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Give One Get One Redux, OLPC XO-1 Now On Amazon
404 Clue Not Found writes "The One Laptop Per Child project's XO-1 laptop is once again available to the general public via its Give One Get One promotion, where $400 will buy two laptops, one for the purchaser and one for 'a child in the emerging world.' Having learned from their delivery and fulfillment headaches the first time around, this time they partnered with Amazon.com to handle shipping. But a year after its initial release, the market has become saturated with Eee-wannabe netbooks from every major manufacturer. Can the XO-1's charitable appeal, unique chassis and dual-mode screen compete with the superior performance and standard operating systems of its newer peers?"
Of course it can't compete, the question is whether you want to make a charitable donation and get a lower quality machine, or make a decent contribution to a charity and get a decent machine.
OLPC is a reasonable charity, but personally I'll get a netbook and put the money towards research on malaria.
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
Maybe Amazon should have been involved last year guys.
We figured out a long time ago that it's easier to elect seven judges than to elect 132 legislators.
Last year I couldn't afford to do this despite the good economy.
This year I can't afford to do this due to the lousy economy.
Maybe next year.
If you want to donate a PC you can always just buy a single PC for $199 and not bother with getting one for yourself.
They never wanted to make a machine that can compete with the other laptops. They wanted to make one that'd be good for kids in a 3rd world countries. Not one that'd be great in your living room. The only reason to get one has always been the uniqueness of it, not it's specs.
In Soviet Russia, the television watches YOU!
How many pads of paper, pencils and books does $199 get? Maybe be of more use than a computer?
Take Nobody's Word For It.
Heh, they spent all those years designing and getting the OLPC machines out there and almost immediately after, all the big manufacturers jump into the netbook pool and do it one step better in relatively no time at all (compared to how long it took for any OLPC machine to reach market). If they could have convinced a big manufacturer to do this in the first place they could have saved a lot of time and effort. More kids would have machines in their hands now too.
If they just sold the thing for $200, they might get enough volume to get down to the $100 laptop.
The real problem with the OLPC, though, is that it's now a 3 year old design. The OLPC is being overtaken by commercial products.
Having learned from their delivery and fulfillment headaches the first time around, this time they partnered with Amazon.com to handle shipping.
You mean the cases like one of my clients, who ordered two, and received none?
When he called and asked WTF was going on, they couldn't "find" his order, and refused to refund his credit card, despite proof they'd charged him. He ended up having to do a chargeback.
If OLPC couldn't ship 'em to donors, what makes anyone think they're shipping them to kids in the '2nd world'?
Please help metamoderate.
"Can the XO-1's charitable appeal, unique chassis and dual-mode screen compete with the superior performance and standard operating systems of its newer peers?" Would there be Eee wanabees without the XO? The world is a big place, and products (hopefully) evolve with demand. XO is still a good idea and has served a useful purpose. I'm sure that if someone wants to send a competitor oversees to an underprivileged child, that's ok, too.
I'm not a human, but I play one on T.V.
The number 1 problem with the XO-1 is the keyboard. The machine just wasn't made to fit adult hands. For a child, I'm sure everything is perfect, but don't expect to do any large amount of work on it without an external keyboard, which kind of defeats the purpose.
Other than that it's a perfectly comparable to other sub-notebooks. Obviously twice the price of what it should be, but it's extremely light and rugged. It's the ideal machine for anyone wanting to run linux, since the entire machine is completely open, including the BIOS. The dual-mode screen could really be useful for if you want to work outside one day, which is pretty much impossible with my T60.
I don't get it. A laptop that costs $99 each is selling for £275 for two (or £135.50 each) at Amazon, so you would think the extra cost was for shipping, nope, that will be another £50.
£325 in total then.
People are charitable in small ways; A few dollars to a beggar. Copies of Windows XP for libraries. Buying a friend who's broke lunch. That kind of thing. But would you, say, pay 20% more at Best Buy to send a second iPod to a poor starving child in Africa? No. You'd go across the street to Super Electrono Mart and buy it there without the "charity tariff", and maybe use the extra money to buy that broke friend of yours some Burger King. You know, if you were feeling charitable. -_-
Charity isn't a selling point. Cost, reliability, performance -- those are selling points. They'll only be in business as long as they can stay ahead of the competition, otherwise the only thing this enterprise will be good for is tax write-offs and guilting government officials. Not to say there isn't money in that too... But it's not a business model that would survive free market forces.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
What charitable appeal? It's turned into a vehicle for spreading Microsoft's hegemony.
You know, while this project is truly a great idea and a very noble cause, they're really bogging themselves down with the way it's being marketed.
