Next-Gen OLPC Laptop Revealed

One Laptop Per Child founder, Nicholas Negroponte, introduced the design of their next generation low cost XOXO or XO-2 laptop at a day-long media event in MIT Media Lab. The design looks amazing, but it will take until 2010 for them to bring this design to life. They are positive about being able to sell this machine for under $75.

XO-2 laptop has a book like design with dual-touchscreen, and to keep the cost low, they will be using the screens which we find in portable DVD players. When vertically held, the design looks like a book with left and right pages. It’ll doubles up as a hinged laptop or tablet computer when used horizontally. Here’s an excerpt from the official press release:

"The XO-2 laptop will be about half the size of the first generation device and will approximate the size of a book. The new design will make the XO laptop lighter and easier for children to carry with them to and from school or wherever they go. The XO-2 will continue to be in a green and white case and sport the XO logo in a multitude of colors that allow children to personalize the laptop as their own possession."

olpc2.0_2

olpc2.0

People have complained about the lack of tactile feedback on touchscreen based keyboards in products like iPhone. On the brighter side, touchscreen keyboards can be very easily customized for different applications or languages. All in all, XO-2 looks cooler than any standard laptop. Let’s wait and see if they’ll be able to deliver XO-2 for under $75.

[Via: Gizmodo]

This post was published by on May 22, 2008

About the Author: Thilak Rao works as a Social Media Expert. He is one of the first professional bloggers from India, and he loves to write, travel and click photos. Follow him on Twitter @thilak

  • http://techmantra.net Vikram

    Good News :)

  • http://www.evawhite.com Eva White

    Amazing stuff. Wish I was a kid again so that I could carry something so cool to school.

  • http://equalityoptions.co.uk/ Children

    Now that’s innovative, and the price is quite interesting too.

  • http://www.greatpriceshere.com Nicole Price

    Two products, we should all look out for launch time and the price at which they will be launched as against the prices announced – the Indian car Nano and the OLPC laptop. Any takers for bets?

  • http://www.gadgets4nowt.co.uk Wii

    That looks so cool. Can’t see anything wrong with touchscreens, I have been using an iPhone for about a month and it is a dream.

  • http://foolishmumbles.com Top Rated

    I’ll be really impressed, if they can get that under $75. Have they released any tech specs for what it will be capable of?

  • http://green-flamingo.com Nathaniel

    @Top Rated – I know I am not Thilak, but I will reply all the same. I think they are under $75 because if you buy one, then you will have to buy 2, one for you and one for one of the kids in Africa (Ghana maybe) who doesn’t have one and it will be shipped there.

    I like the idea of this, but there is no keyboard, which seems a bit weird, well it means you wouldn’t really be able to o work (unless there is a touch keyboard). The thing reminds me of a Nintendo DS, only really high quality.

  • http://www.seoresults.co.za SEO Man

    WOW, if this project comes to fruition at the targeted price, it would make a huge difference in bringing litetracy and numeracy education to millions across the globe.

  • http://www.technologycurrent.com Julian

    Great concept… how can something so advance be so affordable, they must have some type of charity tax benefit involved.