Back in November, we donated an XO Laptop to a child in a developing country as part of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project. The concept was to give one – get one free allowing us the opportunity to take a close look at this revolutionary PC. The ultimate goal is to get a low cost entry level machine into the hands of a child who normally would not have the opportunity.
As expected the notebook is extremely basic in design and performance. What did surprise us is just how rugged the construction is. We have seen expensive notebooks less sturdy then this little baby.
The LCD screen works in both direct sunlight and darkness. When compared to any entry level notebook the visuals do fall short in terms of viewing angles, contrast ratio, brightness and color. Overall the unit is pretty impressive when you weigh in the price vs. what you get. It certainly won’t provide any performance or productivity benchmarks however.