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        <title>ZDNet Blogs</title>
        <link>http://blogs.zdnet.com</link>
        <description>ZDNet Blogs Focus: OLPC</description>
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<title>Microsoft finalizes Windows XP for OLPC laptops</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1504</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:50:23 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Mary Jo Foley</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1504</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft has internally released to manufacturing the version of Windows XP that it has tweaked to run on the One Laptop Per Child XO computer. As James Utzschneider, General Manager of Marketing and Communications for the Unlimited Potential Group, announced on his blog on July 24: "Windows on the XO looks like it is on track for availability in these types of national educational PC deals in September. We still have no plans to make Windows available for individuals who bought an XO in the Give 1 Get 1 program though." The "national educational PC deal" to which Utzschneider seemingly is referring is a deal between Intel and Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim to provide 50,000 Intel Classmate Netbooks running Windows and Office ... ]]>
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<title>Putting the XP into the OLPC</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=1871</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 08:47:41 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Adrian Kingsley-Hughes</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=1871</guid>
<description><![CDATA[So, Microsoft has managed to get in on the OLPC bandwagon and put XP in front of millions of eyeballs in the developing world. But is this move about the children's education, or it is about recruiting more Windows users. What's important to note is that Microsoft isn't making XP available for free since there's a $3 licensing fee, and systems that will have a Windows/Linux dual boot will contain additional hardware costing roughly $7. That's quite a price burden for a system that was initially supposed to cost $100 (or have people forgotten that). I really can't understand why anyone would spend extra money to have Windows XP installed on a system that's ultimately supposed to be as cheap as possible. ... ]]>
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<title>Intel's second generation Classmates land; Does OLPC need to play catch-up?</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=8366</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:24:40 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Larry Dignan</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=8366</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Intel at its developer forum on Thursday unveiled the second generation of its Classmates educational "netbook" and the move highlights some of the reasons behind the rift between Intel and the One Laptop Per Child foundation. First, the news of the day. Intel rolled out its second generation Classmate and our resident education IT expert, Christopher Dawson, gives the device high marks. Dawson wrote: I think Intel (and the OEMs that end up distributing these machines in mature markets) are going to have a serious hit on their hands, especially in the educational and home markets...Both machines I received were running Windows XP; we'll see how this evolves come June, but Intel will also be shipping me a Classmate loaded with Edubuntu ... ]]>
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<title>Microsoft's $235 million PIL is not so bitter</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1125</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:06:27 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Mary Jo Foley</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1125</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft's Partners in Learning (PIL) program is one of those intiatives that only the hardest hearted cynics would disparage. Advancing the quality of education? Helping train teachers? Providing students in developing nations with access to technological tools? What's not to like? Some Microsoft observers -- including a few I wouldn't characterize as mean-spirited haters -- have portrayed Microsoft's growing efforts to seed its technologies in developing countries as Microsoft's response to the growth of Linux and open-source software in relatively (and in some cases, completely) untapped markets. If the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) folks weren't delivering Linux-based laptops to developing world students, Microsoft would have zero interest in being in that market, some believe. And if Microsoft really does want ... ]]>
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<title>Microsoft denies dual-boot Linux/Windows XO laptops are on its agenda</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1096</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:45:01 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Mary Jo Foley</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1096</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It looks like the head of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Chief Nicholas Negroponte is not only alienating Intel, but Microsoft, too. A day after published reports quoting Negroponte as saying OLPC XO laptops would dual boot Linux and Windows, Microsoft is denying that the company is pursuing such a plan. According to a statement from a Microsoft spokesman: "While we have investigated the possibility in the past, Microsoft is not developing dual-boot Windows XP support for One Laptop Per Child's XO laptop. As we announced in December,  Microsoft plans to publish formal design guidelines early this year that will assist flash-based device manufacturers in designing machines that enable a high-quality Windows experience. Our current goal remains to provide a high-quality ... ]]>
