OK, well, it’s been several days of suppressing frustrations that would have resulted in a double-barreled verbal assault on a for-profit corporation, as I play the “Waiting for XO” game. Mind you, it’s only day 4 of the 10-day window they promised us Day 1 Donors (D1Ders=we ordered our XOs on November 12, 2007, the first day of the Give 1 Get 1 program). So, I’m exhibiting the anxiousness associated with being a gadget freak and a gearhead and not the patience of a rational adult. That said, I’m not threatening to demand a refund like at least one person did on the OLPCNews.com forums.

This is especially true since I’ve been able to talk with Courtney. Who is Courtney? She is the helpful, warm, friendly and very patient representative at OLPC I ended up speaking with after I got fed up with calling FedEx every day and getting no useful information. Courtney was able to both give me a confirmation number (that I can effectively use as a tracking number) and confirm that my order had been “sent to shipping.” That means that my XO has begun its trip to me. I confirmed this with the FedEx website. Check out the screencap below:

So, I don’t have a delivery date and my XO is still in Illinois as of this post, but from what I’ve read on the OLPCNews forums, the theory is that it will arrive 3-5 days after it leaves. So, by that logic, I should be looking for an XO on my doorstep sometime between Thursday and Saturday. Which is fine, but not as cool as getting it last week. I have to decide if it’s even worth it to unbox the XO live on BlogTV.com or not, now. I mean, what’s the point since so many people who ordered XOs already got theirs?

In other news, I found the Flickr pool for OLPC XOs! It’s got loads of great pics of the XO in various stages of existence. From shots of just the OS to the prototype, to early builds of the laptop, to G1G1 XOs in the hands of their new owners. Check it out:

I can’t wait to add mine to that pool.

Sadly, there is a brick to report today, however. The first DOA XO fell into the hands of Charles Hoey, who guest blogged today about his experience at OLPCNews.com. Here’s a cutting:

So, I was a first day donor (bought online about two hours in) and finally got my XO this morning… and it is DOA! No lights, no power.

Like many of us, I’ve been reading the blog posts from folks who’d gotten theirs already, and I’ve been dying to get my hands on one. You can only imagine the horror as it slowly set in that I wasn’t doing anything wrong, but that my XO was actually completely non-functional (no charge lights or power up or errors, no activity at all).

Thankfully, Charles is, so far, the only person to have had FedEx deliver a brick. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Finally, I’d like to close today’s OLPCXLPotD with an XO-related pet peeve. Yes, I already have one despite not even having an XO yet. Mainly, it’s the name of the laptop, itself.

People think that because the non-profit org that is behind the XO laptop is called “OLPC” that you call the laptop “OLPC.” This, from my point-of-view, is not the case. OLPC stands for One Laptop Per Child, not Overt Laptop Personal Computer, or something. Yet, I’m seeing people all over the place referring to the diminutive green and white laptop as “the OLPC”.

The acronym OLPC represents the concept behind the laptop–the laptop has had several names over it’s two years of development, but it’s final name–the one it has on the back of the display of every new laptop made is: “XO.”

I’m not suggesting a world-wide campaign against the calling of XOs by the acronym “OLPC.” I’m just trying to help people understand what’s what. I could refer to my MacBook as “an Apple” but that would seem pretty vague to me. So, know your phrasing! Or I’ll call the English police on you… or some crap. :)

Waaay back on November 29, 2007, Wayan Vota of OLPCNews.com posted a Frappr map for XO users to mark where they are in the world. Since it’s been over two weeks I thought it might be a good time to repost it so as people get their XOs delivered they can add themselves to the map.

In other OLPCXO news, I’m already pretty active over at the forum at OLPCNews.com (and so are a lot of other people, like Utterz.com pals PixelFish and Fricka). Meanwhile, Western Illinois University professor Bradley Dilger blogs about how his daughter’s XO arrived last night and what he thinks of it. He has, in part, this to say about the XO:

I’ve only used it an hour or two, but I have to say I’m very impressed. If this is the first version of what will be many hardware and software iterations to follow, a lot of vendors suddenly have some work to do. The SUGAR interface, which OLPC describes as hiding the robust Linux OS, is extremely cool, and I could quite easily see myself using it on a regular basis.

Hey, I thought he said it was his daughter’s XO. o_O

Dilger has much more to say about the XO, so if you’re curious, swing by.

Back at the OLPCNews.com/forum a short stack of people are chiming in to say they’ve already gotten their XOs and plenty more are chiming in on how envious they are–me included ^_^ So, if you’re still waiting for yours and want to feel envious or have gotten yours and want to celebrate, head over to the G1G1 Introduction subforum.

OK, the above was everything I posted on Utterz, but since you came to ThePete.Com, you also get:

MORE XO NEWS!! WAHOO!

