We’ve covered the progress of the OLPC from time to time. The person leading the effort in China and South East Asia is an old and good friend, Tony Wong.

By now, Mr. Negroponte insists, enough of these learning machines are in the hands of children in the developing world to see results. The children, from 6 to 12 years old, are more passionate about learning and educators are reporting fewer problems with discipline and truancy. “It’s unequivocally working,” said Mr. Negroponte, the founding director of the M.I.T. Media Lab. “The issue is the economics.”

The full story is here.