OLPC

A laptop for $75? OLPC's ex-CTO out-cheaps cheap

$75. That's a week's worth of Starbucks. But that's exactly the price that Mary Lou Jeppsen, founding (and former) CTO of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, is targeting for her next gig as she told Groklaw:

I'm starting a company called Pixel Qi. Pixel Qi is currently pursuing the $75 laptop, while also aiming to bring sunlight readable, low-cost and low-power screens into mainstream laptops, cellphones and digital cameras. Spinning out from OLPC enables the development of a new machine, beyond the XO, while leveraging a larger market for new technologies, beyond just OLPC: … Read more

Underexposed blog: links of the day

Field of view diagram from Digital Photo Professional magazine - A nice diagram showing what kind of focal length is required to get a 47-degree field of view with various cameras, e.g. full-frame, APS-C, medium format, Four Thirds. (Judging by the Four Thirds logo, this might be from that Olympus-led group.) Leaked? The Samsung GX-20 DSLR - 1001 Noisy Cameras - Roundup of links to GX-20, presumably derivative of a new Pentax model. would-be photo, specs here: http://www.aronsen.no/default.asp?ArtID=428 Getty Bolsters Its Web Presence (subscription only) WSJ.com - A longish look at … Read more

Trash talk between One Laptop and the PC crowd rages on

LAS VEGAS--Nicholas Negroponte declined to speak about the rift between his organization, One Laptop Per Child, and Intel during a speech at the Consumer Electronics Show taking place this week.

Two of the individuals with OLPC sat directly behind me, and they talked extensively about the disagreement and their interaction with Intel before the speech. (To recap, Intel joined OLPC after a long public argument, but then recently pulled out.) I checked their badges to make sure they were with OLPC. Here are some of the highlights.

"They are so arrogant."

"Did you meet Swope (Intel exec … Read more

Dual-booting One Laptop Per Child, and not with the Mac

This is bizarre. Word on the street is that the One Laptop Per Child project will be adding Windows to its repertoire. Not separate machines, mind you. Windows/Linux dual-boot machines.

Where's the sense in that?

It's not that OLPC has been free of proprietary "taint" from the beginning. Back in 2006 it kicked up a furor over its inclusion of proprietary software.

But what about horsepower? Or what about the real question: Why? What purpose does it serve? Mary Jo Foley, of CNET sister site ZDNet, notes:… Read more

OLPC, Microsoft working on dual-boot XO laptop

Apparently Nick Negroponte is willing to work with some huge powerful corporations whose interests compete with his own.

Negroponte told IDG News Service Wednesday that the OLPC project is working with Microsoft on a version of the XO laptop that would be capable of booting either Linux--the current OS--or Windows. It appears the two organizations are shooting for something like Apple's Boot Camp: not true virtualization, but the ability to boot either operating system depending on the applications you'd need to run.

This could help the OLPC address some of the reasons why a few governments have spurned … Read more

Gates on OLPC, Windows Home Server

In addition to answering questions about how Microsoft plans to take on its rivals and capture the hearts and devices of consumers, Chairman Bill Gates spoke to CNET News.com on other topics, not all of which fit into Monday's Newsmaker piece. Here are a couple more questions and answers from Gates.

Q: One area that I know is important to you is emerging markets. Do you take away any lessons from Intel's fallout with OLPC (One Laptop Per Child)? I know you said recently that you are going to try and make Windows work on OLPC if … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 635: Peace comes to CES

Will OLPC be the TiVo of PCs for emerging markets?

With the dust-up this week about Intel leaving the fold of OLPC, it got me to thinking: Will One Laptop Per Child become the TiVo of PCs for emerging markets? In other words, they spark the revolution but gain relatively little from it.

TiVo of course almost single-handidly created the DVR category and market. Their technology was very well executed, they created a user experience that is still unparalleled in terms of ease and joy of use, and with continual roll-out of innovative capabilities that kept stretching the definition of the product.

But ultimately their business model proved insufficient to … Read more

It's ego check time for Intel, Negroponte

I've long admired the work done by Nicholas Negroponte in helping the world's cyber have-nots get wired. Ditto for Intel. That company's track record of achievement through the decades speaks for itself.

So I'm especially puzzled over the inane dustup that erupted this week between Negroponte's nonprofit One Laptop Per Child and Intel.

Intel sits on the OLPC board but this has been a bad marriage for months. On Thursday, the rancor went public. Intel leaked to The Wall Street Journal its decision to cut ties with OLPC. One day later, a press release went … Read more

OLPC fires back at Intel, children learn nothing

Nick Negroponte, founder and chairman of the One Laptop Per Child project, came out swinging at Intel on Friday, one day after the chipmaker decided to leave the group.

The OLPC's goal of bringing low-cost technology to children in developing countries apparently conflicts with Intel's goal of running a business. Even though the two agreed to put aside their differences in July, it's pretty clear that they never actually became friends.

"We at OLPC have been disappointed that Intel did not deliver on any of the promises they made when they joined OLPC; while we were … Read more