New low price, same 'low' use

Break open the piggy banks, girls and boys, production of the XO1, the $100 laptop, has been ramped-up, with hardware suppliers being given the go-ahead to produce components needed to build millions of the machines. For less than the cost of a pair of designer jeans, a needy child can become a participant in the global online community as part of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) program. Once disparaged by such tech worthies as Intel chairman Greg Barret and Microsoft’s Bill Gates, the laptop now draws praise from the tech community for its innovative design. Whether the child lives in the deserts of Libya or the mountains of Peru, there is a powering option available for them, including solar, foot-pump, or pull-string power. To accommodate schoolchildren without a roof over their heads, the laptops also come with a sunlight-readable display.

And in an early sign of the OLPC program’s success, Nigerian children who were part of a pilot group have already used the laptops to view pornographic websites . The computers “would now be fitted with filters,” said a representative of OLPC.

But if you're feeling these kids are getting all the breaks, commercial versions of these laptops may be available for $350 by Christmas.

By: anh ta