Student's Review of B4 Revision of OLPC XO Laptop

Back in July I wrote about a 12 year old who reviewed the B2 revision of the One Laptop Per Child's XO Laptop, the so-called $100 laptop. The student appreciated the ruggedness and aesthetics of the design but lamented the system speed and battery life. "SG," the 12 year old, was fortunate to receive a model B4 unit for revision from the OLPC people after her or his first review and the student gave it a thorough workout and review.

The design between the B2 and B4 has been tweaked: the antennae are now rubberized and the handle is textured to help students keep a better grip. There are additional keys along the top row as well.

The student loved that it booted much, much faster than the previous model. Additionally, there are more "projects," or applications on this model. The system speed and battery life have been much improved, too.

The student gives a great summary of working with the projects and you should read them. The student concludes that the OLPC project has succeeded in creating a "perfect laptop."

It is great to read first-hand accounts of how students are using them. Hopefully similar narratives will soon emerge from the students using them in large-scale deployments.

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