Low-priced PCs aimed at deveoping nations will range in price from $199 to $549 Asustek Computer plans to launch a series of low-cost PCs later this year aimed at developing nations, a company representative confirmed on Monday.The PCs will be introduced in the second half of this year, Asustek representative Beck Lee said.He would not comment on reports in the Chinese-language Commercial Times newspaper that the PCs would be based on Intel’s Classmate PC platform, which is aimed at developing nations. The platform consists of a low-cost PC design and supporting chips, including specs that would connect the PCs to the Internet wirelessly. Asustek plans to launch five of the low-priced PCs in the second half of this year, priced at $199, $249, $299, $399, and $549, respectively, according to the Commercial Times. Asustek declined to provide any additional information.Several companies are hope to tap into the global market for low-cost PCs. The idea comes from the non-profit One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, which is led by Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of OLPC and a cofounder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Laboratory. The project aims to develop a laptop computer that costs just $100 for use by students in developing countries. Technology Industry