Third time's a charm: OLPC notebook now called XO

Now we love hugs and kisses as much as the next guy -- wait, that didn't come out right -- but when it comes to naming computing devices that will be used by millions of children worldwide, we think that the esteemed Nicholas Negroponte could have come up with a better one for his beloved machine than "XO." Like CM1, for instance. Or 2B1. Oh wait, those names for the string-powered OLPC notebook have already been tried and discarded -- NickNeg may be a whiz at marketing "The Children's Machine" to developing countries, but it seems that he could still use a lesson or two in branding. For the third time in only two months, the product-formerly-known-as-the-hundred-dollar-laptop has undergone yet another name change, with Fortune's senior editor now referring to it as the XO -- a title so new, it hasn't even made it to the OLPC wiki page yet. No explanation is given as to why this device has undergone such an unusual number of rebrandings -- especially for a non-commercial product -- and we imagine that more than a few people are getting confused by the habitual changes in its specs and titles. Still, the major issue here is not what it's called but what it could be able to achieve -- well that, and avoiding anymore price hikes, because if these little wonders get much more expensive, Qadaffi and friends might be better off buying a Dell, dude.

[Via OLPC News]