Negroponte
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OLPC's Negroponte offers India help in realizing $35 tablet dream, probably has a few other motives
The late Joker said it best: "If you're good at something, never do it for free." The truth ingrained in that very statement makes the bold words of OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte all the more curious here. In an open letter to the Indian government published in the Times of India, Nik Neg has seemingly eased up on his apparent grudge against the nation, but there's a decent chance that something's in it for him. Largely, no one with any link to reality believes that India will indeed deliver $35 laptops -- their $10 laptop eventually soared to $100 before evaporating completely. But in the letter, Negroponte offers the Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development "full access to all of [OLPC's] technology, cost free," further urging them to "send a team to MIT and OLPC at your earliest convenience" in order to talk about world domination, the latest Cricket happenings and janky PCs that may or may not ever land in the classroom. Of course, some are surmising that the scheme will enable the MHRD to easily give up their own aspirations, buy a truckload of XO-3s and save face in the process, but hey -- so long as the children win, it's all good. Right?
iPad apps: defining experiences from the first wave
There are now over 1,348 approved apps for the iPad. That's on top of the 150,000 iPad-compatible iPhone programs already available in the App Store. When Apple's tablet PC launches, just hours from now, it will have a software library greater than that of any handheld in history -- not counting the occasional UMPC. That said, the vast majority of even those 1,348 iPad apps are not original. They were designed for the iPhone, a device with a comparatively pokey processor and a tiny screen, and most have just been tweaked slightly, upped in price and given an "HD" suffix -- as if that somehow justified the increased cost. Besides, we've seen the amazing potential programs have on iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and webOS when given access to a touchscreen, always-on data connection, GPS, cloud storage and WiFi -- but where are the apps that truly define iPad? What will take advantage of its extra headroom, new UI paradigms and multitouch real estate? Caught between netbook and smartphone, what does the iPad do that the iPhone cannot? After spending hours digging through the web and new iPad section of the App Store, we believe we have a number of reasonably compelling answers. Update: Now includes Wormhole Remote, TweetDeck, SkyGrid, Touchgrind HD, GoToMeeting, SplitBrowser, iDisplay, Geometry Wars and Drawing Pad.
The internet earns a nomination for 2010 Nobel Prize
Isn't Italy a place of contrast? After the country's judiciary slammed Google for failing to keep a tight enough leash on user-uploaded content, we're now hearing that its local version of Wired magazine is putting forward the internet as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of its contributions to "helping advance dialogue, debate and consensus." Right then. Just in case you think this is all a bit silly -- and you should -- we're also hearing Nicholas Negroponte and 2003 Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi are both in support of the idea, which has been described as "a Nobel for each and every one of us" by Internet for Peace, an organization set up specifically to promote the web's candidacy. That's a pretty succinct way of putting it, but it also shows what's wrong with the idea: nothing devalues a prize's worth and meaning quite like handing it out to everyone. Just imagine icanhascheezburger.com slapping a legitimate Nobel laureate badge up on its homepage and you'll know what we mean.
OLPC shakeup: dual-screen XO-2 out, ARM-based XO 1.75 in
OLPC's plans for a dual-screen XO-2 laptop / tablet always seemed a little... ambitious, and it looks like even Nicholas Negroponte himself has now realized that it may be more than the organization is able to pull off at the moment. That word comes from a recent interview with Xconomy, where Negroponte confirms that OLPC has indeed scrapped plans for the dual-screen XO-2, and says it will instead focus on a "model 1.75" that has a design similar to the current OPLC XO but gets a boost from a faster ARM processor. Negroponte isn't completely giving up on the idea of a revamped OLPC, however, and says that model 3.0 will have a "totally different industrial design, more like a sheet of paper." That model apparently also includes "aspirational aspects" like an unbreakable, waterproof enclosure that's just a quarter inch thick, a full color, reflective and transmissive display with no bezel, 1W of power consumption, and (here's the real kicker) a $75 price tag by 2012.
