Laptops: Give One, Get One
October 11, 2007 | By Raymond T. Hightower
One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) has re-named their low-cost laptop and they’re offering a special arrangement for those who help the cause. For two weeks starting Nov 12, 2007, you can buy a laptop for your child if you’ll also agree to buy one for a child in a developing nation. Transactions are handled at XOGiving.org.
XO Laptop in Action
David Pogue, writer for the New York Times, reviews the machine in this 4-minute video.
Key Features
- Six-hour standard battery life. Get 24 hours (yes, a full day) if you shut off the display’s backlighting.
- For $12 extra, you can get a small solar panel that’s compatible with the XO Laptop.
- The battery will last for 2,000 recharge cycles. That’s about 4x the recharge cycles in today’s typical laptop.
- Built-in WIFI.
- Built-in camera
- Cost, about $188 per unit. With enough volume, the manufacturers hope to bring the price down to $100 per unit.
Drawbacks
- It’s slow to boot-up (about two minutes). But performance is decent once it gets going.
- No CD or DVD drive. But that also helps make the machine dust-proof and waterproof.
- Power users won’t like this machine. But it’s not designed for power users!
Give One, Get One
OLPC is offering a win/win arrangement for two weeks starting November 12, 2007. For $399, you can buy two machines: One for your child at home, and one to be sent to a child in a developing nation. Purchases are handled at XOGiving.org. You can even sign up to be reminded by email as the purchasing window approaches.The Future
What new software geniuses will get their first exposure to computers through the XO Laptop?