child

Microsoft: XP coming soon to OLPC

Microsoft said Wednesday that it is working to develop a version of XP that can run on computers without a hard drive, including the XO computer from One Laptop Per Child.

In a statement, Microsoft said that it will start "limited field trials" of XP running on the OLPC computer in January. If all goes well, Microsoft said it could have XP running on the XO by the second half of next year. However, it cautioned folks in North America, particularly those taking part in the Give One, Get One program, that it has no plans to offer … Read more

Where are all of those donated XO laptops going?

Given all the interest around One Laptop Per Child's "Give One Get One" program, I've been wondering just where all those laptops that are being donated are actually going.

For those who have been in the dark, the organization is trying to boost its low-cost laptop program through a promotion in which people in the U.S. can pay $399 to donate one of the rugged Linux laptops and also get one for themselves. The program's terms and conditions say little, other than that it will go to a child in a country on the … Read more

One Laptop Per Child: An idea whose time has come, just not for Negroponte

Nicholas Negroponte had the best of intentions. Unfortunately, when those intentions clash with the profit motives of private vendors, private industry has become quite aggressive, as the Wall Street Journal reports. The One Laptop Per Child project has sold nowhere near its stated goal of 150 million laptops shipped by the end of 2008.

As is often the case, the person with the idea is not necessarily the right person to capitalize on it:

Mr. Negroponte's ambitious plan has been derailed, in part, by the power of his idea. For-profit companies threatened by the projected $100 price tag set off at a sprint to develop their own dirt-cheap machines, plunging Mr. Negroponte into unexpected competition against well-known brands such as Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system.… Read more

Give one get one, squared

This morning I bought two pairs of laptops via the Give One Get One program of the One Laptop Per Child initiative. The moment my payment was received I saw this friendly acknowledgment:

Confirmation

Thank you for participating in Give One Get One. Your donation will bring education and enlightenment to children of the developing world, and, in recognition of your gift, you will be receiving an XO laptop for the child in your life as well. If you have any questions or problems, please contact One Laptop Per Child at service@laptopgiving.org. Should your employer wish to match your donation, we are a 501(c)(3) organization and our EIN# is 20-5471780. Thanks again, and welcome to the One Laptop Per Child community!

Why two?… Read more

Buy One Laptop Per Child, get One Year Free WiFi for You

Techluver reports that T-Mobile USA is partnering with the One Laptop Per Child Project to give individuals a great reason to buy an OLPC laptop: free WiFi:

T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced it is partnering with One Laptop per Child for its Give One Get One initiative. T-Mobile is offering one year of complimentary T-Mobile HotSpot access to people who donate an XO laptop to a child in a developing country through the campaign.

Nice. Self-interest at its very best. This is a Very Good Idea.

Power Downloader monitors computer usage

After a recent attack on Power Downloader's home system, Power wanted to find a way to monitor or block usage on his computer while away. Ideally, Power wanted a program that could block usage of certain applications and record usage if a bad guy somehow accessed his system. With the holiday season just around the corner, Power knew that he would probably need to take extra precautions.… Read more

Where's one laptop per child?

For all the digital ink we've spilled over the One Laptop Per Child initiative (basically a cheap, rugged laptop for kids in developing countries), you'd think the devices would be sitting in every classroom by now.

Starting as a $100 laptop that governments, corporations, or charitable groups were going to sponsor, the OLPC group recently adjusted its strategy (and price). At closer to $200 dollars, the latest plan was for the general public to buy one for themselves and sponsor one for a child in a developing nation. After what seems like years of waiting for hardware to … Read more

XO laptop: Better to give, receive or both?

I woke up Monday to the announcement that starting September 24, the XO laptop (famous as the little laptop that could) will be made available to buyers in so-called first-world countries, in quantities less than 100,000 units. In fact, for less than $400 you can give one and receive another--an excellent solution to an age-old moral dilemma.… Read more

New on back-to-school lists: bulletproof backpacks

Like the GPS-enabled school uniforms we wrote about earlier this month, the notion of bulletproof backpacks for students is sure to provoke mixed reaction.

Some people will call the invention an overreaction, while others will view it as a wise protective gadget. It's sad--and sobering--to think that a bulletproof backpack could prove a practical back-to-school purchase, but it's not so far-fetched an idea in these days of campus violence.

MJ Safety Solutions, a Massachusetts company run by three dads, has developed what it says is the first full-size, lightweight ballistic protection backpack that's affordable and practical for … Read more