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<title>OLPCs to be dual-boot Linux/Windows machines? Why?</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1092</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:00:02 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Mary Jo Foley</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1092</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Nicholas Negroponte, the head of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is speaking for Microsoft (again). Negroponte was quoted by Computerworld as saying Microsoft is working with the OLPC team on a dual-boot Windows XP/Linux XO laptop. Microsoft officials have not publicly acknowledged any such plans. All Microsoft officials have said is that they are still trying to determine whether XP will work on the OLPC XO systems. Field tests of XP-based OLPCs were set to begin this month (January 2008), last anyone heard. I've asked Microsoft whether they have decided to support a dual-boot Windows/Linux configuration as participants in the OLPC initiative. No word back yet from the Redmondians. Update: Microsoft issued a statement late on January 9 denying that dual-boot XP/Linux laptops ... ]]>
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<title>OLPC campaign nets $35 million; 100,000 units go to emerging markets</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7502</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 07 Jan 2008 09:47:19 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Larry Dignan</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7502</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The One Laptop Per Child foundation said Monday that it raised $35 million from its Give One Get One campaign that just ended. The campaign, which ran from Nov. 12 to Dec. 31, sent 100,000 XO laptops to locales such as Afghanistan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Mongolia and Rwanda. Given that the OLPC program was a give one get one the foundation's statement implies that 200,000 XOs were produced. That tally is significantly off its previous pace, which should have led to about 490,000 units by the end of 2007. Also see: Lessons learned: Two weeks with the XO laptop. Unboxing gallery (right).   In a statement, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte, who has been in a war of words with Intel, said:    The generous response ... ]]>
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<title>OLPC responds to Intel breakup</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7485</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Jan 2008 01:50:29 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Larry Dignan</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7485</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The One Laptop Per Child Project and Intel broke up their relationship recently. Now it's the OLPC project's turn to speak. Nicholas Negroponte, head of the OLPC project, said the following in a statement, after reports about Intel leaving the project: "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 hopeful for a positive, collaborative relationship, it never materialized. Intel came in late to the OLPC association: they joined an already strong and thriving OLPC Board of Directors made up of premier technology partners; these partners have been crucial in helping us fulfill our mission of getting laptops into the hands of children in the developing world. ... ]]>
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<title>The Intel/OLPC break-up - I'm surprised the marriage lasted as long as it did</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=1114</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:58:20 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Adrian Kingsley-Hughes</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=1114</guid>
<description><![CDATA[So, Intel and the OLPC consortium have parted ways.  I'm surprised that things stayed sweet for as long as they did. According to Intel, the problems stemmed from the OLPCs insistence that Intel end support for projects that crossed paths with the OLPC's XO laptop - in other words, the Classmate PC.  Intel wouldn't withdraw support so OLPC chairman Nicholas Negroponte asked Intel to pull out from the group. So why was the bust up inevitable?  Well, first off, the OLPCs decision to use AMD processors was never going to sit well with Intel.  Another problem was the fact that the OLPC didn't like Intel selling the Classmate PC for less than it cost to make, a move ... ]]>
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<title>Intel's OLPC pullout sets up XO vs Classmate PC duel</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7479</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Jan 2008 02:27:36 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Larry Dignan</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7479</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Intel's brief partnership with the One Laptop Per Child project has officially ended. According to multiple reports , mostly following The Wall Street Journal, Intel and OLPC head Nicholas Negroponte split over one irreconcilable difference. Negroponte wanted Intel to kill its Classmate PC when it was part of the OLPC. Also: My two weeks with the XO OLPC's XO laptop runs on an AMD chip. According to Intel, the OLPC and Intel approaches just didn't mesh. Intel said there was more than one solution. OLPC hasn't commented. Frankly, it's a little unclear what exactly happened, but Intel has its side of the story out. If it played out as Intel describes the breakup doesn't make a lot of sense. Why would Negroponte expect Intel ... ]]>
