One Laptop per Child

One of this year's hottest Christmas gifts is one you give to the poorest of the poor. The new XO laptop computer, originally intended to help poor children in the third world learn to use a computer, was for a limited time also available to donors via a buy one, get one free offer. Beginning November 14 and ending December 31, 2007, charitable donors were offered a chance to both donate an XO to a poor child via laptopgiving, plus get another XO for personal use or direct donation. Sweetening the pot even more, T-Mobile also threw in a free year of WiFi hot spot access (and I will definitely remember their generosity the next time I need a mobile phone.)

Without knowing this would become a trendy thing to do, I signed up immediately, and became one of the first to actually receive an XO.

The shocking thing to me is that the XO is actually a very cool laptop. It weighs just 3# 9oz (including the battery & power supply), is a tiny 10" x 10" x 1", and uses only 8 watts. yet includes a custom version of Linux, WiFi, 3 USB ports, an SD port, a mic and audio port, a 7" color screen visible even in full daylight that can be flipped over to cover the rubber-protected keyboard and used as a tablet for such tasks as reading an ebook,

Without much fuss I was able to connect to the Internet via my home WiFi system and browse my favorite blog. Even so, it may be months or even years before I figure out all the other options included in this critter. (By then my newborn grandson may be big enough to explain it all to me as we enjoy it together.)

Update: Here's a bit more technical info on the XO: It has a 433MHz AMD CPU, 256MB of RAM, 1GB of SSD storage, and can accept one SDHD card up to at least 8GB in capacity. It also has a 640 x 480 Web cam, so theoretically might even be capable of running the new Linux version 1.4 of Skype for video calls. Its browser is based on Gecko, the same as FireFox, and I've already managed to use the XO to run (albeit very slowly) the database I support at work. Here's my prediction: both kids and hackers (in the good sense) are going to have a ton of fun with this thing.

Update2: After seeing it, Shades agrees. Small example: It turns out the XO is an excellent eBook reader, with many of the features of the hot new Amazon "Kindle" reader. I've already downloaded and read one very good recent novel on it, and found it every bit as good an experience as reading a book on paper, and better than reading one on my Treo. I expect a LOT of good content to be made available for free on the XO, in support of its educational mission to the poorest of the poor. I'm happy to help with that, and also happy to be among those who benefit.

One more new learning: the target age for kids is 6-12, though kids as young as 3 are already enjoying the XO, as are adults.

Update3: The Give One Get One promotion has ended, and was a great success, with 150,000 computers donated. For those who got one, the first update is expected to be available sometime during January of 2008. Some expected features weren't ready yet on Day One, such as a spreadsheet, but will be eventually, so be sure to check the OLPC Wiki occasionally for updates.

Update4: Wow, look Shades, there's already an OLPC group at IMSA (Illinois Math & Science Academy, a wonderful public high school.) Here's their Wiki. Here's how OLPC News described their first presentation to a new Chicago OLPC group.:
"The evening opened with some presentations by the IMSA students. The thing you need to know about them is that they are scary smart. In a good way. Whatever you do, don't underestimate them. Students at IMSA are proud to hold the distinction of the only OLPC High School Interest Group.

Their work with the acoustic tape measure activity led them to believe that the OLPC is a good tool for conducting experiments. From here, they decided to work on a module to present the scientific method. This led them to do research on the societies where OLPC laptops are targeted for, so as to understand social constraints around manner of dress and gestures for video-based content."

Update5: Sadly, Nick Neg, head of OLPC may have just jumped the shark (gutting the OLPC movement of pretty much its entire purpose) by abandoning its open software design in hopes of making the XO into just one more cheap computer that is barely able to run Windows XP.

To American ears, being able to get XP for only $3 may sound pretty good, but to folks who only make a dollar a day in poor third world countries that's a whole lot of unnecessary money given up to make one of the richest men in the world even richer. Learning this made me want to barf, and I'm not alone. It sounds like pretty much everyone whose work I admired on the project has now left, either voluntarily or by being fired.