On one hand it's good that each sale for the OLPC project sells two laptops, but at the same time they're not in any way shape or form selling to the lower-class and even a lot of the middle class demographics that may need it in more developed countries it's being marketed to. Of course you're going to get sales from wealthy individuals, but think about everyone living paycheck to paycheck that probably doesn't have $200 to just blow on some random "toy" for their kid. Even in the middle-class where they may have the money to spend, but not a huge amount extra... are they really going to spend $400 bucks on an OLPC, or are they going to look at an Eee PC at almost half the cost for some models, or the MSI Wind at just a smidgen more?
Plus there is now a plethora of ultra low-power, low-cost, ultra mobile computers on the market. Again, I love the nobility of the project, but I think it's time to open it up to $200 per computer with optional monetary donation towards another computer. I bet with the extra sales made it will get about the same number of donated PC's abroad while keeping the production numbers up and the project alive. After all, there's no help at all without this project so why not do the best to keep it afloat.
Well, back to rejecting software patent applications.
Buy yourself an EeePC through regular channels and send a donation cheque/check to OLPC.
Or just send them a cheque...
Engineering is the art of compromise.
We have the OLPC to thank for this year's Netbook explosion, as manufacturers discovered that there was a real market for modestly spec'd machines in a tiny form factor. Unfortunately, the OLPC looks lame in comparison. It's a great example of how academic projects have difficulty competing in a commercial environment. And, no matter what idealists might proclaim, any time you get into large-scale manufacturing you are forced to operate in a commercial environment. Producing millions of machines "for academic use" requires the same skills as running a for-profit company. You need a sales staff to convince countries to buy the machines by the millions. You need financing for R&D and production. You need hardware and software engineers, and you need a clear roadmap.
Doing this stuff is tougher in academia, and OLPC was hamstrung by a heavy dose of ideology (we've gotta design really clever custom software, make it cute and bleeding-edge, etc.) that commercial manufacturers could side-step. As a result, the OLPC crew futzed around with a very ambitious software framework. They futzed about endlessly tweaking the hardware design. In comparison, Asus actually built a cheap little machine and threw it into the marketplace as a crude first try. It ignited the imagination of manufacturers and consumers alike. Asus is now on their third generation (I think... I've lost track) of netbooks in a little over a year, and others jumped into the fray as soon as they could get their hands on Intel's Atom processor. There is no way that OLPC could keep up with such an aggressive hardware program. The result is that their once revolutionary device now seems quaint.
Spotted on Engadget a few months ago:
$89 laptop
It is extremely basic, but it is at least interesting to see what is possible at the low-end of the laptop market these days. Looks like it would be fine for very basic wifi browsing (wikipedia etc) email and document creation at least.
"I bless every day that I continue to live, for every day is pure profit."
...promotion's sales being hurt by netbooks. It seems to me that the majority of OLPC G1G1 sales are going to be to geeks who buy it as a curiosity more than as a machine they will be using every day, or for their kids because it is able to withstand more abuse than a netbook. The OLPC isn't quite being targeted at the same users that netbooks are, and a lot of the netbook market probably will never hear about the OLPC anyway.
My mom got me one (and some other kid somewhere one too) and all I can say is that it rocks most awesomely. If I'm hanging out somewhere having a beer, I've got the 'phone jacked into it and I'm listening to MP3s and surfing whatever. It attracts smoking hot curious chicks who need to know what it is - and need to know NOW - like you wouldn't believe. The XO laptop makes that Axe Body Spray crap look like nothing more than a pathetic marketing campaign. Buy two of them to get one, and you will not be disappointed!
Plenty of books on entry level courses of Algebra, English, Physics, etc. that should be free because their copyright should have expired. How much has changed with basic algebra over the past 50 years that we need to pay a publisher $50+ every year for an updated text?
I think your argument is more for instead of giving a laptop to every child, to just give a high quality, internet enabled laser printer to every teacher. I think we could pay for the toner for all the books they will print cheaper than we can replace/repair broken/stolen/lost laptops. Size and weight is not an issue because you only have to carry one chapter for every subject you're taking, stuff it into a 3-ring binder and trade them in for the next chapter as you progress through the school year.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
I would like to race you -- I'll type on the XO, you type on whatever keyboard you want.
Tell me when to go.
http://www.typeracer.com
Oh, you mean towards Micro$oft.
It just recently crapped out on me, with the power socket not working. Cheep!
Its specs make it attractive not for the living room, but for the camp site. I took mine to Starwood and Free Spirit Gathering and Playa Del Fuego, and it was great - easy to recharge off of a 12 volt battery, capable of picking up wifi from one campground's office, resistant to the elements. Hooked it up to my cell phone as a modem, and I could handle any work emergencies that popped up.
For some of us who want a simple, rugged, portable box, it fits the bill nicely. Load XFCE on it rather than (shudder) Sugar, though.
Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
You cannot wash away blood with blood
The link to Amazon has as its first picture touting the OLPC being used "From Atse Naod, Nigeria" presumably training tomorrow's scammers.
