With the announcement of the Nokia N810 and the shipping of the Asus Eee PC, one to one computing projects in education just got a lot more interesting. Imagine being able to provide students with a portable device capable of doing a majority of the work done with computers.

The Nokia N810 is a palmtop Linux based computer with all the necessities, including wifi, a 800×480 screem, and a slide out keyboard. No prices have been announced yet, but the N800 sold for $400, so this one might be in the same ballpark.

The Asus Eee PC is a Linux based computer in a laptop form factor. For $400 you get 512MB of RAM with a 4GB flash drive and 7″ screen at 800×480 resolution. I prefer the form factor of the Eee, especially since it should provide some protection for the screen when closed. It also has a keyboard that would be more conducive to typing. Rumors are lower end machines will be available for as low as $250. It would be a lot easier to implement machines at $250 a piece than the cost of current laptops in the $500-$1000 range. These also have no moving parts and should have a higher reliability.