Oddly humble Negroponte lists OLPC's failures, calls Sugar a 'mistake'
The noble goal of a $100 laptop for developing nations has come to fruition -- but of course at a higher cost and later date than expected. One Laptop Per Child has succeeded in delivering 900,000 XO laptops into the hands of kids, but that's a far cry from the many millions expected and Chairman Nicholas Negroponte is pulling no punches in describing what went wrong. He's still bitter at Intel, claiming it worked to "spoil the market," and angry about many nations cutting back on large deals. But, he isn't just lashing outwardly, calling the custom Linux-based operating system that runs the XO, a "mistake," saying "Sugar should have been an application" of the sort it has now morphed to be with Sugar on a Stick. Too little too late? OLPC has already made massive staff cuts and sales from the Give One, Get One program dropped 90 percent last year. With machines like the EduBook selling for $160 to institutions and able to run common operating systems, we're not seeing the future get any more bright for this little green guy.[Via Slashdot]
India's $10 laptop coming February 3rd, take that Negroponte
Get ready, India's $10 laptop is set for its first unveiling on February 3rd. Ok, so it's not quite $10... $20 actually, but that's far better than the $100 some were estimating. It's also much better than the $200 per OLPC XO deal that Negroponte wanted to reportedly charge the Indian government more than 2 years ago -- an offer rejected by officials with a promise to young Indians to do it better and for less. According to some reports (we can't find anything official), the laptop will feature 2GB of memory, WiFi, fixed Ethernet, expandable memory, and consume just 2 watts of power. The Devil's in the details, they say, but with any luck, India will be swimming in cheap silicon within the next 6 months if the project can keep to schedule... that's a big IF.[Via TechTicker, image courtesy of FMCKids]Read -- Unofficial specsRead -- February 3rd unveiling
Negroponte raps about OLPC 2: 'designed as if we were Google'
Well, our interest was certainly piqued by that OLPC XO-2 mockup that surfaced yesterday, and now the Guardian is saying that the hardware development will take place open source. This is certainly fitting with the company's idealistic ethos, and it'll be interesting to see what other companies bring to the table as the reportedly $75 dual-screen device gets closer to real reality. "The XO-1 was really designed as if we were Apple," Nicholas Negroponte says in the interview. "The XO-2 will be designed as if we were Google - we'll want people to copy it. We'll make the constituent parts available. We'll try and get it out there using the exact opposite approach that we did with the XO-1." He let a few details slip too, saying that it will be dual touchscreen, with one of the displays featuring a touch-sensitive, force-feedback, haptic keyboard. When asked how he feels about the possibility that other companies might profit from all this hard work developing the laptop of tomorrow? "I wouldn't complain." Class act, that one. Bravo.[Via Make]
OLPC "refocuses" its mission, cuts staff by 50%
We've already seen quite a few shakeups at OLPC, but it looks like things have taken a considerably more drastic turn today, with Nicholas Negroponte himself announcing that the organization is "refocusing its mission" by cutting its staff by about 50% and giving the remaining 32 folks a cut in pay. But that's not all, OLPC will also apparently be "passing on the development" of the Sugar OS to the community, and it'll be increasingly shifting its focus toward the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Northwestern Pakistan as it spins off its operations in Latin America and Africa. Negroponte does say, however, that OLPC will continue to focus on the development of its second generation platform, and it apparently even hopes to bring the cost of the laptop down to zero for the least developed countries. Hit up the link below for the complete announcement.[Via OLPC News]
Negroponte talks about Classmate 2, other low-cost laptops
As should be clear by now, OLPC's Nicholas Negroponte is never one to shy away from discussing the competition (among other things), and he's now made some of his opinions on Intel's new Classmate 2 laptop (a.k.a. Netbook) and other low-cost laptops known in a brief interview with Laptop Magazine. On the updated Classmate, Nick Neg was able to bring himself to say that Intel "made many steps forward" and says that he's glad they adopted mesh networking, but he adds that the display is "still really very weak" and that "480 lines does not work" (no complaints from us there). He also doesn't mince words about Intel entering the domestic laptop market with the Netbook, saying that he's "astonished" that it's doing so and he "cannot imagine that Dell, HP, Lenovo and others will keep any allegiance to a supplier that competes with them." Nick Neg further adds that it's "fine" that others are entering the low-cost, educational laptop space, and that "kids will benefit," although not necessarily those in the poorer countries OLPC is targeting, where he's still promising to deliver a $50 laptop sooner or later.
