SubscribeOLPC XO Hands-On
LAPTOP Magazine visited OLPC labs and got their hands on OLPC XO laptop.
I’m pretty excited about this. Not only for the technical feats and price (now $188), but for the potential of an exciting new platform developers will flock to. I definitely want one.
I’ll quote some snippets from the article that makes this device so intriguing.
Even the XO logo on the front panel of the machine, which is customizable in 400 color combinations so children can tell their notebooks apart, screams that this is not an adult machine.
The first thing we noticed was the 7.5-inch screen, which was designed with two display modes: a transmissive, full-color mode for indoor use and a reflective, high-resolution mode for outdoors, which you can switch between by pushing a button above the keyboard.
Specific keys on the top row of the spill-resistant keyboard can launch the home screen, as well as adjust the brightness of the display and volume.
Below the keyboard is a horizontal touchpad. Longer than most touchpads, it’s divided into three segments. The middle section functions as a capacitive touch pad with two mouse buttons beneath it. The right and left of the pad is intended for free writing with use of the included green stylus.
In the OLPC engineering room we witnessed systems baking in an oven at over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. We even got to drop one of the little green and white systems from a four-foot table, resulting in no damage at all.
However, the computer’s LiFeP battery can be recharged with a solar panel or a peripheral pull cord.
According to Walter Bender, president of OLPC Software and Content, the goal is a 10:1 charging ratio–ten minutes of power from one minute of pumping.
The Red Hat Fedora Linux-based Sugar operating system is fairly basic, and we got comfortable using it within a few minutes.
The first shortcut button resembles a Honey-Comb cereal pellet and launches the “My Neighborhood” interface. This is the mesh-networking interface that allows you to see the other XO laptops in your geographic area.
Although you can chat easily with any other XO computers on the mesh network, the real purpose of collaboration was seen in the Write application; it easily lets any number of XO computer users to participate in the same writing session.
Because XO laptops were designed to be deployed in places where there’s very little or no Internet infrastructure at all, they’re built with mesh networking capabilities. That means laptops in the same vicinity can connect with each other regardless of whether there’s an Internet connection.
The machine’s mesh network capabilities allow it to function as a node to provide a stronger Internet signal for other units.
The browser allows for multiple tabs, and we launched our e-mail in one tab, our Facebook profile in another, and the LAPTOP Magazine Web site in a third.
*****
This is going to be an amazing machine. Here’s a short list why I want one.
- Cheap. $188
- Dual mode display. Indoor/Outdoor screen.
- Super rugged. Water proof. Dust & sand proof. Can withstand hot temperatures. Can survive a drop.
- Easy to use. Hey it’s for kids.
- Rich browser.
- Green. Long battery life. Charge via solar or pull-cord generator.
- Collaborative.
- Great network range. With the rabbit ears and through the mesh network.
- Linux. Tons of apps out there. Can run Pepperpad’s OS.
- Fat touchpad. Awesome. Great for inking.
- Makes you feel good about yourself. Each purchase will go to pay for another for a kid.