Bluntly put, one could say that wherever and whenever aid has failed as a development tool it has done so because donors did not intend the aid for development in the first place.

FORBES: Current Events

Mobile phones are now seen as a vital tool of development, whereas Mr Negroponte's laptop project has failed to meet its ambitious goals.

ECONOMIST: Finishing the job

Others have suggested that proponents of the plan may have muddled the message by trying to sell the package as a traffic fix, a jobs creator, and an economic development tool.

MSN: Staff writer