XO2 Laptop is Launched

The new version of the XO laptop has been launched at a special event at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The laptop was designed by the One Laptop Per Child campaign, which provides laptops for schoolchildren in developing countries.

Professor Negroponte, who founded the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, said the XO2 was “a bit of a Trojan horse” and it resembles an e-book. Indeed, the laptop will initially be promoted as an e-book reader that is able to store more than 500 e-books. Professor Negroponte believes that the XO2 system will prove popular in a number of developing countries for this reason. He said: “Currently developing nations such as China and Brazil are spending $19 per student per year on books.”

Professor Negroponte hopes that other manufacturers will be inspired by the unusual design of the XO2. He said: “This laptop comes from a different point of view. Over the last couple of years we've learned the book experience is key… It is a totally new concept for learning devices.”

The XO2 has a few noticeable differences to the first XO laptop. Most noticeably, the distinctive green rubbery keyboard that appeared on the XO laptop has been replaced by a single square display with a hinge. The hinge means that the device can be split into two separate touch screens, making the device look like a laptop with a keyboard or even the pages of a book.

In addition to its e-book style, the XO2 machine is also be more energy efficient than its predecessor. The new version of the laptop is also half the size of the original, as well as being much lighter to carry. The XO2 should be ready for dispatch to developing countries by 2010.

Although OLPC has only sold about 600,000 machines so far, Professor Negroponte expects to sell a further 400,000 laptops in the next “60 to 90 days.”

Source:

BBC