OLPC Arrives at Wisdom
December 18, 2007 | By Raymond T. Hightower
It’s here! Wisdom ordered one of the One Laptop Per Child machines under the Give One Get One program. First impression: A clever design, and most of the shortcomings can be corrected with updated software.
This post was created on the new device.
Tree-Saving Documentation
The OLPC team seeks to be “as environmentally responsible as possible”, as stated on the enclosed welcome note from team leader Nicholas Negroponte. So, no manual. Just an invitation to visit the XO Start Page. The start page saved me from a potential headache involving WiFi encryption.
Limited WiFi Encryption
Wisdom’s office network uses the strongest form of wireless encryption available. Unfortunately, the OLPC uses the weaker WEP encryption. I had to dumb-down the wireless router in order to connect to the Web. The XO team promises better encryption sometime in 2008.
Tiny Keyboard
The keyboard is too small for touch-typing and too large for PDA-style thumb-typing. No-man’s land. I must remind myself that I am not a child (usually!), and children are the target market for this device. I laugh when I consider that the most common computer interface, the QWERTY keyboard, is over one hundred years old. Maybe one of the child recipients of an XO computer will create a better way. I believe this is likely, given the large number of kids who will get this device.
Clear Display
The display is tiny, but text and graphics appear comparable to what you’d see on a mid- to low-priced laptop today. I plan to test the daytime anti-glare properties on Chicago’s next sunny day.
Cumbersome User Interface
Perhaps I’m just frustrated by the size of the keyboard. Or maybe the user interface needs work. The user interface is mysterious to me. Or maybe I’m too old to learn new tricks. The Web browser can handle Flash and PDFs.
Overall Impression
Overall I would say this is a good first effort. Congrats to Nicholas Negroponte and the entire OLPC team.
You were able to use Flash? We are having a heck of a time using anything programmed with Flash that is above the complication of 1995.