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The $399 OLPC laptop deal: Who should go ahead?
September 27, 2007 | 12:31 pm
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By David Rothman
Just who should follow up on the $399 deal under which you buy an OLPC laptop for a child in a developing country, not just yourself?
“The ideal customer, I think, will be someone who views the lack of local support as a challenge and a learning opportunity. It’s been a long time since there was a commercial computing platform that didn’t have a surfeit of support options,” says Peter Glaskowsky.
Still on the fence
Anyone have thoughts to add—especially in an e-book context? Needless to say, I’ll be most interested in the plans of TeleBlog regulars. Who’s going ahead with this? We’ve got our share of early adopters; most respondents to an informal poll said they planned to buy iPhones. I’m still on the fence about the OLPC XO machine. With more resources available, I’d go for the deal in a flash.
Remember, the screen resolution is in E Ink territory. The big negative, of course, is that, at least as far as I know, commercial e-reading programs such as Mobipocket won’t run on it. That’s a plus from the viewpoint of some DRM-haters. But what about the rest of us (nope, I’m hardly a DRM booster, either)? I wonder if Mobi use might be possible, if not immediately then in the future, via arrangements between OLPC and its friends at Pepper Computing? Anyone got definitive answers?
Related: OLPC ‘$100′ laptop to be buyable in U.S. and Canada for two weeks and Dr. Ellen Hage’s thoughts.
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Comments:
I’m still waffling a bit on this, but odds are I will go for it. As an e-book device, I’m not sure it really works; three pounds is on the hefty side. And as a general-purpose computer, it’s kinda underpowered. However, I’m interested in the screen technology, and actually getting my hands on a device to see how it feels and behaves. If you add in the philanthropic aspect, $400 is (barely) worth it for me.
Re Mobi, I can’t add any definitive information; but isn’t the reader on the iRex Java-based? If so, I would think it possible in principle to port it to this device… depends on how easily extendible the system is. The OLPC pages say “We will also provide some support Java and Flash” [sic], for whatever that is worth.
–John N.
Definitely going to try, assuming I can get an order in. $400 is chump change–I spent as much on my N800 and use it daily. FBreader should port nicely, and with Squeak I can do so many other things. It’s as close to a Kay’s Dynabook as we’ve ever gotten (understandable, since he’s been so involved in the project).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynabook
I’m out. The machine really intrigues me, but I just bought a Macbook that isn’t much heavier to tote around, and it continues to baffle me why these guys are SO reluctant to sell it in the developed world. They could make a TON of money off these if they put them in Walmarts or something, and tat money could be used to fund the project. Why the commercial bias? I don’t know. But the attitude of it all bugs me and leads me to believe the support for these will be sketchy. I may keep me eye on developments with the ASUS EEE though. It is is reasonably light weight (say, under 2 pounds) and battery-efficient, I may get one as a spare to take to work with me.
I will be among those pounding the servers as soon as these go on sale. This is a dream machine for me, basically. I want a laptop I can toss around. I love everything about the OLPC… the swivel-E-Reading solution is dreamy, the battery life is dreamy, and the fact that I can write on it clinches the deal. It is like the Sony Reader + awesomness.
So, I’m an acknowledged fan-boy.
The inability to run a closed, commercial format (Mobipocket) is par for the course. I love this blog, but I really don’t understand anyone’s support for commercial formats. Realistically, where will Mobipocket be twenty years from now? Pfah! I store my permanent eBooks in txt… and only convert them to RTF or whatever my display device can handle later.
-d
I’m in too, if I can swing the $$ come early November.
As an anti-DRM bigot, I’ve no problem with lack of support for same. And the XO performs as a MID or UMPC or PDA as well.
I do have concerns about how ‘finished’ the software/hardware is. And the ‘limited-time availability’ also troubles me. Usually I let a ‘hot new gadget’ I’m interested in hit the streets, and see what the first-users say about it. Then I might wait for an update to the software to come along.
Not 100% as you can see…maybe 85-90%.
Douglas K Beagley re OLPC/forms: I’d urge you to write publishers and keep speaking up here. We’re read by some good people at major publishers. Ideally they’ll get the message and at least experiment with nonDRMed .epub—even before the DRMed version is ready. As for DRM, my preference is none. But if they’re gonna do it, they’d better work out standards via the IDPF or it’s just the Tower of eBabel all over again. Thanks. David