But a year after its initial release, the market has become saturated with Eee-wannabe netbooks from every major manufacturer.
Where's the Apple Eee-wannabe netbook? I couldn't find it in the Apple store, but I wants it!
Before everyone gripes about how lousy a deal the XO is now that the netbooks are out, remember its screen: 1200x900 is a lot more pixels. Mind you, yes, crammed into a much smaller area so the aging-eyes set won't like it, but this is a great machine to use to remote into a bigger, better box elsewhere - and have a reasonably viewable screen in the process.
I've seen netbooks with 10" screens sporting 1024 x 600. That resolution is, like, so 1998.
I'm typing this from Kagando Village, Uganda. I've been touring the local primary and secondary schools here and I can tell you that these children don't need laptops. Forget about the fact that the adults would probably use them instead of the kids if they were brought here. The reason they don't need laptops is because they much more desperately need good textbooks for every year of school. No amount of educational software is going to make up for the fact that the kids don't have good (or usually even enough) textbooks. $200 a kid could EASILY buy every kid here textbooks for every year of their schooling and would be money MUCH better spent. Maybe this isn't the case in other developing countries but here I really don't think that laptops are the answer. It's a nice gimmick and a nice thought but not the right answer.
I have an EeePC too, and compared to the XO the EeePC is a pig. It is heavier, has half the autonomy, and a miniscule screen. It has less wifi range too. EeePCs are absent from the market you're talking about anyway - governments. The real problem OLPC has is not that every Tom, Dick & Harry manufacturer woke up to the fact that people are tired of lugging heavy laptops. No, the real problem is that Microsoft is terrified that a generation of children will learn using a non-Microsoft OS. They will do anything to block that, including foisting crappy units like the Classmate on kids.
Anybody else expect to see a rise in Nigerian Barrister scams?
You cannot guarantee that Microsoft will not come along in the future and grant some sort of "sweetheart" deal and "upgrade" these machines to Windows.
I'm considering using the buy one, get one option and then donating the second laptop to a school in my area. I could donate two to third-world countries, but I believe in the "think globally, act locally" mantra. I want kids in my own neighborhood to have access to fun, interesting, educational technology too.
Virtue finds and chooses the mean.
Aristotle, Ethica Nichomachea
Of course it can compete. It's something that targets a partly intersecting market and utilizes different soft technologies. I'd worry a lot more about someone who is arrriving with their new line of $400 Windows machines.
I truly believe that here in Guatemala we could benefit from the OLPC. I want to get 2, because the true benefits come from having at least 2. Al the fun about sugar is the neighborhood.
Sure there is need for food, sure there is a need for infrastructure for many things. But being able to see the world, even from a small screen can definitely change your world view.
For me, nothing has shaped me, or my carreer that going abroad and studying in the US. Now I now that there is a better way for government to work. I know that my government has to change, and I have the power to change it. I could bring this knowledge to 1 child, even if it's through a small laptop. I'll do it.
Killer app.
Slow, but better than standalone.
If it came in a reasonable colour I'd have one.
Deleted
Who cares it can compete with the Eee or other subnotebooks. If you're buying in because you want one for yourself, you've kinda missed the point of the OLPC.
You buy an XO, you're setting up a child with a laptop, and as a pleasant side effect, getting one yourself as a pat on the back. It's not the othe way around.
Why buy a chocolate bar when I can spend that money on a bag of pure sugar which will last longer? Why buy a car when for that price I can buy multiple horses and put them to work for me? I don't think anyone is going to argue the fact that there are many charity organizations that will use your donation in a wiser manner, like buying food or building an irrigation system. Send your money to those charities by all means. They are numerous. The fact that laptops aren't the number one necessity doesn't automatically negate their worth. Maybe the OLPC laptops won't save anyone's life but I still think it's a noble and interesting idea to introduce these countries to some technology that may help them in other aspects of their lives. If they have a use for them, they'll find it. Whether or not this is the best use of your money is a moot point I think. The company is there, the laptops are made, and if it seems like a good idea to you than donate. If you disagree, give your money to someone else. No one said this was going to save the world, and no one's going to force you to contribute.
Given the 'bait-n-switch' move to Windows, the OLPC program has left a bad taste in my mouth. My OLPC sits unused in a pile of electronics gear that 'one of these days' I'll get around to offing on ebay or craigslist.
I liked the idea of it, I liked the technology of it, I really hate the idea of using it to introduce so much of the developing world to Windows. Can you imagine the issues we'll have with the net once the spam/bots manage to hide in the always-on routing chip of an OLPC?
Awesome furniture, accessories and cabinetry in Santa Rosa, CA: http://humanity-home.com/
Hasn't it been hijacked by MS ?
