First Look At Final OLPC Design

blackbearnh writes "At the Consumer Electronics Show on Monday, AMD hosted a presentation of the final Industrial Prototype (Beta 1) of the One Laptop Per Child XO Laptop. Linux Today has extensive reporting, including new photos and details about power consumption, networking, and the logistics of distributing and servicing what will be the largest rollout of any computing platform in history: 5 million units in the first year. This will represent nearly a 10% increase in the total worldwide laptop production for 2007."

And we can get them

[alnapp]

Via Ebay ? ! ?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6246989.stm [bbc.co.uk]

Re:When will consumers be able to buy these?

[alnapp]

Via Ebay ? ! ?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6246989.stm [bbc.co.uk]

As posted below, but more pertinaint as a reply to your post

Re:What about heat?

[gradedcheese]

As I recall from the couple OLPC mailing lists that I read, they did (and continue to do?) a lot of LCD and overall 'destructive' testing. The LCD was sourced very carefully can contains a special UV filter, in fact last I heard there was a 'desert' and 'not desert' version of that to deal with the different environments. Similarly, they've done a lot of battery testing and there are improvements that will go into the revised and more final hardware.

The OLPC does not contain any real moving parts (hard disk, etc) and the motherboard is behind the LCD panel, not under the keyboard (where the battery is). The processor runs nice and cool (in fact, it's underclocked).

I worked at one for a while and it was a welcome relief from my 'burn your lap' ThinkPad with a PIII : ) That said, proper suspect and power management isn't done yet, so they have a lot more to do in these areas.

Re:Won't someone think of the environment!

[montyzooooma]

RTFA - they run on average at 3W and will include a hand or foot cranked "Yoyo" for charging. Presumably in the countries they're going to solar power would be an option too.

Re:Won't someone think of the environment!

[nietsch]

No, you did not read the article did you? The XO consumes between 350 milliWatt when only it's only meshing, and 5 Watt when it's doing heavy multimedia applications. It can be powered by handpower/solar/ or a generator running off all the hot gas you produce when you open your mouth.

Not in daily usage.

[Grendel Drago]

Those library books don't get handled every day. I've been told by someone who worked in library preservation that regular hardcover bindings are good for (and I'm probably messing up these numbers) about twenty checkout-return cycles, whereas the more expensive library bindings they had done would be good for about a hundred before they needed to be rebound. (The library actually preferred to purchase paperbacks and have them rebound, because the hardcover bindings were expensive and comparatively fragile.)

The point is that library books may not be in constant, daily use; you might be comparing apples to oranges here.

Same TROLL different day

[Anonymous Coward]

and before we worry about delivery method ... shouldn't someone verify that the target user can ... read?

Before you post on Slashdot....shouldn't you verify that you.....read TFA?
OLPC is an educational tool to be distributed through a local educational system. It will be used in conjuction with teachers in classroom activities.

This argument is kind of like the other typical slashdotter OLPC canard: "shouldn't we feed them first, I mean how can they learn if they are starving???"

The developing world is not all alike. There are levels and levels, with different needs. OLPC is aimed at some and not others. But most people have never been "there" (be it Vietnam or Kenya), and just have a cartoon vision of what it's like. That would be like, uhm, projecting from inexperience.