Following the success of initial trials, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project plans to roll out a total of 2,500 units later this month for the next stage of testing. Recipients of the upcoming test units include Argentina, Brazil, Libya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uruguay, and Thailand. Yes, Thailand. Although Thailand was initially a supporter of the OLPC project, the country withdrew its support after a coup d’etat led to significant shifts in national leadership. Thailand’s new military government, which first rejected the project, has reconsidered and decided to remain involved after meeting with OLPC representatives in Thailand.

As the OLPC project moves closer to mass production, more technical details have emerged. Walter Bender, OLPC’s president of software and content, has revealed that the OLPC laptops will include a mechanism that will allow them to be remotely disabled. OLPC developers believe that the potential for remote incapacitation will deter black market resale. Although no technical details have been provided about how the remote disabling technology is implemented, the concept itself seems misguided.

Quanta, the Taiwanese manufacturing company responsible for producing the OLPC hardware, says that between 5 million and 10 million units could be shipped by the end of the year, with 1 million orders already confirmed. The OLPC project initially aimed for a target price of $100 per unit, but with the present level of production volume each unit adds up to about $130. The companies involved with the OLPC project hope that the price will drop as volume increases, and they hope to reach the target $100 price within a year.