The whole point of openness will be undone in the next version and they simply will get a cut down XP so that the best they can do is look for hided excel Easter eggs
I'm worried about the size of Amazon's cut. They may be getting as much as 40% (their regular rate).
As a percentage of the overall cost it is just plain silly.
Are they going to hand deliver it wrapped in gold?
Your post is called "I don't think this is a good idea" but you never say why. You just say some irrelevant stuff about textbooks. We already know that laptops are not the top priority for schools in developing countries; that's pretty much the whole point of OLPC! They're trying to get laptops into the hands of kids who would not otherwise have access to them. I can't see how this would be a bad thing.
See HOW-TO at:
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OpenBox
"Preamble
Given up on Sugar (at least for now)? Finding even XFCE a little bit slow?
This guide is for you. It's neither simple nor quick, but the effort put into installing OpenBox on your OLPC will be richly rewarded.
NOTE: This guide does not uninstall the base fedora operating system and need not uninstall sugar either, so know keep in mind that if all else fails you'll have lost naught but 40 recoverable megabytes and a few hours.
For OLPC videos See:
http://www.pixelqi.com/press
look for the videos
Also-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Lou_Jepsen
with more videos
The intersection of charitable people and people designing good computers is not empty, but there are many more people in the second group. Capitalism will do things better, than any group of starry-eyed do-gooders.
And if you say "market failure" — I'll pull out this very case of "$100 laptop" and beat you over the head with it. In the time it took the charity to create their machine (at twice the planned-for cost), the market came up with better machines. Oh, and the charity still needs a capitalist to manage shipping logistics. Wow...
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
I've heard this complaint before. Have you ever considered that the OLPC XO laptop at $200 can hold significantly more than $200 worth of books?
The XO has a built in webcam and microphone. I remember learning how cell phones in remote fishing villages in Peru allowed fisherman to check market prices before selling to the middle men. Imagine doing that while putting the Internet at their fingertips?
The XO is an enabling technology. It won't solve the problems of poor children around the world. But it will enable them to solve their own problems. And I dare say that have a much better idea of the problems and solutions than we do.
Life is like an egg better scrambled than fried. -- Ken Sawatari
Just $60 more for a non-Kindle ebook (albeit with a smaller screen), and I get to make a charitable contribution at the same time? Very tempting.
Where is the pull string?
Maybe... just maybe... the OLPC project would get more L's donated if they allowed donors to choose the country to which the donated machine would go.
Is this provided, eg, by the Amazon interface?
If not, does the OLPC project provide it in other ways?
(Forget how it might look, to on-lookers... to maximize the number of kids who get computers, let donors have a bit more control as to destination.)
If you are politically correct and environmentally conscious, you are probably now wiping your ass with the toilet paper made from these perfectly usable books.
I doubt it, glossy paper doesn't recycle like that.
A blog about stuff.
Agreed! The XO isn't just any other laptop, because it supports mesh networking. Even though that isn't very useful now (meshing probably even really won't help the kids that much), and some people probably consider it last year's news, supporting the XO means more people thinking about mesh, and more computers for kids that could use them. So support the XO!
Ok, maybe it isn't really the same thing. However, take a look at this:
HP Computer From 1993
The hardware is somewhere between a laptop and a TI calculator. However, it ran DOS natively, included a PCMCIA expander slot. And in one way it is far superior to current netbooks: it could run for 90+ hours on battery. It just had a slot that you put in off the shelf AA's into it. (I wonder why none of the laptops today do that? Sure, perhaps lower performance than packaged up, but so much cheaper and easy to replace when the life decays.)
...but you lost me at Windows.
Sorry guys... I sooooo wanted an OLPC and was gung-ho on the mission but with with Negroponte selling out the original concept and Krstic having left the project - it's soul is gone.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not some GNU zealot (I'd like to shoot some GNUs some time...), but I think so much of the educational mission is lost once the child who owns the machine hits that brick wall that is the closed OS. The whole idea is that you're supposed to be able to explore EVERYTHING about how this wonderful device works and learn what makes it tick - then change it!
I don't care if the software's "free", I just want it to be completely 100% open. That's a mission I can get behind and something that I know would have impacted me as a child. Otherwise, you've just got a glorified game machine for my pirated copy of whatever is popular these days. That's pretty cool from a kid's perspective (given its free) but not a charity I'm gonna support.
Last year I got a G1G1, and i was impressed and amazed with how well it works as a travel machine and reader. I am unable to enjoy sharing between XO rigs as I live quite rurally in California and I haven't managed to hang out with any other XO users. I would like to get my daughter one, however I will definitely wait until the clamshell touchpad design is out. The idea is still good,, even if the statement "a cell phone is not a learning device" from Negroponte did make me want to never ever have anything to do with him again. Along with all the other troubles primarily with follow through and support for the participants abroad.