One Laptop Per Child

The link to more information on One Laptop Per Child is on the title. You can also access it here XO Giving. This is one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life. For a girl, you all know how much of a gadget geek I am. I was just informed of how this works and I am so excited. Originally, the idea was to make this laptop cost only $100, hence the "hundred dollar laptop" name that has started to spread on the web. Now, it costs $188, a small rise to accomodate the features that are not worth loosing. They didn't want to loose any fundamentally good features so a little more is not that bad at all. The ratio of the cost compared to what you get is amazing. I definitely want to invest in something like this.

This is a new innovation of a laptop that can withstand water, dirt, dust, and impact. It is also really small and compact, filled with everything you may need on the go. The BEST part about this computer is that it is designed for thrid world children who cannot afford supplies to be educated. With this laptop, there is no longer any need to buy millions of pens, pencils, paper, books for children in the third world. Everything will be wifi online and on that machine. The cost efficiency is great and children are being brought into the technological world like the rest of the world.

The laptop is made of rubber on the outside so it can withstand a lot of impact. It's also tiny and compact. The antennas are also rubber and fold down into the laptop.

The monitor stores the hardware (all flash, no harddrive, no fan) and twists around so you can hold it like a book. Another great feature is the battery life. It can be SOLAR POWERED so kids in Africa are set! Sit by a window and you can charge your computer. And, on battery life, it lasts SIX HOURS!!!

The only give to this thing is that it does not have a DVD burner or CD payer...but that's why the battery life and compactability is so great. It also runs a tad bit slower but it's nothing bad. Programs take a bit longer to start but once it's up, you're fine.

The system is hackable. They purposefully built the system that way so that kids in different parts of the world can change the settings and make it workable to them. Steve Jobs of Mac heard about this is offered to give Mac's operating system to XO for free. However, he was REJECTED because Mac, like Microsoft, is locked and does not let you tamper with the system. How insane is that?! They're opening up the system to the world! There is also a default button that lets you reset the system back to its original setting in case you mess up somewhere in the change.

Find out more about this machine and help a child out at the same time. I'm definitely investing in one becuase my monster laptop can stay home and I can take this tiny one to class to take notes on.

***IMPORTANT***

"Starting November 12, One Laptop Per Child will be offering a Give 1 Get 1 Program for a brief window of time in North America. For $399, you will be purchasing two XO laptops—one that will be sent to empower a child to learn in a developing nation, and one that will be sent to your child at home. "

Some more info on this project: XO Laptop and watch David Pogue, NY Times technology columnist's blog on this: