$100 Laptop A Bargain at $200
by David Pogue
The New York Times
Thursday, October 4, 2007, Business Day page 1
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9801E4DF123FF937A35753C1A9619C8B63
Bob Ford – BLOG Current Issue #3 – $100 Laptop A Bargain At $200
In November, for about $200 you'll be able to buy a new laptop that's spill proof, rainproof, dustproof and drop-proof. It's fan less, it's silent and it weighs 3.2 pounds. One battery charge will power six hours of heavy activity, or 24 hours of reading. The laptop has a built-in video camera, microphone, memory-card slot, graphics tablet, game-pad controllers and a screen that rotates into a tablet configuration.
This is my latest update on “One Laptop Per Child”. Free of charge, its goal is to provide a cheap, reliable in harsh environments, beyond state of the art, laptop for third world children. I first reported on this during our Group Literacy Project. My video opened with, “The First Crusade of the 21st Century is About Literacy”.
O.L.P.C.’s founder Nicholas Negroponte along with his staff have made a strategic shift to get their laptop past final testing and into the hands of children. They decided to offer the machine for sale to the public in the industrialized world -- for a period of two weeks, in November. The program is called ''Give 1, Get 1,'' and it works like this. You pay $400 (www.xogiving.org). One XO laptop (and a tax deduction) comes to you by Christmas, and a second is sent to a student in a poor country. They are gambling that a slightly higher price initially, will be reduced as production really gears up and millions of laptops are produced.
From a teaching and literacy standpoint, “Any time you're word processing, making music, taking pictures, playing games or reading an e-book, you can click a Share button. Your document shows up next to your icon on the mesh-network map, so that other people can see what you're doing, or work with you. Teachers can supervise your writing, buddies can collaborate on a document, friends can play you in Connect 4, or someone across the room can add a melody to your drum beat in the music program. You've never seen anything like it.”
The author of this article David Pogue called this laptop, now called the “XO Laptop”, absolutely amazing, and a total kid magnet. He also said that both the hardware and software features exhibit breakthrough after breakthrough, many of which do not appear in ANY laptop.
When November gets here, check out www.xogiving.org. If you can purchase an XO, both you and a child in the third world will be part of something as historically magnificent as Gutenberg’s Printing Press.
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4 comments:
That is ammazing. People are finally bringing education and technology to places where it is greatly needed. I think this is a great program. It enhances learning experiences and gets children ready for the future. $400 is a small price o educate yourseld and one child who is less proveliged somewhere across the world. Great article!
This is a great way to get computers in the hands of children who would not have that opportunity. I saw the 60 minutes feature on this computer and its an amazing computer putting to shame some of the computers that cost over $1000. Its a shame that it is available for a short time.
This is really great! Now, children who really need these machines will be able to work with them. In most cases, the children of these countries are so appreciative of gifts of this nature that they tresure immensly, what is given to them.
Great idea.
This is really great! Now, children who really need these machines will be able to work with them. In most cases, the children of these countries are so appreciative of gifts of this nature that they treasure immensly, what is given to them.
Great idea.
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