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<title>Lessons learned: Two weeks with the XO laptop</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7456</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jan 2008 02:03:42 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Larry Dignan</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7456</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Repeat after me. The XO laptop from the One Laptop Per Child project is designed for kids. Why bore yourself with that mantra? If you don't you may find yourself griping about something that wasn't designed for you in the first place. That's one of the big takeaways from my two weeks with the XO (see unboxing gallery). Let's face it--I bought the XO for me (err my daughter). Sure, she'd play with it, but dear old dad's gadget lust--along with doing a good deed--drove the purchase. So what did I learn? 1. It's my daughter's laptop. I've barely seen the thing since she's been doing non-productive things like looking at herself in the Webcam and showing her one-year old sister the toy. ... ]]>
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<title>OLPC: the best designed notebook in the world</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/storage/?p=258</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:55:48 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Robin Harris</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/storage/?p=258</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is the best-designed notebook computer in the world. It just isn't designed for you. Get over it. Criticism of the OLPC centers on the fact that it isn't like the notebooks adults use. As the ASUS Eee shows a low-cost conventional laptop can be powerful.  But that misses the point. The OLPC is a fundamental rethinking of the computing experience. One that is long overdue. [photo courtesy OLPC] Who is the target market? Children. And as anyone who's had children knows, kids can be pretty hard on the furniture.  OLPC brought in one of the top industrial design firms in the world, Design Continuum, to drive the design process, as well as Yves Behar, an industrial design superstar ... ]]>
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<title>Your XO laptop is about to land</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7391</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 18 Dec 2007 01:57:57 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Larry Dignan</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7391</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The OLPC is shipping its XO laptops and some folks are already getting theirs. Earlier today, John Walicki, IBM's open client architect and Linux client deployment manager, noted to me in passing that his XO landed the other day. He didn't open yet though since he reckons he'll play with it for a while and had work to do. Walicki also said that the XO is for his kid, but he'll spend a lot of time with it (I have the same plan). Then this Twitter landed: XO laptops are already being shipped and will be received on a first come first served basis. Expect yours to come very soon. My status: Waiting anxiously. Also see: OLPC: How do we gauge success? Will 490,000 units ... ]]>
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<title>XP on OLPC: Microsoft's gambit to stay in the emerging market conversation</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7261</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 06 Dec 2007 06:30:57 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Larry Dignan</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7261</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Windows XP may come to the One Laptop Per Child project as Microsoft ports its operating system to flash-based devices such as Intel's Classmate PC, ASUS Eee PC and the XO laptop. But Microsoft's big motive is to stay relevant in emerging markets where officials are increasingly mulling over Linux-based devices. There's no reason to bash Microsoft's Unlimited Potential program, which aims to bring technology "to the next 5 billion people." However, it's really difficult not to read between the lines on this XP meets OLPC development. Let's weigh the different factors based on Microsoft's official statement, its comments about porting XP and coverage from Mary Jo Foley, Ina Fried and Techmeme chatter. Exhibit A: From Microsoft's statement: "Microsoft plans to publish formal design guidelines ... ]]>
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<title>Microsoft moves a step closer toward getting Windows on OLPCs</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1015</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Dec 2007 04:10:14 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Mary Jo Foley</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1015</guid>
<description><![CDATA[You're not alone if you've been confused as to whether the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) low-cost XO PCs will be able to run Windows or not. There have been ongoing, conflicting reports as to whether 1. Windows could run -- theoretically and/or practically -- on OLPC systems 2. Anyone (inside or outside Microsoft) had actually tried running any version of Windows on them 3. Microsoft was interested in licensing Windows to PC/device makers to run on OLPC systems 4. The OLPC contingent was willing to allow anything other than Linux power OLPC systems. A month or so ago, when I asked Microsoft about this, it sounded as if the company was well on its way to doing tests of Windows XP on XO machines with ... ]]>
