At India Telecom 2008, Qualcomm showcased Kayak, a low cost, low power computing device; an alternative to the PC for rural areas. Some of the features of the device: Power consumption: we've heard in the past about how HCL developed PCs that work on car batteries for rural areas because availability of power is scarce, and how some villagers travel for miles to recharge their phones. Kayak doesn't require a UPS or battery backup - it uses less than 5 Watts of power to run. The prototype Qualcomm showcased doesn't come with a battery built in, but the company said that the commercial unit can run for 3-5 hours without electricity, depending on the battery size. Ruggedness: Kayak is powered by a rugged processor, the kind used in mobile handsets which survive despite rough use. There are no moving parts and…
