What exactly can a $100 laptop do? Don't get your hopes up too much, but there is a preview of the device we heard about a few times over the past year. Of course, it runs on Linux. Dubbed "ShiL" (sub-hundred dollar laptop), it's the brainchild of Nicholas Negroponte, and designed primarily for educational institution's around the world in an effort to get more children using computers. The laptop looks like a mutated version of ordinary machines, and uses an LCD display. It has a removable keyboard and has an actual crank to turn so it can be powered anywhere. Which lends credence to the "laptops around the world" ideal. Don't plan on picking one up yourself, though.
"The laptop is not "for sale" - it's going to be available for students only, and will be distributed through the same channels that school books and uniforms are. The laptops will be the property of children, not of the school.
This actually seems like a great idea, and for various reasons it will be good if this continues. Read the article for further details, it's worth the read.