When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. - Hunter S. Thompson

06 October 2007

"One Laptop Per Child," finally shipping

David Pogue reviews the product of the One Laptop Per Child initiative:
In November, you’ll be able to buy a new laptop that’s spillproof, rainproof, dustproof and drop-proof. It’s fanless, it’s silent and it weighs 3.2 pounds. One battery charge will power six hours of heavy activity, or 24 hours of reading. The laptop has a built-in video camera, microphone, memory-card slot, graphics tablet, game-pad controllers and a screen that rotates into a tablet configuration.

And this laptop will cost $200.

The computer, if you hadn’t already guessed, is the fabled “$100 laptop” that’s been igniting hype and controversy for three years. It’s an effort by One Laptop Per Child (laptop.org) to develop a very low-cost, high-potential, extremely rugged computer for the two billion educationally underserved children in poor countries.

Laptop With A Mission Widens Its Audience (New York Times, October 4, 2007)

If you'd like to donate one of these laptops to a child in the developing world, XOgiving.org is set up to help you.

(Psst... if you'd like to buy one for a child you know, a "Give One Get One" program starts up on November 12; at a cost of $400, one laptop is donated to the cause and one is shipped to you.)


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