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<title>No XO for Negroponte: Nigerian developer sues One Laptop Per Child Foundation</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=1730</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:35:05 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Paula Rooney</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=1730</guid>
<description><![CDATA[At least one Nigerian is upset about the recently released XO, a low-cost Linux laptop designed by Nicholas Negroponte's One Laptop Per Child Foundation for developing nations. Published reports say Ade Oyegbola, founder and CEO of Nigerian-based Lagos Analysis Corp. has filed a lawsuit against the foundation in Nigeria for allegedly ripping off his multilingual keyboard design. The multilingual keyboard, called the Konyin keyboard, encompasses punctuation marks used in many Nigerian languages. It is patented in Nigeria. The company also intends to sue the foundation in the US for violating its copyrights unless it is paid royalties. Oyegbola told the Boston Globe that buyers of the keyboard promise not to reverse engineer the software for making a copy. He alleged that MIT's Negroponte ... ]]>
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<title>OLPC: How do we gauge success? Will 490,000 units do?</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7135</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 26 Nov 2007 01:00:17 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Larry Dignan</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7135</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The One Laptop per Child project's "Give One, Get One" program has been extended through Dec. 31 as donations averaged about $2 million a day. On that pace, the OLPC should move about 490,000 units by the end of the year. Does that make the effort a success? The initial Give One, Get One promotion--a philanthropic sale if you will--began on Nov. 12 and had been scheduled for two weeks. Under the program, you pay $399 for two laptops. You get one and a child in a developing country like Afghanistan, Cambodia, Haiti, Mongolia and Rwanda gets the other one. I bought two on Nov. 12, but took some heat for noticing the shipping charge. In a statement on Thanksgiving, Nicholas Negroponte, ... ]]>
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<title>Buying the XO laptop: The shipping may sting</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=6975</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:51:34 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Larry Dignan</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=6975</guid>
<description><![CDATA[For folks used to getting free shipping the XO Laptop from the One Laptop Per Child program will deliver a bit of a surprise. I purchased two laptops from the OLPC program for $399 and got hit with $24.95 in shipping. That sum means that if you partake in the give one, get one program by the OLPC you're really spending $423.95 for two laptops. Why am I buying? First, I'm curious to see if the OLPC project can pull this off. Second, I want to see how my 4-year-old daughter works with the XO. Finally, it's a good deed. But there are reservations. Support, as Richard Koman, notes, is minimal at best. And the logistics are likely to have kinks. Shipping ... ]]>
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<title>T-Mobile hops on the OLPC bandwagon</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=6948</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 08 Nov 2007 01:47:41 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Larry Dignan</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=6948</guid>
<description><![CDATA[T-Mobile will be tossing in a year's worth of complementary HotSpot access for people that buy an XO laptop in the "give one get one" program. In an email reminder, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program detailed the following: "Give One Get One" is the only time we are making the revolutionary XO laptop available to the public. For a donation of just $399 ($200 of which is tax-deductable), you will be giving the gift of education. Additionally, T-Mobile is offering donors one year of complimentary access to T-Mobile HotSpot locations throughout the United States, which can be used from any Wi-Fi-capable device, including the XO laptop. Mass production of the XO laptop began earlier this week. That T-Mobile access is valued at ... ]]>
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<title>The low-cost laptop that Apple should have built (and sort-of once did)</title>
<link>http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=930</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2007 10:23:10 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator>David Morgenstern</dc:creator>
<guid>http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=930</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The  buzz around the XO Laptop, aka the One Laptop Per Child group's "$100 laptop" is growing, with an innovative donation program coming in time for the holidays.  But this colorful, rugged computer could have come from Apple, and in another time, it did. The One Laptop Per Child organization  recently announced a donation program for the holiday season: you buy two of the XO Laptops for $400 and you get to keep one. The other is donated to a child somewhere in the world who needs it. The program will start Nov. 11 and you can request a e-mail notification from the site. As far as I understand, this is the first time the machines will be ... ]]>
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