Get Your Own XO Laptop

The One Laptop Per Child Foundation was formed by Prof. Nicholas Negroponte with several people from the Media Lab at MIT. The mission of OLPC is "To provide children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment and express themselves."

The company is not about the product, the XO laptop. Rather, the organization calls itself "a non-profit organization providing a means to an end-an end that sees children in even the most remote regions of the globe being given the opportunity to tap into their own potential, to be exposed to a whole world of ideas, and to contribute to a more productive and saner world community."

But why even promote a laptop as part of education? The XO fits in with Prof. Seymour Papert's theory of constructionism where "learning learning" is the "fundamental educational experience." OLPC states that "using the XO as both their window on the world, as well as a highly programmable tool for exploring it, children in emerging nations will be opened to both illimitable knowledge and to their own creative and problem-solving potential."

Their work is in line with the second Millennium Development Goal. Awareness is increases and even big companies like Intel and Microsoft are starting to take notice of what a computer in the hands of a child can do for education. Pledge your support by showing off your XO laptop!

Find out more about OLPC's vision.

Initially, the XO laptop was heralded as the "$100 dollar laptop project," but as yet, that price point has not been reached. It is expected that economies of scale will help reduce the individual laptop cost in the future.

During November 12, 2007 to December 31, 2007, the OLPC organization ran a promotion called "Give 1, Get 1" as a way of raising awareness for their work and to kick-start the XO laptop program. Basically, you participated by paying $400 for two laptops. One laptop went to you, and the other laptop was donated to a child in a country that has not been able to afford them for the students. That one essentially counted as a tax deductible donation of $200. Originally scheduled for just two weeks, the response for G1G1 was immense and thus extended until the end of the year.

Due to the success and popularity of the program, G1G1 is happening again this year! Starting November 17, 2008, you will once again have a chance to get your own XO laptop for $199 each. This time, the program will be managed by Amazon, so you'll be able to get all the good Amazon service and guarantees.

If you'd rather not get a laptop, you can still help support the OLPC mission. There's always time to make a donation. Take a look at the various ways to contribute.

Congratulations! You have an XO laptop! Do you know how to play with it?

The best place to get started is at the Getting Started Guide (pdf). You should also note that if you got a brand new XO, it probably hasn't been upgraded to the most recent stable build. Newer builds have a couple of improvements such as the ability to access WPA points. Find the current stable build and update your XO.

Try all the installed programs; you'll see icons for them at the bottom of the screen. If you're feeling adventurous, you can also download new programs from the OLPC wiki software page. Actually, the easiest way to get knew programs is to download them directly onto your XO. (Go to http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Activities from the Browse program.)

Many of you may have seen pictures of the original XO laptop design that included a hand crank to charge the computer. That feature was eventually removed to allow more flexibility in charging methods. However, it is true that most of the villages receiving laptops do not have a power grid. So how will they charge their computers?

Several different charging mechanisms are in development. One that has received some media coverage is the Potenco Pull-Cord Generator shown in the picture at right. Another is the Freeplay Handcrank. Unfortunately, you will not be able to get either in the United States.

Solar energy solutions are feasible, but they are not yet fully developed. If you try to get a solar panel, it's likely you'll have to do a bit of manual tinkering. One over the counter portable energy source that is compatible with the XO laptop is the Freeplay Weza, a foot-powered device that retails at about $270. You will need to acquire an XO compatible cable on your own, though.