Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

OLPC To Be Distributed To US Students

Posted by kdawson on from the seizing-the-initiative dept.

eldavojohn writes "The One Laptop Per Child Project plans to launch OLPC America in 2008 , to distribute the low-cost laptop computers originally intended for developing nations to needy students here in the United States. Nicholas Negroponte is quoted as saying, 'We are doing something patriotic, if you will, after all we are and there are poor children in America. The second thing we're doing is building a critical mass. The numbers are going to go up, people will make more software, it will steer a larger development community.'"

1 of 338 comments (clear)

  1. Re:US loves wasting money by fictionpuss · · Score: 0, Redundant
    "There are laptops out there that are only slightly more expensive than the XO and superior in pretty much every way."

    This comment had the following non-exhaustive list of qualities the XO claims.

    1) High quality automatic WI-FI meshing.

    2) Very long battery life.

    3) Usable out in bright sunlight.

    4) Highly durable and reliable design, with no moving parts.

    Since you know of these laptops 'out there' which beat the XO in these categories out of the box, would you mind posting some links to back up your claim?

    "If you really believe that the XO is the best thing since sliced bread then why is it that companies arent lining up to buy them for their employees? If it really was the best deal wouldnt everyone want them?"

    What sort of company exists employs undereducated children in the first place? I thought the point was to develop the best all-round educational platform for children, not to develop a computer designed for the needs of a typical office environment.