July 6, 2006

A new line of low-cost computers is presenting Taiwan manufacturers with opportunities to break into emerging markets and create further demands.

Las month an the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in Seattle , Microsoft presented FlexGo, a new pay-as-you-go program designedto make PCs more affordable for emerging markets.

Under the FlexGo program, user make a down payment of US$250 on a PC and use pre-paid cards to pay for their Internet usage, Users would also be able to purchase time from local Internet service providers. The program has already been tested in Brazil and is slated to further testing in a number of other countries including India , China and Mexico .

Taiwan manufacturers Asustek and Wistron Corp. have already signed on to participate in FlexGo, according to the Economic Daily News in Taipei .

Another low-cost computer project, the “One Laptop Per Child scheme, features a low-cost laptop prototype made by Taiwan 's Quanta Computer, the world's largest notebook maker. The laptop will cost about US$ 15 in developing countries when released mid-2007, according to Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, the creator of the project.

Microsoft is also developing a low-cost smartphone with a number of manufacturers, including several from Taiwan , according to local sources.