ConFigures

Last Day to Give One, Get One XO laptop

Unless they extend it again, this is the last day to get your own One Laptop Per Child laptop (by paying for two). I have enjoyed mine more the more I’ve used them — I got one with Paypal and the other by ordering over the phone (credit card). I’ve been able to mesh-collaborate successfully (Write activity; two of us working on one doc and seeing each others’ changes real-time). I’m getting really fond of the Journal: reverse-chronological, add-your-own-metadata don’t-call-it-a-file-system (an answer to Catherine Devlin’s birthday wish?). I’m very happy with its 3 USB drives and 1 SD drive, its lightness and ruggedness, its ebook Tranformers and screen rotation. I’ve downloaded and used some of the extra Activities available already. I think the Paint program could be used as a cheap whiteboard telemeeting option. The wifi works pretty well, and I haven’t even gotten around to exploring the T-Mobile free year’s subscription. The OLPC News forum (discussion board) is full of tips and suggestions (and critics, but also fans), and the One Laptop Per Child Learning Club – DC looks to be pretty active in 2008 (we had one fun meeting in December already).
It’s not for everyone. The keyboard is just right for little hands, not so good for big paws. Its focus is on drilling down on one activity at a time rather than multitasking. There are still a few bugs in the system (e.g., sometimes-jumpy trackpad), though they seem to have workarounds. But I think it’s a great little laptop within a certain scope, and recommend it.