SO, here we go, Utterer Fricka Utterz on an XO-related BBC News article that let’s a 9 year-old British kid named Rufus review the XO laptop. Here’s a cutting:

“I just seemed to work it out. It was rather easy. I didn’t even need help.” Surprise, surprise, his first discovery was a game. “I found Block Party. It’s like Tetris. I’m now up to Level 7.”

I thought my young games fanatic might stick there but he moved on. “Then I discovered paint. You can use pencils, change the texture, use different sizes of brush.”

Even better, there was an animation programme called Etoys.

“That’s my favourite.You make things. You can see tutorials and demos. Then you can make a new project. I’ve made a crazy UFO which you can move.”

But Rufus says it isn’t just about play.

“I use the calculator - that can be rather useful for sums. You can even browse onto the internet. You can watch and learn stuff. You can write things and it can also remind you which is extremely useful.”

What, I asked, does a nine year old need to remind himself about? “Christmas stuff,” he said, with an air of mystery.

So, it’s a computer so simple even a kid can learn how to use it. A BRITISH kid, no less!! ;)

What’s even cooler is that Rufus goes on to say that he learned some Spanish from the kids in Nigeria–it seems he worked out how to use the XO to communicate with kids with other XOs. This makes me want mine even more!!! ARG!!

This brings me to an OLPCNews.com post on using the XO to communicate blogged by Robert Arrowsmith. See, the XO comes with Mesh networking technology which is essentially like a macro-WiFi (I think I’m using “macro” properly here) in that it allows you to create a Wide Area Network (WAN) with other XO laptops. You can then share files, apps (or “Activities” as they’re called on the XO), even an Internet connection. What’s amazing about Mesh is that it’s range is said to be over half-a-mile–1 kilometer to be specific. Of course, I’ll try to put that to the test, assuming any other XOers in the LA area want to hang out. :)

The nice thing about Arrowsmith’s article is that, in the comments, we learn all sorts of other stuff about the XO and the Internet. Apparently, it not only spots XO users, but also, through your WiFi connection, spots other people on your network and on the Internet who are connected to the same Jabber network as you. The XO uses a Jabber network to connect other XOs but (I believe) it can also be used by other ‘net users.

Finally, from the gadget-freak files, we have an awesome “Calvin and Hobbes” parody comic stript totally captures where most of us XOers are mental-state-wise. I liken it to the days leading up to the purchase of my first iPod back in 2003–a period in my life I recreated for a storyline in my Otis the Elevator comic, which you can check out at thepete.com/otis. I need to draw more. Perhaps, with the help of the XO, I will!

Anyway, so the strip is a riot and it’s by DeviantArt-user Torokun be sure to check out his other art or swing by the OLPCNews post I found the strip at originally.

Also, stay tuned at ThePete.com for news on the unboxing of my XO when it arrives. That’ll come later today.

One of the things I’ve noticed about my two Apple laptops is a certain inability to read the keyboard without adequate lighting. Now, I’m a writer, so I don’t need to see the letter-keys to type. I do need lighting to see the function keys along the top of the keyboard, however. My PowerBook’s keys are silver with a black font. My MacBook has black keys with white font, so it’s a little less of a problem. The XO’s keyboard features green keys with black font. So, seeing the function keys on it will be an issue and it’s an issue Mike Lee deals with in a recent OLPCNews.com post. (Mike Lee is some kind of developer connected to the XO–I haven’t been able to work out how, but he’s based in DC and is helping to run the DC XO users group there.)

Now, according to Mike Lee, who has had “a couple B4 machines since August” (lucky bastard!):

“there were two LEDs in the plastic bank on either side of the screen hinge of the B2 prototype that could be activated to bathe the keyboard in bluish light. The LEDs were removed…

Because:

Mary Lou Jepsen, the CTO of OLPC, explained that the LEDs were removed to save a little money and complexity.

These made for ideal keyboard-viewing in low-lighting, according to Lee, and in his recent post on OLPCNews.com, wrote about finding another way to see the keyboard in poor or no-light situations. The idea for kids was that they would just angle the screen down a bit to see the keys. However, since adults tend to be taller, Lee felt that another solution was in order. He writes about the iLite, a small USB light for the XO laptop’s keyboard that you can plug in and aim at the keyboard in a way that won’t disrupt your view of the XO’s screen.

Mike Lee also explains in his post that he will be doing a series of posts at OLPCNews.com on accessories for the XO that I, for one, am chomping at the bit to read.

In the comments of Lee’s post, people ask him about solar solutions for the XO, while I was able to share some of my limited knowledge about solar and my research on powering the XO with it, I don’t know anything first hand. Lee linked to Solar-UMPC.com, a: “blog covering the topic of powering ultra-mobile and ultra-efficient personal computers through solar and natural energy sources.”

