I do a lot of research in my free time, in the area of rural computing.
There was a time when I used to call my work low cost computing. However, low purchase cost is just one of the many features of a computing solution for rural areas.
Here are links to writeups on some of my ideas. I wrote these in late 2004:
A lot of exciting things have happened since then. I met Mr. M V Nagaraj of VXL Instruments in 2005, and shared my ideas with him. We decided to work together on developing an IT solution for rural India, he providing the hardware and I doing the software. I ran a small computer school out of my home in Marathahalli, Bangalore, for some time, followed by a pilot project with AID India. I loved the experience, and joined VXL full time.
What followed was a series of very successful projects providing IT solutions to the government sector, NGOs and small businesses. Given the recent boom in rural IT spending by non-profits, corporates and the goverment, we are in the process of launching "shrink-wrapped" solutions tailored for the telecenter, information kiosk and rural school market. Please email me on invent@saurabh.org.in to know more.