A Wider Net

Perhaps you have heard of the OLPC campaign - Nicholas Negroponte’s vision of outfitting the children of the world with tools that allow them to access a larger world and experiment with creative expression. It is a noble idea, funded through a buy two, give one program at a very low price point. His initial program has run into fatal competitive pressure due to ultra cheap options from mainstream manufacturers. But now, apparently, a new vision has risen from the OLPC ashes that has many of us standing up saying “wait a minute - that’s not half bad, and I want one now!”

Here we have the OLPC 2.0, or, XOXO concept- a hybrid dual touchscreen, laptop, ebook thingy. It looks amazingly flexible and futuristic, but it doesn’t seem remotely possible to produce these cheap enough to sell at $75 as reported. I’m also not sure if this type of thing will inspire a child, especially one that is worried about his next meal or how to find clean water, but I can tell you - the conceptual design has inspired me.

Note to Steve Jobs: get your touch OS on this thing and sell it for $500 as an internet/media browser and e-book reader and I’m sold.

Seen also on Gizmodo.