OLPC brings Give One, Get One program to Europe

by Stevie Smith - Nov 17 2008, 13:00

Having already made an impact on the other side of the Atlantic, the budget XO computer and its Give One, Get One initiative is coming to Europe via leading online retailer Amazon.

Expected to officially arrive on November 17, the diminutive XO laptop has been developed by the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) organisation in order to help introduce modern technology into the educational systems of developing nations.

As the Give One, Get One program title suggests, buyers who purchase an XO unit for themselves will, in turn, be donating a second unit directly to a school child in need.

Speaking at the World of Health IT Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, OLPC founder and chairman Nicholas Negroponte said the organisation plans to introduce the iconic green and white XO into some 27 European markets.

However, while there is little doubting the obvious third-world benefits associated with the XO, it remains to be seen whether its European arrival will sway consumers surrounded by comparably priced Netbook alternatives equipped with superior hardware.

Specifically, the Quanta-made XO is likely to cost some Ł268 GBP (approx. 313 Euros) and will come complete with a 7.5-inch LCD display, the AMD Geode processor, 256MB of DRAM, 1GB of flash memory, a Linux operating system, an integrated Web camera, and 802.11 b/g/s connectivity.

Presently, Amazon.co.uk sells the 8.9-inch ASUS Eee PC 901 for Ł266 GBP, which includes the Intel Atom processor, 1GB of DDR2, 12GBs of solid state drive (SSD) storage, Windows XP, a 1.3 mega pixel Web camera, and 802.11n Wi-Fi.

According to the OLPC, its Give One, Get One scheme has already sold close to 200,000 units across the United States since being officially rolled out in November and December of 2007. It has sold some 650,000 XO units in total.

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