Negroponte says role at OLPC not changing, Windows coming soon
It's just been a few short days since Nicholas Negroponte seemed to make it clear that his role at OLPC would soon be changing, but it now seems like that may not be the case, with Nick Neg telling Laptop Magazine that his role will "not be changing drastically" once a new CEO is put in place. He also went on to say that "replacement" is not the right word, and that he had never held the CEO title nor used it, adding that he'll now go under the title of "Chairman and Foreign Minister." With that out of the way, Negroponte also dropped word that "a Windows operating system is in the process of being fine-tuned on the XO as we speak," and that it "should be available on the XO in less than 60 days," which is about the firmest word of a release date we've heard so far.
Negroponte looking for CEO to replace him at OLPC
After a stay that's been anything but uneventful, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte has announced that he'll be stepping down as CEO of the organization, and that he's now searching for a successor, although he'll be staying on as Chairman. That word comes from an interview Negroponte gave to BusinessWeek, where he admitted that "management, administration, and details are my weaknesses," and even went so far as to say that the organization needs to be managed "more like Microsoft." He also revealed that the search for a new CEO had actually begun last year, but had ratcheted up in recent weeks, during which time the organization was also reorganized into four operating units, including technology, deployment, market development and fund-raising, and administration. No word on any contenders for the top spot just yet, but Nick Neg described the ideal candidate as someone with a "leadership profile similar to that of Kofi Annan," adding that he hopes to have the search concluded by April or May.
Nigerian firm sues Negroponte, OLPC for patent infringement
Just months after a slew of OLPC XOs made their way into Nigeria, a Nigerian-owned company is filing suit against Nicholas Negroponte and the OLPC Association for patent infringement. Lagos Analysis and subsidiary LANCOR filed the lawsuit on November 22nd in Nigeria, claiming that the aforementioned parties willfully and illegally reverse engineered its keyboard driver source codes. Turns out, LANCOR makes its ends by selling region specific-based keyboards that allow for direct access inputting of "accents, symbols and diacritical marks during regular typing," and sure enough, the XO's board looks mighty similar to those offered up by the plaintiff. Additionally, the outfit is in the process of "filing a similar lawsuit against OLPC in a United States Federal Court," so we'd recommend snagging an XO or two before Nik Neg and company are forced to inflate prices to pay off those highfalutin lawyers.[Image courtesy of Konyin and Digital Crusader]
OLPC Give One, Get One program extended -- averaging $2M sales per day
Negroponte's OLPC Buy One, Give One program has been extended to 31 December, 2007 -- well beyond the initial two-weeks originally announced. The deal buys both yourself (or rather, your kid supposedly) and a tot from a developing nation new XOs for just $399. Already, the non-profit claims to be pulling in about $2 Million worth of "donations" each day. They've also opened up bulk buying to schools in quantities of 100-999 ($299 each), 1000-9999 ($249 each), or 10,000 and more ($199). Oh, and the program is now officially renamed "Give One, Get One" (GoGo) -- we presume BoGo'ing the kids sounded too icky.
Uruguay places the first OLPC XO order; Negroponte says Windows is "key"
The OLPC XO found itself in a couple different headlines today, first with the Laboratorio Tecnológico de Uruguay stepping up to become the first official government purchaser of the "$100" laptop, committing to buy 100,000 of the green machines, with the potential to buy a further 200,000 by 2009. The deal's been coming for a while but was just made official today, marking the first major order for NickNeg's baby -- and a big win over Intel's Classmate PC, which was also in the running. Speaking of NickNeg, the man with the plan also made the news today by saying that OLPC has been working with Microsoft from the start, saying "It would be hard for OLPC to say it was 'open' and then be closed to Microsoft. Open means open." Apparently, OLPC has been earmarking some of the first engineering models from each developer build for Microsoft, and Redmond has pushed for and gotten changes in the device, particularly the inclusion of an SD slot. There's still no word on if we might see an XO preloaded with XP, but from the looks of things, it's going to happen sooner or later.[Thanks, Wayan]Read -- Uruguay places the first official OLPC XO orderRead -- NickNeg says OLPC is working with Microsoft
Quanta begins OLPC XO production ramp-up
Quanta Computer has finally received the green light to ramp up production of Negroponte's OLPC XO. The not-quite $100, open-source laptop should start shipping in quantity by October at a current cost of $176-per with the option of solar, foot-pump, and pull-string chargers presumably at additional cost. For those keeping track, that's about 4-months later than NickNeg's original estimate. Of course, as Nick likes to remind everyone, it's not about the laptop at all, it's about education. Former Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan, effusively described it as "an expression of global solidarity." Good, 'cause even humanitarian efforts will need a logo in Mr. Lee's Greater Hong Kong.
