OLPC America will bring XO to the US

Proving once again that he's still got love for the home team, Nick Negroponte has announced the impending launch of OLPC America, a division of the organization with its own director and chairman that will bring low-cost laptops to US students. According to an IDG interview with Negroponte, distributing the XO stateside has always been in the plans, arguing that "to have the United States be the only country that's not in the OLPC agenda would be kind of ridiculous." Besides helping out kids at home, NickNeg anticipates that a domestic deployment will accelerate the project to critical mass in terms of adoption, software, and developer support. OLPC America will reportedly work with individual state governments to handle the details of the disbursement, although specifics of the plan will remain under wraps until the official launch later this year.

[Via Slashdot]

[jaba @ Jan 13th 2008 1:21PM]

does it play doom?

[MaGiXX @ Jan 13th 2008 2:48PM]

Yes it does, it was tested before.

[mcheddadi @ Jan 13th 2008 1:28PM]

giving pcs to children is like...giving pcs to children!!! those people don't realize what msn messenger and myspace will do for their studies and homeworks...

[DrXym @ Jan 13th 2008 1:36PM]

The OLPC runs a custom user interface over the top of Linux. They might be able to access MySpace but they can't add their software without an administrator doing it.

[mcheddadi @ Jan 13th 2008 1:53PM]

As if admins ever stopped anyone from installing or accessing msn messenger lol!

[Derry Quinn @ Jan 13th 2008 3:04PM]

MSN Messenger on Linux? Wow! (and don't tell me they could use pidgin)

[Vinn @ Jan 13th 2008 4:23PM]

Meebo. The kids use it at my school all the time.

[DrXym @ Jan 13th 2008 1:31PM]

They really should sell a consumer version of this. Sell a version in black with more memory, more storage, a PC-style key layout and a generic Linux dist and it will sell by the shovel load.

I have an Asus Eee PC and these sorts of devices are incredibly handy. Sure they're not as powerful as a full laptop but they more than make up for that because they're cheap, incredibly small and offer most of the functionality that anyone needs while they're out and about. In fact the only reason I have an Eee PC is because the OLPC has no consumer variant. Oh well, they've lost potential profit that they could have ploughed back into their educational version.

[Atanas Boev @ Jan 13th 2008 2:17PM]

I second that. If OLPC had consumer version, I would buy it instead of Asus eee.

Engadget, you should make a poll asking whether people prefer eee or xo.

[JD @ Jan 13th 2008 3:09PM]

I'm reading this on my eee, I just got it a few days ago. I love it. It's small, light, silent, and easy to use, even though ease of use isn't too high on my list of priorities. I got it because it's cheap and I can bring it anywhere. Although it looks a lot more professional than the XO, I would consider the XO to be a competitor. It's not right for me, but for many people here- it would be.

[ChrisB @ Jan 13th 2008 4:36PM]

The real strength of the XO comes in its rock solid utilitarianism. Its stripped down of a lot of bloat, is made of easily recyclable non hazardous materials, it's strong, enviroment proof shell is usable in a wide temperature gradient, uses a microphone port that can measure DC voltages upto 5v dc, 200dpi dual mode "e-ink-alike" screen runs off 1 watt at full draw and .1 watt in standby. It can be run off a small solar panel by day, and an easy wind up dynamo. These sort of things, to me, completely overshadow the processing and storage power of the EEE. One is a production notebook, the other a committee designed tank almost. Slow, but strong. Comparing the two wrong to me. And I can't wait to get my grubby paws on one.

[Superevil @ Jan 14th 2008 12:59AM]

"Sell a version in black with more memory, more storage, a PC-style key layout and a generic Linux dist"

So basically an entirely different machine?

[DrXym @ Jan 15th 2008 5:08AM]

@Superevil. No, it's not a different machine. The hardware would be virtually the same except for RAM & Flash chips, the case would be the same except for its colour. The changes I mentioned are fairly superficial - the printed chars on keyboard needs to be changed because it doesn't match a standard PC layout, the case needs a new colour (e.g. black) and minor decal changes to stop educational / consumer models mixing. And it needs a bit more memory / ssd space because it's too little for consumer apps. The dist could be a stripped down Fedora or Ubuntu. The rest of the components would be identical, the rest the production & assembly would be identical.

None of those changes are earth shattering. Asus manages to produce the Eee Pc in a range of colours and configurations. But it would mean the OLPC goes from just being an educational device to something people will buy for $300. Economies of scale kick in and the educational model becomes cheaper simply because the consumer model exists. On top of which the profits of the consumer model get ploughed back into the educational model making it cheaper again.

It makes absolute sense to produce a consumer model and it's insane that they don't. As a result people who wanted an OLPC have bought a Eee PC instead. So OLPC gets NOTHING. That's just dumb business by them since the demand was there. The demand is still there if they hurry and get a clue.

[Generic @ Jan 13th 2008 1:47PM]

Extract from the article:
"Besides helping out kids at home, NickNeg anticipates that a domestic deployment will accelerate the project to critical mass in terms of adoption, software, and developer support."

smart move eh!

[iPriest @ Jan 13th 2008 2:01PM]

Finally they recognise the USA as third world country

[Wwhat @ Jan 13th 2008 2:26PM]

Uh oh, now they'll invade themselves next :o

And we all know how painful that can be.