The site looks packed with great DIY solutions for mobile computing under the power of the sun. Sadly, it all looks like it requires a bit more tech-skill than just walking into your local Radio Shack and asking the first employee you see: “Can I have the 2nd solar panel on the left?”

But Solar-UMPC.com seems to make solar-powered computing a definite possibility even if it’s not without some doing. All fascinating stuff if you’re a gear head.

Both Mike’s blog and Solar-UMPC I’ll have to add to my reading list now! Damn!

ANYway, so there are quite a few other things you can buy for the XO, even if solar panels aren’t quite read for admission into the XOniverse. One question I asked Lee about in his OLPCNews post was about a slipcase for the XO. The XO laptop is 9×9.5 inches in size. I’ve never come across a laptop bag that small before. What does Lee suggest? A slipcase for 10 inch DVD players. He recommends the Case Logic model that has an extra pocket for the XO’s AC adapter. I’m not a big fan of handles on my slipcases, so I may look for something else. Still, looking for cases for portable DVD players is a great idea. I was also contemplating working on something custom-made with TheWife’s sewing skills in tow. Though I’m thinking we may not have the time for it.

Either way, keep watching this space or OLPCNews.com for more on the XO laptop and what can be done with it. Remember, as Mike Lee said on one of his posts on the average person’s reaction to the XO at Hiptop Nation:

…when you spend $399 to donate the XO laptop to a child in a developing country, you get a laptop to keep AND T-mobile throws in a year’s worth of WiFi access. That’s a $349 value. Plus you write off $200 on your taxes.

You can still take advantage of what Lee says there by going to XOgiving.org (or laptopgiving.org). Once there, place your order for an XO (it’ll run you around $425 with shipping). This is a limited time offer as I type this–December 31, 2007 is the cut-off. It may be extended again, but there is no guarantee. If you’re thinking about it and can afford to do it, I suggest you don’t wait (especially considering that they’re manufacturing each XO as it’s ordered which means it could take a couple months to get delivery).

Actually, the tax write-off may not be as possible, as Lee suggests, thanks to the free T-Mobile service being a “profit” in some people’s minds–just be sure to talk to a tax person before you try to write ANYTHING off.

SHIPPING UPDATE: Rumor had it that the G1G1 XOs were shipping out yesterday–however, considering that we all got emails when our donated XOs went to one of a handful of developing countries, I’m not letting myself get too excited about shipments until I either get an email from the OLPC folks telling me it’s on its way or Mr. UPS shows up at my door with a box with green writing on it in his hands.

OK, that’s it for now! Stop by tomorrow for another OLPCXOLPotD (OLPC XO Laptop Post of the Day)!

The XOniverse is really buzzing these days!! I keep stumbling across XO news all over the place, so I decided to do an OLPC XO news round-up post for today’s OLPC XO Laptop Post of the Day. Without further ado, here are all of the XO stories I’ve come across in the past week or so that I haven’t gotten a chance to blog on:

If you had an XO, you could get it to look this cool. ^_^

Cheap Laptop Deathmatch: OLPC XO Laptop Vs. Asus Eee PC
OLPC’s XO Laptop and Asus’s Eee PC have been bloody rivals in people’s minds, whether or not the totally comparison’s fair. The Eee’s well-reviewed and popular, while XO’s target audience has poo-pooed on it and the WSJ has laid out how it’s being murdered by competition. Nonetheless, Laptop Mag aims to settle a running thread in our own comments: Which super cheap laptop reigns supreme? (source: gizmodo.com)

Regarding the above story, I was going to chime in with the point that comparing the XO to the Eee is really like comparing Apples to PCs ^_^ Each has their strengths and saying one “wins” over the other is short-sighted and a waste of time. I said I was going to comment on the Gizmodo post, but then I remembered that it’s Gizmodo and they have to approve every comment before it posts. Since they’ve never approved any of my comments (not one of the six), why should I bother? Besides, here’s the story they based their story on:

OLPC XO vs. Asus Eee PC 701
There’s no denying that the XO’s design and mission makes it one of the most innovative laptops we’ve tested, but its designers may have outthought themselves; in their quest to create a laptop that adults could teach children to use the world over, they forgot that it’s children who usually teach the grownups how to use new gadgets. Barring its unique form factor and mesh networking features, we wonder if the XO couldn’t have been better served by an operating system and programs more akin to the Eee PC 701.

This contest was fairly close, but we feel that even though its goals are much more limited in scope, the Eee PC 701 accomplishes them more fully than the XO, as its interface and applications are much more intuitive. Of course, the Eee PC 701 also costs about $200 more, but it’s well worth the premium. (source: laptopmag.com)

To me, the XO wins for pricing–even though us rich folks in North America don’t get access to the $200 price tag the XO actually costs, the XO does cost half as much as the Eee and does more than half of what the Eee does. Plus, when you drop $400 on an Eee, a kid in the 3rd World doesn’t get one, as well. Nor will T-Mobile give you a year’s free wifi HotSpot service after buying one.

