For the next three weeks you'll have the opportunity to buy two laptop computers developed by some of the greatest minds in the digital era, encompassing ground-breaking advances in screen and battery technology, for a mere $399.
What's the catch? There are two, really. One is that you'll have to give one away to a poor child in another country. The second is you can forget about running Windows.
The laptop is the XO, in development for the past three years by the philanthropic organization One Laptop per Child. Nicholas Negroponte, the former director of MIT's Media Lab, founded OLPC. The organization's first mission has been to create a laptop for use by elementary school children in developing nations the world over. This computer would have to be cheap to produce, extremely durable, work in environments without reliable access to power, and have a screen that could be used outside as well as inside. All the software would have to be free or open source to keep the costs down, and the processor would have to be less than cutting edge for price reasons as well. Some have referred to it as "the laptop of 10 years ago." In terms of processor, memory and screen size, they may be right.
It is in some ways also the laptop of decades ago, before there were laptops. Pioneers like technologist-educators Seymour Papert (creator of the LOGO programming language and, in part, the LEGO Mindstorms system) and Alan Kay (computing visionary who conceptualized the then theoretical "Dynabook" multimedia laptop for education) have been dreaming of XO variants since the late 60's.
While the XO may not meet the full theoretical vision developed decades ago, it's a pretty strong real-world descendant. I've had a chance to check out versions of the XO at conferences over the past few years, and it's become a very cool little piece of technology.
The distinctive "ears" on the machine are wireless networking antennas. Even without an existing wireless network, the laptops will network to each other to allow for communication and collaboration between users within range. It has a 7.5 inch, 1200 x 900-pixel screen that will run either like a standard color screen for inside use or in a reflective mode for use in broad daylight. The screen flips over so that the laptop can also be used in an "e-book reader" mode. It uses so little electricity that the battery can be recharged using human power (via a foot pedal for example). The storage is entirely memory-based, no spinning hard drive to fail and lose the data.
The machine's operating systems is Linux, so no MS apps. And it won't have the power to run off-the-shelf games, but that's not really the point. The point is education. The target customers for the XO are schools systems and governments.
But from November 12 through November 30, you can pick one up for yourself by going to the "XO Giving" website and participating in the "Give 1 Get 1" campaign. For $399 you buy two; one goes to a child in a developing nation and one goes to your home.
This deal isn't limited to one per customer, either. If you want to give three and get three (as I'm thinking of doing so that my students can develop games for the XO), that's an option. If you want to personally empower a village school overseas and a city classroom downtown by "Giving 30 and Getting 30" knock yourself out. Our own educational village could use the boost as well.
A delivery date won't be set by OLPC until they know how big the order ends up being. They're hoping that Give 1 Get 1 participants will get their machines in December, but I wouldn't be surprised if I don't see mine till January. Whenever it shows up, you can expect a review of the unit here.