Amazon's Give 1, Get 1 OLPC XO program now live

You know the drill: for $399 you buy one OLPC XO laptop and a second is sent to a child somewhere in the developing world. Same deal as last year only now with the help of Amazon's powerful retail reach. Devices begin shipping in about 30 days -- a bit longer outside the US. Naturally you can also just gift the $199 laptop direct to a kid of OLPC's choosing. About the quickest way to become a donor short of meeting a hotel stranger in possession of roofies and a bathtub full of ice.

[Via PC World]

Read -- US site (live)
Read -- UK site for rest of world (limbo)

[ran Posted Nov 17th 2008 9:46AM]

I think we need to start fixing the education locally first, so how about buy a laptop and send another to someone locally?

I'd rather seen the fruition of my donations rather than hope it's actually fulfilled by someone at the office.

[Phrank Posted Nov 17th 2008 3:57PM]

Ran, that depends a great deal on where "locally" is.

In my little town of Baltimore, I don't see that doing much, though I'll admit I don't have numbers to support my impressions. The city school school system is notoriously horrendous, but from what I can tell, the schools at least have SOME computers. The problem here is a lack of well-paid teachers, a lack of good teachers...a lack of teachers period, leading to overcrowded classes. Add in budgetary issues in general galore [some years ago they were recently found to be some $5B under, I believe...with a pop. of of about 250K within city limits], and too many parents not greatly involved in their childs studies, and these itty bitty problems start to add up...but at least they've got computers. Plus, even if they didn't, we've got an abundance of libraries and books.

These laptops are going to places where technology isn't so abundant, and I'm uncertain about the ease of access to even simple books. I have a funny feeling that even the cached copy of Wikipedia bundled into every XO-1 provides access to a greater pool of knowledge than a lot of these kids can get, and at $199, it's an unbelievably cheap price for so much [think about how far $199 would get you in a college bookstore if you think paper-based knowledge would be cheaper].

I agree about helping locally first, but depending on where you are, I doubt the problem is a lack of computers.

[Franio Posted Nov 17th 2008 11:27AM]

Why are these things still $199 when you can buy a much more powerful Aspire One for $299?

[billy5000 Posted Nov 17th 2008 11:45AM]

Wow, just what I always wanted? An ugly piece of shit laptop!

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 18th 2008 12:58PM]

What a truly worthless, frustrating slow piece of equipment.
Buy it to frustrate & torture the young. Maybe next year it will be ready?

[Happy Owl Posted Nov 17th 2008 3:03PM]

First of all, laptop does not equal education. It is a tool that may or may not may make an impact on giving a child a useful education.

But lets forget that aspect for a moment. What exactly is the thinking here? That kids is the US all have laptops and education so they wouldn't benefit from this or is it just that the laptop is such a piece of junk it wouldn't be useful here?

[warmonk Posted Nov 17th 2008 6:28PM]

This has GOT to be The Stupidest Idea ever. As if giving a laptop to a child in the developing world is going to change their lives, when their nation completely lacks the intrastructure to support any sort of technology job. Your $199 would be better spent on nutritional and educational infrastructure so that they can develop themselves.