computer science

Personal Internet Communicator

Personal Internet Communicator is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Personal Internet Communicator rather than just read about it. In short: The Personal Internet Communicator (PIC) is a consumer device released by AMD in 2004 as part of AMD's 50x15 initiative to expand Internet access in developing countries. The PIC was deployed by Internet service providers (ISPs) in several developing countries.

Key takeaways

Personal Internet Communicator belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Personal Internet Communicator to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Personal Internet Communicator from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Personal Internet Communicator (PIC) is a consumer device released by AMD in 2004 as part of AMD's 50x15 initiative to expand Internet access in developing countries. The PIC was deployed by Internet service providers (ISPs) in several developing countries. It is based on an AMD Geode CPU and uses Microsoft Windows CE and Microsoft Internet Explorer 6. The fanless PC runs the low-power Geode x86 processor and is equipped with 128 MB DDR memory and a 10 GB 3.5-inch hard drive. The device's price is $185 with a keyboard, mouse, and preinstalled software for basic personal computing and internet/email access and $249 with a monitor included.

Transfer to Data Evolution Corporation AMD stopped work on the Personal Internet Communicator project after nearly two years of planning and development. In December 2006 AMD transferred PIC manufacturing assets to Data Evolution Corporation and the device was then marketed as the decTOP. Local service providers, such as telecommunications firms and government-sponsored communications initiatives, brand, promote, and sell the PIC. AMD owns the design of the PIC, but the device is currently manufactured by Solectron, a high volume contract manufacturing specialist. Other companies integrated into the development include Seagate and Samsung. The ISPs include the Tata Group (India), CRC (México), Telmex (México), and Cable and Wireless (in the Caribbean).

Technology

Hardware The device is designed for minimal cost like a consumer audio/video appliance, is not internally expandable, and comes equipped with a minimum set of interfaces which include a VGA graphics display interface, four USB 1.1 ports, a built-in 56 kbit/s ITU v.92 Fax/Modem and an AC'97 audio interface providing sound capabilities. There is also an IDE-connector and the case can house a normal 3.5" HDD.

Hardware specifications AMD Geode GX 500@1.0W processor, 366 MHz clock rate 128 MBytes DDR RAM (Up to 512 MBytes) VGA display interface up to 1600x1200 four USB 1.1 ports 56 kbit/s ITU v.92 Fax/Modem AC'97 audio interface Fanless design.

Electrical specifications Input Voltage: 12 VDC (Factory provided AC/DC converter) Power Dissipation: 8 Watts (plus power supply's own dissipation) Total power Dissipation: 12.7 Watts @ 100% CPU Load

Software

Firmware The decTOP's original BIOS does not allow any human interaction during POST at boot time. Therefore, it is not possible to format and re-install any other operating system. Any attempts to install a different OS, even when extracting the disk from the main chassis fail, since BIOS would look for WinCE's main boot file.

Operating system AMD's PIC 50x15 was originally delivered with Windows CE 5.0 pre-installed in two partitions. The working (bootable) partition was allowed to boot normally, but when it failed, the BIOS would recover the partition's base-installation from a backup recovery disk in a small partition in the disk. When re-flashed with a more forgiving BIOS, the decTOP allows the user to install any x86-compatible operating system desired (32 bits only). It is known to work with any Linux distribution, as well as Windows XP and other versions. However, upgrading the unit's main memory to 512 MBytes is recommended for reliable operation.

See also OLPC XO-1 Classmate PC VIA pc-1 Initiative

References

External links Routledge, Craig (2008). "Finally, Something is on Television: 24/7 Information Using a decTOP as a Server". craigroutledge.com. roto (August 5, 2007). "AMD PIC - From WindowsCE to Linux". mozy.org.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Personal Internet Communicator

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Personal Internet Communicator claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Personal Internet Communicator before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Personal Internet Communicator ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Personal Internet Communicator

In research: Personal Internet Communicator appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Personal Internet Communicator in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Personal Internet Communicator is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Appropriate technology, Information and communication technologies for development, Information appliances, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Personal Internet Communicator outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Personal Internet Communicator in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Personal Internet Communicator means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Personal Internet Communicator out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Personal Internet Communicator in simple terms?

Why does Personal Internet Communicator matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Personal Internet Communicator?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Personal Internet Communicator.