One Laptop Per Child, One Laptop Per Ecorrado
For only a short amount of time, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Foundation is making it possible for members of the general public (at least those in the USA or Canada) to order a OLPC for themselves via a “Give One Get One” program. The catch is, you have to buy two, one of which will go to a child in the developing world. The total costs is about $425 after shipping. Really, if you wanted to do this for the laptop only, it isn’t a bargain. The specifications aren’t really impressive for today’s standard, but that isn’t the point. The point is to make something that can be distributed, and used, buy children in the developing world – in some cases places without regular access to electricity. You can get something better for $400, however, it is a good cause and I’m pretty sure 1/2 of the cost is tax deductible (see your tax professional for details). Anyway, after thinking about it since the program was announced, I decided to Give One Get One. I hope to have it by Christmas.
One thing I wish it did have was a video out port so I can use it for presentations. While I’m not 100% sure it doesn’t have one since the photo of the prototype motherboard shows a VGA port, the specifications say nothing about this and the photos of the finished product don’t show one. I guess when I get it delivered I’ll find out for sure. If it doesn’t, as I suspect, I guess I’ll need to look into one of those USB-to-video adapters.
If you are interested, you better order soon as the program ends on November 26.