Samsung solar computers imminent
A decision by Samsung to sell solar powered laptops in Bangladesh at low prices could be the first of a new generation. For mobile users and those living without utility power in the West, the 3G products could give long-term Internet access on the remotest mountaintop.
In a display of cultural ineptitude, the Seoul based company with an annual turnover of more than $220 billion says it will launch the new product next month, right at the start of the Bangladesh monsoon season which would make solar powered portables unusable.
Samsung had announced plans last year for a solar powered laptop to be launched (improbably) in Russia. But this product has yet to appear. The new development seems more realistic as part of a strategy to target the young professional market among the 160 million Bangla population.
“We will launch solar notebooks in June for young professionals,” said Choon Soo Moon, managing director of Samsung Electronics (Bangladesh operations), in an interview with Dhaka’s Daily Star.…