreneurs at the centre of the fight against poverty. The report's author and Shell Foundation director, Kurt Hoffman (who was interviewed by Nextbillion.net in July), explains: