FlexGo was a

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scie ...

developed by

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation, multinational technology company, technology corporation producing Software, computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at th ...

to enable users to pay for using a full-featured

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tech ...

based on the amount of time it used for, similar to pay as you go for cell phones. Another method of payment was a monthly subscription. It was introduced on May 22, 2006. IBM and other corporations were also adapting similar

business model A business model describes how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value,''Business Model Generation'', Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, Alan Smith, and 470 practitioners from 45 countries, self-published, 2010 in economic, soc ...

s to expand into new markets.

Goals

FlexGo's main target audience was those in

third world countries The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the "First ...

or people with unsteady income. It had been featured under a topic on

Leo Laporte Leo Laporte (; born November 29, 1956) is the host of '' The Tech Guy'' weekly radio show and a host on TWiT.tv, an Internet podcast network focusing on technology. He is also a former TechTV technology host (1998–2008) and a technology author. ...

's This Week in Tech, Episode 57 "Vloggercon". Microsoft wanted to give people the opportunity to buy their very first computer using FlexGo, and pay for only the time they would use it. Microsoft also planned to team up with telecommunication companies to allow internet access to become a pay as you go feature. The main targeted areas for FlexGo are India, Hungary, Vietnam, Slovenia, and Brazil.

References

External links

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Geekzone - Microsoft Introduce Pay-as-you-go ComputingMicrosoft Brings Vista To Developing World PCsMicrosoft Broadsides African LaptopMicrosoft Partner
Microsoft initiatives {{microsoft-stub