For about $200 you’ll soon be able to buy a laptop that comes with a web browser, a word processor, camera, built-in wireless, flash memory, open source operating system, and more.
But this laptop, called the XO, wasn’t made for you, no matter how small your business is. It was “designed for the poorest and most remote children in the world,” by the non-profit group, One Laptop Per Child (OLPC).
Its 433Mhz energy-efficient AMD processor is slow. It has no hard drive, CD, or DVD drive. Your hands are too big for the child-size keyboard. You’d go nuts trying to run a business using this machine and its puny 7.5” screen.
But you can and should consider making a purchase. The XO will be available to buyers in the U.S. for a two-week period, from November 12 – 26.
Under a program called “Give 1 Get 1,” buyers can purchase two laptops for $399. One would be shipped to a child in a developing nation, and the other to the buyer. If you have the budget, buy them – just have both units shipped overseas, to kids who can really use them.
On the web: www.laptop.org.