You may know it as the “$100 laptop.” But, let’s call it by its lesser-known name, the XO as it never made it down to the $100 price point. The computer, aimed at providing laptops for needy kids by way of the One Laptop per Child project, has been the cause of speculation, criticism and praise. MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of the non-profit One Laptop per Child foundation, is the driving force behind the XO, which boasts some interesting features for a laptop which cost less than many computers which rightfully find file under the category “toy.”
What’s the XO got going for it? A lot. Again, it’s not going to replace your business productivity laptop anytime soon (nor is that its intention), but it has plenty for its sub $200 price tag (David Pogue sums it up well). A few standouts:
- High-resolution (1200 x 900 200 dpi) reflective, sunlight readable display
- Sealed keyboard, sealed case construction
- WiFi (802.11 b/g) and Mesh (802.11 s)
- Can be charged without an AC outlet (physical process)
- Integrated game pad
- Integrated touch pad
- Speakers
- Integrated 30 fps video and still camera
It’s not running Vista or XP, nor is it running OS X or Linux. The OLPC’s operating system and software is all open source. It’s a laptop for education geared toward countries where technology is inaccessible, and, conditions may be less than hospitable for the device.
Now, a bit for the philanthropists and the geeks. There’s a few ways you can score some good karma with the little laptop that might:
Philanthropists: You can donate an OLPC for a child in need. They’re $200 each (of course, you can donate more than one).
Philanthropist Geeks: You can donate an XO for a child in need, and get an XO for yourself with the “Give 1 Get 1″ program. $399 pays for both laptops (yes, it is a tax write-off). This is a limited time program starting on November 12th.
I’m anticipating some great XO stories next year and sincerely hoping the domestic “look what I did with my XO” stories are the exception, not the rule.
Learn More:
One Laptop per Child
Give 1 Get 1 Program
UPDATE: 8 November 2007
As noted by Dan in a comment below, the gOS is Linux. I was typing a little too rapidly when I said that the XO wasn’t running Linux. It’s been stricken above-thanks for pointing it out, Dan.
UDPATE: 27 November 2007
You haven’t missed out on this yet! Going beyond the initial 2 week Give One Get One promotion, it was announced last week that the XO will remain on sale in North America through the 31st of December.
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