One Laptop per Child, the people behind those neon green colored nearly indestructible computers sent to third world countries to promote learning, announced last week that they are entering into a production agreement with company, Marvell, a computer manufacturer based out of Santa Clara California, to create it’s next generation XO-3 model of portable computers in a tablet format similar to the iPad.

The first models are to run around $75-$100 dollars and come with glass screens, while future models are mentioned to be spec’d with plastic screens to make them more durable.

To date, One Laptop per Child has distributed over 1 million laptops world wide, many to third world and developing countries.

It’s obvious the impact a program like this could have, since it was with the initial launch of sub $500 PCs such as Acers and E-Machines that “a computer in every household” first started to take hold in countries such as the United States in the late 90′s.

For many of these countries to be in sync with the rest of the world means having access to current trends in technology, without which, they are severely handicapped.