Keepod is a new $7 USB stick that allows people their own personal computing environment on a shared or public computer, the company aim to use this product to help connect the five billion people (70% of the global population) who are without access to the internet and personal computing (Indiegogo). The Chief Executive Officer of Keepod Ltd, Nissan Bahar has stated, ‘We think that providing a PC for each person is impossible. It’s not sustainable and not scalable’ (IT Web Africa), the USB sticks therefore allow multiple people to use one computer which is more realistic for those in developing countries.
The company has decided to reuse old computers that are thrown away, and to refurbish them rather than manufacturing cheap PCs with low performance. ‘We think that trying to make cheap PCs and tablets is crazy, a waste of money and harming to the environment. In a world where 85,000 PCs are thrown away each day only in the US, not finding a simple solution to reuse them is just stupid’ (IT Web Africa). This offers a more environmentally sustainable option to bridging 
the digital divide between the more economically developed countries and those that are developing. However, older PCs will use more energy and electricity to power up and run, resulting in higher costs for the users who cannot afford to pay high energy bills. The refurbished PCs that are sold on need to be energy efficient to make the project sustainable and affordable for the poor who it is targeted for.
Sharing computers also avoids a problem experienced by other recycled PC schemes that results in machines becoming ‘clogged up’ and running slowly due to multiple users saving their documents, applications and details onto a single hard drive. The Keepod should reduce this problem from occurring as all details are saved onto the USB device, including wallpapers, applications and private data as no footprint is left on the host PC. The Keepod OS runs from any USB drive eliminating the dependence on a single computer, this separates the software from the hard drive reducing the computer to little more than a vehicle making it available for multiple users (Keepod).
The operating system is based on Android 4.4, and is designed to be fast; it’s quick to boot up and quick to load applications and webpages, making even an old PC feel new again and allowing those with no previous internet and computing access, a new and fully functioning PC experience. It’s also designed to be 
simple to use as you can access your information quickly just as on a smartphone.
Founders Nissan Bahar and Franky Imbesi stated, ‘We say that if you take an unused PC, remove the hard drive and put it in a place where people can share it using Keepod, it will live longer than any computer traditionally installed with Linux or Windows and that people will actually use their own private, fully featured OS and applications instead of a shared OS’ (IT Web Africa). Due to there being one single computer, ‘the cost of maintenance is dramatically reduced – no broken hard-drives, no misconfigurations or corruption of the host, no reinstall and recovery of the systems, privacy is kept and people can do it everywhere’ (IT Web Africa). This shows that Keepod could be the way forward in private computing in the developing world, where working computers are scarce and repairs are unavailable. Additionally, with lower incomes a shared computer will be more affordable as individual families do not have enough disposable income to purchase even a cheap laptop in some regions. Tablets are additionally out of the question as they are easy to steal and well over the budget of many; the Keepod recycled computer scheme could therefore largely reduce the costs of personal computing.
Dominic Otieno, a head teacher in Kenya stated that Keepod will ‘help Africans help themselves, it will help them to start to learn the skills of business’ (BBC). It is how people use technology that changes and improves society rather than the technology itself, technology is not a 
magic bullet unless it is widespread and those using it put it to good use.
Keepod Ltd have raised over $40,000 on the crowdfunding website Indiegogo to bring the USB and refurbished computers to Mathare, a slum in Nairobi, Kenya. 1,500 Keepods have subsequently been distributed (IT Web Africa). In addition, the $40,000 has been used to build a hub that will provide a classroom, public computer access, connectivity, computer maintenance and to pay staff and other expenses, providing all the services needed for Keepod and computers to work sustainably. Keepod Ltd have also teamed up with LiveInSlums, an NGO operating in Mathare to make the Keepod’s introduction more regionally appropriate and simpler. They are also in partnership with a local organisation that refurbish the old computers at no cost, allowing the project to continue into the future.
