XO Laptops - One Laptop Per Child, Give 1 Get 1 Program

Originally presented as a 100 Dollar laptop, Nicholas Negroponte's project to supply the world's children with an affordable PC is finally ready, though the price has doubled since it was first announced. Now called XO Laptops, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program is something everyone can get involved in with a Give 1 Get 1 deal that starts on November 12, and lasting two weeks only. You will be able to pay $399 for two XO Laptops, getting and giving one simultaneously, with the XO laptops being delivered by Christmas. Sounds like a good deal to me, but I hope these laptops are pre-installed with anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-porn and security software before shipping to kids around the world!!!

Effective today, the public can go to http://www.XOgiving.org or call a toll-free number at 1-866-XO-GIVING (1-866-964-4846) to give a laptop, without receiving one. A charitable contribution of $200 will provide a child in a developing country with an XO laptop computer of their own. In addition, visitors to the web site can sign up to be put on an alert list to receive an email reminder on November 12 that Give 1 Get 1 has started.

The XO laptop, conceived at the Media Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and developed and manufactured by OLPC and its technology partners, has been created specifically for children in developing countries. XO taps into a child's innate capacities to learn, share and create. It is called "XO" because when you turn the letters counter-clockwise, the XO logo looks like a child. XO has many features not found in any other laptop, including:

-- Rugged design and sealed case to make it water- and shock-resistant

-- High-resolution screen that can be read in direct sunlight, as well as indoors in the dark

-- Lower power consumption using only 5-10 percent of the average wattage of a normal laptop

-- Can be powered by solar energy and human energy with pull cords and hand cranks

-- Mesh (peer-to-peer) network that turns each XO into a full-time router connecting each laptop and allowing for easy Internet access

-- No moving parts, except for rabbit ears (for the mesh network) and the hinge

-- Runs on free, open source software

-- Contains no lead, mercury, cadmium or PVC

The XO laptop, a general-purpose device, comes with a built-in video camera, sophisticated sound processing, and software for making music, creating art, playing games, browsing the web, and word processing. The XO can also be used as an e-book reader in both the dark and in bright sunlight.