Negroponte: "Intel should be ashamed of itself" for dumping its low cost PC
Go figure, but the "purely humanitarian" battle to provide the world's estimated 1 billion poor children with a computer is as hostile as a chance-meetup of Rockers and Mods. Apparently, it all started when Intel's Chairman, Craig Barrett (pictured right), called the OLPC "a $100 gadget." Whatever the reason, last night's 60 Minutes had Nicholas Negroponte claiming that for-profit Intel is dumping its Classmate PC -- offering it below cost -- on the same governments he's offering his not-for-profit OLPC. "Intel should be ashamed of itself," Nick Neg says, "It's just -- it's just shameless." Negroponte offers an Intel marketing document which outlined the shortcomings of the OLPC approach (compared to the Classmate PC) as "proof" of Intel's wrong-doings. True, says Barett taking credit for the document, "that's the way our business works." All this because the OLPC features an AMD processor? Maybe, but it sure sounds like sour-grapes to us. Assuming you buy into Negroponte's premise of supplying the world's poor with computers, then who really cares if the children use a computer spawned of monetary self-interest or (supposedly) altruistic motivations -- just as long as the kids can play Doom on something?
Negroponte suggests the OLPC can support Windows, may hit US schools
Just when you thought you knew everything there was to know about the OLPC, Negroponte, and the Sugar interface, in comes the man himself using the "W" word in an open-sourced conversation. Curiously enough, Nik Neg has not only stated that the present is "perhaps the most critical stage of the OLPC's life," but he also blurted out a quasi-firm $176 pricetag that would be attached to them. Additionally, he went so far as to admit that "XO's developers have been working with Microsoft so a version of Windows can run on the machines," and while no direct linkages were drawn to the recent $3 software package that the firm had announced, the writing is somewhat on the wall. Furthermore, a whopping 19 state governors have reportedly shown interest in grabbing a few of the inexpensive machines for their own schoolkids, and while the creator initially stated that the XOs were "designed for a totally different situation," he was also quoted as saying that business in the US "couldn't be ignored." C'mon guys and gals, how about a little less conversation and a little more action?Read - Hints of Windows on OLPCRead - US schools could adopt OLPC
OLPC Sugar interface tour gallery
Since being announced in 2005, there aren't too many things we've wanted so much as to get some good, solid time in with the OLPC, and it's sweet, icon-driven Sugar interface. Well, as of yesterday our wishes were granted when official OLPC builds hit the internets. The live CD is of extremely limited utility, but if you want to check out the fruits of Negroponte's ultimate pet project -- and see what millions of kids the world over will be using any semester now -- we've got the goods. Check out the gallery, we covered some decent ground with some of the basic apps bundled with the distro.%Gallery-2509%
Rwanda joins the fray, getting "hundreds of thousands" of OLPC XOs
Here's an idea: just release these OLPC XOs to every country in the world and be done with it. Sadly, that isn't likely to happen, but at least Rwanda is joining the growing list of countries ready to get their palms on the green machines. According to OLPC, Rwanda will be receiving "initial test units and technical support at no cost within a few days." After Quanta ramps up production in July, the nation expects to receive "hundreds of thousands" of the wee laptops late this summer at an "initial cost" of $150 apiece, with future units expected to cost a bit less. Rwanda's government, of course, is footing the entire bill, and hopes to actually provide a computer to "all primary school children within five years." So for any school-aged Rwandans out there itching to crank up Doom or surf the net on Opera while disregarding those grammar and arithmetic lessons, your countdown can officially begin.
Negroponte's OLPC aims for production launch in July
With countries lining up their orders and important prototyping milestones falling by the wayside, it's high time for an OLPC launch schedule, eh NickNeg? Indeed. According to the AP, the XO machines will be handed to kids for testing in February with Quanta Computer ramping up to ship several million production units by "July or so." When faced with skepticism over the capabilities of the little XO, NickNeg retorts, "I have to laugh when people refer to XO as a weak or crippled machine and how kids should get a 'real' one. Trust me, I will give up my real one very soon and use only XO." Ok Nick, we'll hold you to that.