There are however worries that when Keepod is first introduced the USB’s will be sold on to provide for other items such as more expensive food products like meat, clothing and electricity. It may take some time for the devices value to be seen as internet access rather than as a profit. Keepod Ltd are selling starter packs so anyone can distribute the USB device, this will allow residents of Mathare, and other areas, to distribute the Keepods themselves creating their own profits and building their business knowledge, allowing them to continue on to further jobs. In addition, only 10% of young people in Mathare currently gain a college education (Gizmag), therefore internet access will increase the overall 
educational level and human capital of youths in the slum, giving them a greater chance of escaping poverty.
There are however criticisms, Mike Dawson, chief operating officer of Ustad Mobile, has said that the project is unnecessary as there are similar options available such as Ubuntu which can also be loaded onto USB sticks. He stated that ‘There’s nothing new here that will widen access…This project actually costs $800 per computer. The crowdfunder had the false claim that it was the first standardised bootable operating system. You still need a computer, power, internet etc’ (IT Web Africa). Although Keepod is not the first project of its kind, it is still a cheaper, smart and viable solution to spreading internet access across LEDCs, as making computers cheaper will still only allow the middle and upper classes of society to access the internet. The Keepod project, as long as it is correctly distributed, set up and maintained, will provide access to the poorest, to those living below the $1.25 a day poverty line, as the computers are grouply owned making them more affordable. Providing maintenance services will also allow these computers and laptops to live longer, providing continued internet access for the poorest who need it most. It is also cheaper to replace a lost USB drive than an entire personalised computer, even though all of your data and documents will also be lost unless they are saved onto an online file share service such as Google Drive. Accessing the internet needs to be adapted in places where damage and theft is more likely to occur.
Although the poor are less likely to be users of services such as online banking, as they often do not have a bank account, the Keepod could provide educational and business opportunities instead of financial services.
It has been questioned whether mobile phones may be an easier and more practical solution as they can be used at any time and effective applications, as seen in my previous post on M-PESA, a mobile banking and cash transfer app, can be installed. Smartphones especially have internet access, can take photos, videos, record audio and allow users to easily communicate to one another. Additionally, they are extremely useful for those in remote areas, and for farmers as they can check market prices before selling their produce, allowing them to receive the best price for their labour. As even a $35 phone has a similar capacity to a computer from 1997 (ICT Works), mobile phones may be a 
cheaper and easier solution to connecting people and bridging the digital divide.
Even though granting internet access to the poor will not overcome land rights issues, material poverty and discrimination, it may increase educational levels and incomes due to greater connectivity, educational websites and access to market prices. Whether this comes about through Keepod, other similar programs or mobile phones matters not to the populations of developing countries as they will benefit either way, however the Keepod project is likely to be beneficial in Mathare, meaning it will spread throughout other countries and regions as well as long as there is the infrastructure for enough internet access. Since the USB device is only $7, and the refurbished computers are at a much lower cost than brand new ones, groups of people will be able to purchase the computers together and have their own personalised computer experience. However, enough disposable income to invest in products other than the necessities – food, water, shelter, clothing, education – is needed to be able to afford the Keepod program, even jointly. This may mean that Keepod will not ‘take off’ as Bahar and Imbesi envision it will.
Providing internet access for the populations of developing countries is an important component in increasing development as it allows people to increase their independence, create new ideas and advertise their businesses; Keepod may help assist people by granting them access.
Bibliography:
BBC News (2014) Keepod: Can a $7 Stick Provide Billions Computer Access?, [Online], Available: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27346567 27th June 2014
Gizmag (2014) Keepod: A Socially Responsible, Bootable OS On A USB Drive, [Online], Available: http://www.gizmag.com/keepod-usb-os/30713/ 30th June 2014
ICT Works (2014) Keepod: Wasting $40,000 To Reinvent Linux On A Stick, [Online], Available: http://www.ictworks.org/2014/05/14/keepod-wasting-40000-to-reinvent-linux-on-a-stick/ 30th June 2014
Indiegogo (2014) Keepod Unite, [Online], Available: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keepod-unite 27th June 2014
IT Web Africa (2014) Criticism Levelled At Keepod Personal Computer USB Sticks, [Online], Available: http://www.itwebafrica.com/mobile/309-kenya/232906-criticism-levelled-at-keepod-personal-computer-usb-sticks 27th June 2014
Keepod (2014) Keepod, [Online], Available: http://keepod.org/ 27th June 2014
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