$20 Wikipedia Reader Uses 8-Bit Computing Power

A digital book reader could bring information to students in developing countries using a technology that is long past its prime: 8-bit computing.

The Humane Reader, a device designed by computer consultant Braddock Gaskill, takes two 8-bit microcontrollers and packages them in a “classic style console” that connects to a TV. The device includes an optional keyboard, a micro-SD Card reader and a composite video output. It uses a standard micro-USB cellphone charger for power.

In all, it can hold the equivalent of 5,000 books, including an offline version of Wikipedia, and requires no internet connection. The Reader will cost $20 when 10,000 or more of it are manufactured. Without that kind of volume, the each Reader will cost about $35.

“Everything about it is related to the cost,” says Gaskill. “It’s meant to be an absolute basic system that can deliver Wikipedia and e-books for educational and non-profit use.”

A major driver for this kind of technology is that 8-bit processors are cheap and people in developing countries have greater access to TVs than to computers.

“Hundreds of millions of households have TVs but no access to the internet,” says Gaskill. “I wanted to create a device that uses the display on the TV.”

Gaskill’s Humane Reader is much cheaper than the $100 WikiReader launched last year. (The self-contained, battery-powered WikiReader may be more useful in a zombie invasion, however.)

Over the last few years, a number of initiatives have tried to bring low-cost computing to students in developing countries. The One Laptop Per Child project, started in 2005, promised a $100 laptop but now sells its device for twice as much. Intel has its own low-cost PC for students called Classmate. Last week, Indian officials showed a prototype $35 tablet targeted at students. All these ideas use the latest display technology and chips to power the devices.

Meanwhile, another group of researchers have looked at 8-bit computing as an inexpensive way to reach students. Playpower is a $12 system that uses a microprocessor favorite from the 1970s, the 8-bit 6502 processor. The system plugs into a TV and comes with a keyboard and a basic game controller.

Gaskill says Playpower is focused on educational�games, while the Humane Reader is about giving students a digital encyclopedia.

Next, Gaskill hopes to find partners to help produce and distribute the device.

“Once you put these in the hands of the students, they can, not just learn from it, but also hack it,” he says. “The combination of a computing platform and a encyclopedia opens up the world to them.”

For electronics hobbyists, Gaskill hopes to sell a tricked-out version of the Humane Reader, the Humane PC. The PC has almost the same specs as the Reader but offers additional features such as a micro-USB port and infrared port. Gaskill estimates the Humane PC’s bill of materials will cost just a few dollars more than the Reader, though he hopes that it will be sold for profit.

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