Wired writes...
Nicholas Negroponte thinks everyone in the world should have a computer. He even quit his job as director of MIT's Media Lab to make it happen. In 2005, Negroponte founded the nonprofit OLPC with a mission to design, manufacture, and distribute the world's most affordable laptop, priced at less than $100 and aimed at youngsters in the developing world. With moisture- resistant seals and a crash-proof Flash hard drive, the no-frills notebook is sufficiently kid-friendly to last five years — more than enough time to work up the inevitable, pricier upgrade.
The computers were dreamed up as $100 laptops but for now cost $188, and buyers are expected to let children keep the computers and tinker with them at home.
The initial recipients will be children in Uruguay, Peru and Mongolia. Also, beginning Monday, people in North America will be able to buy one for themselves and donate the other to a child overseas through http://www.laptopgiving.org.
Even with mass production beginning later than expected, One Laptop Per Child can claim success on several fronts.
The small yet rugged XOs require low power and can be recharged by hand, have a screen that can be read in full sunlight and boast a user interface designed specially for children.
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