"One Laptop Per Child"

[caybee 21]

Sorry if this was posted before and I just missed it.

Until December 31, if you donate a laptop through One Laptop Per Child, you get a second one for yourself. Total cost for both, including shipping, is about $420. NB, the laptop is very specialized: all open-source software and OS, very rugged, water-resistant, no moving parts, child-sized keyboard. But for the kids it's designed for, it looks pretty wonderful to me. My sister just ordered. I can't wait to see it.

-----------

OLPC Wiki

link to article

Good Deeds Come in Small Laptops

By Gary Krakow

TheStreet.com Senior Technology Correspondent

12/5/2007 2:04 PM EST

URL: http://www.thestreet.com/newsanalysis/hardware/10393058.html

Editor's Note: Gary Krakow is an award-winning journalist whose columns help feed his personal passion for playing with gadgets of all types, shapes and sizes. Stay tuned to this space for more insights on all things tech.

The first computer from the people at One Laptop Per Child is easy to describe but, from the point of view of an adult, a lot more difficult to love.

Basically, the XO is a small, portable laptop computer made for children. It's designed expressly for children who live in Third World countries who are not as technology savvy as U.S-kids. In that respect, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative should be a great success.

For many people who have had contact with modern-day computers, the XO will be rejected on the grounds that it's small, slow and not very good as a business tool.

One Laptop Per Child Not For Grown-Ups

But that's exactly what the OLPC people were aiming for.

The XO is designed for small kids' hands. It measures 9.5 by 9.0 by 1.5 inches and weighs in at 3.3 pounds. In person, it seems heavier than you would expect from its diminutive size. When closed, the device is pretty well sealed off from moisture and dirt. The keyboard has a durable, lime-green rubber membrane protective cover to prolong its life as well.

Our test computer was among the first production units to come off the OLPC assembly line vs. the pre-production models that have been reviewed elsewhere. The test laptop came with two rechargeable batteries and a lime-green power adapter. The XO can also be powered by solar or foot power in places where electricity doesn't exist.

The screen is a 7.5-inch (diagonal) color TFT display with 1200 by 900 pixels. The processor is an Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Geode LX-700 running at a power-saving 433MHz. That chip also doubles as the graphics controller. Standard memory is 256MB. There's no hard drive -- storage is handles by 1024MB of flash. There's also a MMC/SD card slot for additional storage, 3 USB 2.0 ports, a video camera along with microphone in and audio out jacks.

The XO runs on an operating system that can extract the most out of its basic hardware. OLPC decided to use components from Red Hat's (RHT) Fedora Core 6 version of the Linux OS. Applications include a Web browser; a simple document viewer; the AbiWord word processor, an RSS reader, an email client, chat client, VOIP client; a multimedia authoring and playback environment; a music composition toolkit, graphics toolkits, games, and a very addictive music program. (More about that in a minute.)

There is no Ethernet port -- because there aren't many wired networks where the OLPC computers are expected to be used. Instead, 802.11b/g wireless networking is built in. The two lime green Wi-Fi antennas also double as latches, which seal the computer shut and protect the ports. For the record, the Wi-Fi system is one of the best I've seen in any portable computer.

There's also 802.11s networking -- for a feature called mesh networking. The XO can easily communicate with similar devices located nearby -- so that, for instance, many students can communicate with each other in a classroom setting or in a village -- without needing a high-speed Internet connection or a Wi-Fi router.

The graphical interface is designed to be simple to understand for kids despite differences in language and previous computer operating experience. It is very basic-looking at first glance, but is quite robust; plus it's easy to understand and master.

As a teaching/learning tool, the XO passes all of our tests with flying colors. While not the fastest laptop on the block, the OLPC delivers everything it promises -- and a lot more.

We selected three children, all with previous computer experience, to field-test our unit. While there were some gripes about the speed at which some programs and Web pages loaded, there also was great praise for some of the software -- especially the TamTam music program. If parents hadn't intervened, the kids would still be taking turns playing with the XO. And that's exactly the point.

As for price, OLPC's XO is currently available as part of the "Give One, Get One" program, which ends on Dec. 31. You pay $400 so that an XO computer will be sent to a child in a developing country. You also get a second XO computer to give to a child of your choice. Not only do you get a $200 tax deduction, but you'll also be doing something wonderful for two young citizens of this planet.

[doodlebugg 10]

That looks cool for kids! I love how the pad area is that rubber material so no cookie crumbs can get all in the cracks! This would be perfect for like a preschooler to about 3rd grade I would think!

[Fandango 1,440]

nm

Edited December 8, 2007 by LisaD

[jundp 191]

That's an awesome program.

P was telling me these computers have been making the news a lot in the last year.