Haier dispatches first batch of netbooks

Oct 23, 2011 News

The first batch of netbooks from Chinese contractor, Haier, is slated to arrive in Guyana this week.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) stated that the netbooks will arrive on Friday. A ceremonial event marking the shipment of the first batch of the netbooks was held in China and was attended by Guyana’s Ambassador in China, David Dabydeen.
The government aims to begin distributing the netbooks by the end of the month.
On September 16, Haier, a Chinese appliances manufacturer, signed a contract with the Guyana government to provide the netbooks

Ambassador David Dabydeen and officials of Haier at a ceremony held in China to send off the first batch of netbooks.

under the first phase of the project.
The company is being paid US$7.6 million to supply 27,000 netbooks. The OLPF envisages distributing 90,000 laptops within two to three years. The project targets low-income families and vulnerable groups.
According to the bid documents under which it received the contract, Haier is expected to deliver 50 percent of the netbooks from the date of the signing of the contract. All of the netbooks have to be supplied by December 16, as stipulated in the bid documents.
Minister of Labour, Manzoor Nadir, who has been tasked with overseeing the project, said that with the netbooks becoming available for distribution, the OLPF office would be looking to decide on what mandatory community service recipients of the netbooks will have to agree to.
It was envisaged that those who lose their laptops will have to pay US$400 or engage in community service as a penalty.
According to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which was drafted for recipients to sign on collecting the laptops, all adult users were expected to take part in and successfully complete “Community Engagement” to the project.
Nadir said that the OLPF project office is still looking at “protocols” that could be used in determining community service for the project.
With the netbooks set to arrive, Nadir said that an estimated 30 learning hubs would be set up within two weeks. These would be used to provide training for the recipients. An estimate 200 of these learning hubs would be established, Nadir said, and recipients would be expected to undergo ten hours of training.
The government has set aside $1.8 billion in this year’s budget for the project.
Haier has said that it would set up a local office and a local call centre to which persons can call and get on to a Guyana service engineer.
The company is providing an 18-month warranty on the instruments. It will provide – six months more than what the government was asking for.
Among the netbook specifications are: 2.0GB memory; a display screen of 10.1 inches; camera of 0.3 megapixels; two USB 2.0 ports; 1 RJ-45; headphones; microphones, card reader: MMC/SD Video Adaptor; Integrated Video with an operating system of a minimum Genuine Windows 7 Starter English (OEM).
It will also include a minimum two hours of battery operational life and has the capacity to handle wireless data.

6 thoughts on “Haier dispatches first batch of netbooks”

Daag October 23, 2011 at 8:57 am

Most of the recipients of these computers will use it to chat on Facebook and yahoo.
Ak Genaral DjWar October 23, 2011 at 9:23 am

dem netbooks cheap if u check dem
dezetante October 23, 2011 at 12:04 pm

Haier “WILL” set up office. Didn’t Jagdeo demant that the contractor HAD to HAVE an existing office in Guyana? Guyanese have to be out of their minds to allow this govt. to have access to their hard earned taxed-dollars much longer
RaAmen October 23, 2011 at 12:34 pm

Waste of money.
mel October 23, 2011 at 8:01 pm

cheap chinese crap.how about some dell and hp
blkrattler October 24, 2011 at 6:16 am

What are the hard drive size of these netbooks????