What do you guys think of this idea?
I've been doing a wee bit of reading about this project in the last couple of weeks and from what I can see, it should be a really good idea, as long as the scheme doesn't become abused with the distribution of the laptops themselves.

Here is a link to the actual laptop itself, the XO-1.

The last I heard this was going to end up being more like a $150 laptop by the time they actually get them in the field but this thing is hardened so it will work just about anywhere rain or shine and it is as tough as a Nextel "brick", RF connected and low power enough to run off a hand crank supply.
I would buy one myself if they would sell me one but Andy Grove and Bill Gates is being sure these stay out of the US marketplace.
Maybe they could start a program where they sell us one and we buy one for a 3d world kid. Even $300 is cheap for a laptop. Particularly for a laptop that can suffer living on the road.

Such a program is already in place:

http://www.laptopgiving.org/

, but the price is $199 per unit, making your unit a $400 laptop.

Crikey,
That sounds a tad anti-competitive.

These machines don't come with windoze. That makes them evil to Gates. Windoze IS a virus

Bzzt, there's one difference .
http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article09-115



Ian A.

Is this the MIT project?
I know some grad students have developed one for $88.. Then anounced the cost would be more like $200.

I've heard rumors that Uncle Sam has already put in a "big" order. (hear say so far, still digging for dirt)

A little update on this project:

From Wikipedia

I can't say I like the colour of these laptops, but hey, if they do some good, I'm all for them.

They are made primarily for school children so that color suits them, I suppose.

The color's probably so that you can find the stolen ones more easily.