OLPC Update

Around two weeks ago we heard that the people in charge of OLPC have changed the computer from the name of 2B1 to XO, and now there is new news.

First up is news from Brazil, where IDG Now! Brasil reports that the country will receive 50 test laptops from OLPC, making it the first nation to have actual, live, working models. Meanwhile, across the world in Thailand, the whole notion of a $100 laptop has now become a bit less attractive to the new military government. Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was a big fan of NickNeg’s pet project, but sadly, his countrymen kicked him out of office in September, making Thailand somewhat of a tough sell now. iTeau, a Thai blogger, adds that Thailand’s new information and communication technology minister has said that he doesn’t think that XO will work, and has ridiculed it as a “toy.”

What a mess. I really had high hopes for the project, as I think while it does not fix disease, or hunger, it provides a tool for education, knowledge, and communication, which are in my mind, components for creating a more forward thinking society.

via Engadget

November 6th, 2006 Posted by David in News, OLPC at 6:54 pm Comment Now! »

$100 Laptops on Test Run

Quanta Computer, which the One Laptop Per Child project has contracted to produce the low-cost notebook computers for students in developing countries, has started test production of their low-cost laptops. Initial runs of the computers, which OLPC intends to sell for $100 each in bulk, should be available by November.

DigiTimes Systems cites a source within Quanta Computer for the information:

Recent reports that Libya placed an order for 1.2 million US$100 notebooks has come as a confidence boost to the project, the sources said. The project has raised doubts about where demand for the notebooks will come from. But the order from the Mideast nation, which is not from one of the originally targeted markets, shows that demand will be coming not only from such emerging markets as Brazil, China, India, Russia, Africa or Eastern Europe, the sources remarked.

Quanta president Michael Wang stated in August that the company has set a shipment goal of 10 million units for the US$100 notebook project for a period of 12 months starting from the first quarter of 2007 when shipments actually start.

October 20th, 2006 Posted by J. Angelo Racoma in News, OLPC at 10:38 pm Comment Now! »

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