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OLPC Receives Test Build X0-1

Christopher Blizzard reports that the OLPC people have received the first hand-built X0-1 "Test build" device destined for "destructive testing" over the next few months.

There are interesting pictures posted on the OLPC wiki.

The pictures show the display in both black and white and color mode, the touchpads (including the one intended for use with a stylus), and one of the keyboard layouts.

Most interesting to me, was this photo showing the comparative size of the device when placed on a "normal" laptop. It is clearly scaled for little hands.

It is so exciting to see this project hit important milestones with such apparent success.

OLPC X0-1 : the new Carnegie?

Technology Review has a good article on the OPLC X0-1 (yes, that seems to be the official new name), which compares the project to Andrew Carnegie's project to build libraries across the United States and Great Britain from a hundred years ago.

I'm glad more people are seeing this connection-- the OLPC project is no more about computers than Carnegie's project was about architecture. It's all about making information available to all, or nearly all. Remember that if the OLPC really does meet its goals of putting tens of millions of these devices in the hands of students around the world, each one will be an e-book reader. This will revolutionize publishing, and not only in the developing world.

OLPC 2B1/XO wins "Best of What's New" award

Popular Science magazine has selected the OLPC's 2B1 (or maybe it's now called the XO) as a "Grand Award" winner in it's Best of What's New 2006 article.