Examining the OLPC
9:38 pm November 29th, 2006 by Sal Cangeloso
The OLPC has become one of the most highly awaited products of all time. The hardware is not really what is important, getting computers to as many people as possible and getting their price towards the $100 mark, but I am more than a bit interested in seeing the form the OLPC will ultimately take. The notebook has to be small, light, easy to use, rugged, and power efficient while keepin the price as low as possible. This is no easy task and we have seen a number of designs, but it looks like the final one is here.
[image courtesy of laptop.org]
Here are the pictures of the B1 version of the OLPC. The people at Laptop.org were nice enough to take a bunch and then post them along with links to the hi-res original shots. Looking at the system it is impossible to notice (in the comparative shots) how small it is. Portability and power efficiency were clearly important so the size of the unit is almost comically small. In fact that is just a 7.5″ screen, according to OLPC’s incredibly extensive hardware page.
What else can we see that’s cool? There is a removable battery, those goofy looking antennas that hide USB slots under them, a screen that can be flipped to be used as a tablet, a carrying handle, a webcam, and that’s just for starters. OLPC’s site has a long list of features that make the product unique, including the lack of sharp corners, that the screen can be on while the system is otherwise powered down, support for wireless mesh networking, a “rugged” LED backlight, no mechanical hard drive, water resistant keyboard, and more. What’s missing? Most noticeably the handcrank that older models used- there no human power element to this generation.
This could go one for hours, but looks like an incredible amount of work can be put into it and that the system is going to be a great step forward. It’s no powerhouse and it won’t be a replacement for anyone looking to run complex applications but given the stated goals of the program, everything is looking great so far.
On thing that surprises me is how closely they are sticking to the guideline that the system is designed for children. It seems like there are a lot of adults who could use a notebook as well and there would be a lot of pressure for the organization to design a one-size-fits-all product. With the current design it seems that adults will be hampered by this unit’s design and small size, but it’s still a great start.
