SmallBizResource Blog -- Hardware

The Best Laptop You Shouldn't Own

Posted by Cora Nucci Monday, Sep 24, 2007, 05:39 PM ET

For about $200 you'll soon be able to buy a laptop that comes with a web browser, a word processor, camera, built-in wireless, flash memory, open source operating system, and more.

But this laptop, called the XO, wasn't made for you, no matter how small your business is. It was "designed for the poorest and most remote children in the world," by the non-profit group, One Laptop Per Child (OLPC).

For one thing, its 433Mhz energy-efficient AMD processor is slow. The XO has no hard drive, CD, or DVD drive. It doesn't have an Ethernet port, and the machine's memory is limited. Plus, your great big hands are too big for the child-size keyboard. You'd go nuts trying to run a business using this machine and its puny 7.5-inch screen.

But you can and should consider making a purchase. The XO, or so-called $100 laptop, (it's closer to $188, but who's counting?) will be available to buyers in the U.S. and Canada for a two-week period, from November 12 to November 26. Under a marketing program called "Give 1 Get 1," buyers can purchase two laptops for $399. One would be shipped to a child in a developing nation, and the other to the buyer.
If your budget can handle it, go for it -- just have both units shipped overseas, to kids who can really use them.

Green | Hardware