[Gavin Seim @ Jan 13th 2008 2:22PM]

THIS LOOK LIKE FRANKENLAPTOP
This thing is cheap, and still pretty cool, but I don't understand why cheap has to be so incredibly clunky and ugly. Doesn't is cost the same to mold plastic that looks cool instead something that looks terrible.

It's not 1983 anymore!

[ug @ Jan 13th 2008 3:00PM]

I think people have stopped lusting after this thing. Even in the low end it is already woefully obsolete. It has a CPU that runs slower than 500mhz. Probably makes a crappy media player. Will probably not even run flash video. Really, an overclocked EEE PC seems to be the baseline in functionality.

[Jason Cox @ Jan 13th 2008 4:02PM]

I'd rather have an Eee compared to an OLPC- but then again add 200-odd bucks onto the OLPC price and you can great a real laptop.

[sherryfriedrichs @ Jan 13th 2008 4:05PM]

This is the one thing my son actually asked for last Christmas, but unfortunately we couldn't afford one. He wanted to be able to have one so he could esign applications for it and maybe get accepted to and scholarships for MIT. Glad to see this, maybe someday we'll be able to afford one. About time someone started tackling the problems in our own country and finally admit not everyone can afford the expensive prices... no wonder we're lagging behind other countries in trained workforce. The people who end up doing all the work can't afford the education, technology and whatever else they need to get the work/job done.

[Nothing more or less @ Jan 13th 2008 4:15PM]

Does the US even need a cheap laptop ? So are they trying to insinuate that US children cannot afford laptops and the US is so backward that this new technology need to be introduced.

LOL this is a good way to mock the US of A.

[William @ Jan 13th 2008 4:53PM]

Actually I'm sure that most children in the US can't afford a laptop.

I know I can't.

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Jan 13th 2008 8:32PM]

adults can't afford a lot of laptops either. Thats why we outsource crappy thinkpads and Dells from our company! :p

[apeguero @ Jan 13th 2008 7:06PM]

Glad to see Negroponte realize there are children in America too. There are plenty of poor children and struggling communities in our country that could use every help and discount they could get in order to be able to compete not only in the US but also in this new Global Economy everyone keeps talking about.

[deslock @ Jan 13th 2008 10:21PM]

I have one and the interface and software are a little clunky, so this seems like a smart move.

Those comparing it to the EEE tend to ignore the OLPC's lower power draw, lower heat buildup, cheaper battery, larger screen, higher resolution screen, sunlight-friendly screen, tablet mode, integrated game controllers, durable shell, code reviewer (integrated with the GUI and apps), and water proof/resistant keyboard.

The external wifi antennas (which give the OLPC excellent range) combined with mesh networking are also quite cool. And the OLPC is completely open (including the BIOS).

Of course, I like the EEE too. It's be better for CPU-intensive stuff and if it had a 10" WXGA screen, I'd get one.

[some dude @ Jan 14th 2008 12:50AM]

Apparently Engadget readers haven't heard, but the OLPC "Give 1, Get 1" program has been a complete and utter DISASTER in terms of shipping fulfillment and customer service. MANY people who ordered within the first few hours (me included) have yet to receive a laptop thanks to a bungled order processing system and a complete lack of communication on the part of OLPC. Check out http://olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?board=12.0 to see how OLCP's biggest supporters are extremely frustrated with the insulting way they are being treated. You better hope that if they start selling a consumer version, they get their act together.

[DMM @ Jan 14th 2008 1:29AM]

@ug: People have not "stopped lusting after" the XO. A small, light, ruggedized, weatherproof, spillproof, low-power-consumption portable computer is exactly what some people are looking for.

Unfortunately, when people have asked me where they can get one (after seeing mine in a public wifi location), I have to tell them that XOs are no longer available for sale.

It's a shame that G1G1 didn't last a bit longer. It ended not long after the earliest donors started receiving their laptops, so there wasn't much time to get out and demo the device to friends and coworkers. The people who've seen the device in person take an interest in it.

[DMM @ Jan 14th 2008 1:30AM]

@some dude: instead of directing people to just the one board, why not send them to the ENTIRE OLPC forum, so they can get a complete picture?

For the record, the complete forum -- encompassing all the positive as well as negative experiences of G1G1 -- can be found here:

http://olpcnews.com/forum/index.php

[rs @ Jan 14th 2008 4:01AM]

I might be wrong, but:

would this thing not be the PERFECT ebook reader:
-sunlight is no broblem
-should no problem to load/import pdf
- enough computing power to make notes in the file
- reasonable priced ( compared to all other ebook readers)

r.

[ott @ Jan 14th 2008 5:54PM]

I got mine a week ago, with the exception of having a difficult time getting used to the keyboard, I love this thing. It really is built like a tank and I don't have to worry about it getting rained on or falling out of my bag. Plus, I do get about 5 hours of battery life and it is extremely portable. I'm pretty happy and I here that some of the slow down and bugs will be fixed with new software updates.

[Christopher Hevey @ Jan 14th 2008 6:17PM]

RS: THAT is EXACTLY my thought for this, paint it black and this is a perfect competitor.
The fact that you can just "recharge" without needing a power supply nearby, is perfect for those times you are not year a plug.
I'm not sure but it looks about the same size as the SONY, and then there is the fact that you can edit things if needed,secure the screen makes this an ideal cheap reader+