Here’s the official independent take on the head-to-head from OLPCNews.com:

Laptop Mag’s OLPC XO vs Asus Eee PC Bake Off
While I am disappointed with their result, I think the Laptop Mag review did expose a glaring flaw in the OLPC methodology. Despite Negroponte’s insistence to the contrary, Laptop Mag’s in-Africa reviewerSalimata Fandjalan says:

“All children who get an XO WILL NEED TRAINING!!!!!” Even kids–and adults–who have used laptops before will have to poke their way around the XO to figure it out.

And that to me, is what cost OLPC this contest, and maybe a few more in national capitols too. (source: OLPCNews.com)

That’s a reasonable point–but I remember my first time with a point-and-click interface back in 1995. I was a full-fledged adult and I managed to work out how to use the thing with no training at all–and that was a Windows machine!! Windows 3.1, no less! I’ve noodled around with SugarOS, the OS on the XO, and I feel that with a bit of time even adults can work out, on their own, how to use the thing. It is different from XP or OSX, definitely, but unless I’ve gotten much more dumb since 1995, I think I’ll do all right (and I know the kids will).

ThePete.Com is not connected to OLPC in any way other than as fan/customer and cool non- profit/provider of cool laptops.

OLPC XO-1
The OLPC XO-1 is intriguing blend of opposites. On the one hand it contains technology that would barely be called sufficient in today’s terms (sub-500-MHz processor, only 256MB of RAM, 1GB of flash storage), though that is more than enough for the ultimate recipient of the notebook, a child in a developing country who has never used a computer before. On the other hand, it includes features found in a notebook worth $2,000 or more. It’s encased in a rugged exterior that is splash-, drop-, and hot/cold-resistant. It has an LED backlit screen; it’s compatible with 802.11b/g Wi-Fi; and it also offers 802.11s “mesh networking”—a type of peer-to-peer ad hoc networking that requires zero configuration. And it uses so little power that an external hand generator or a solar panel can power the system. (source: pcmag.com)

That’s a great piece with loads of great info on the XO.

OLPC orders surge as Peru requests 260,000 XOs
All steam ahead for the OLPC Foundation, which recently received an order from Peru for 260,000 of the little XO laptops. Also news is that Mexican billionaire and Negroponte’s chum Carlos Slim has purchased 50,000 for his country. That’s against a background of $2 million sales a day on the Give One, Get One program. Clearly, the OLPC Foundation is the most successful program out there for getting laptops into the hands of schoolchildren. (source: Engadget.com)

So, with Peru, Mexico (hopefully) on top of Alabama, who just ordered 15,000 XO laptops for 1st graders in Birmingham, and Uruguay, which just got their shipment of XOs, it really shouldn’t be too surprising that there’s all this news about the XO.

Microsoft to test out Windows XP on OLPC XO
According to The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is slated to test out Windows XP on OLPC XO laptops starting next month in the US, India and possibly Romania. James Utzschneider, general manager of Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential Group, noted that it “wanted Windows to run on the XO and that it was investing significant energy and talent” to make sure it happened. (source: engadget.com)

Wow, this smacks of being against everything the XO was built upon. The XO is open source, low-power, easy to use and stable. Hell, the XO is exactly the opposite of XP, which is proprietary, resource-hogging, clunky to use, and a crashzilla. I really hope this goes nowhere in a flash. I mean, seriously, Micro$oft. Do you really need to have your damn shitty OS on EVERY computer on the planet?

These last few headlines speak for themselves and are all from OLPCNews.com :

No Microsoft Windows XP on OLPC XO

A Good Thing About Windows XP on XO: Contrast

Put GPL Code Windows XP on XO

That last one cracks me up–as if M$ would agree to make a version of Windows XP that was open source. HA! I hope someone actually suggests it to them so M$ can look like the evil, greedy empire they are.

In closing, I’d just like to say: 7 MORE DAYS UNTIL XO LAPTOPS START TO ARRIVE TO US DAY-1 DONORS!! WAHOO!!!!

So, in a week’s time (or longer, sadly), you can expect to see unboxing pics, video and loads of blogging on my experiences with the XO right here at ThePete.Com! I’ll be blogging the crap out of that thing!!

Ew, that reads much more gross than it really is… ^_^

Know of anything going on in the XOniverse that I haven’t posted on? Please let me know!! Comment below or email me at thepetecomATgmailDOTcom or IM me at “thepetecom.” Thanks!

First off, my apologies for not keeping up with the daily OLPC XO posts of the day, but National Novel Writing Month got a little intense. That’s over, so I’ll be blogging about everything a lot more. OK, so, that aside, on with the OLPCXOPotD for today!

See that guy to the right there? That’s Ivan Krstic–he’s on the team of folks that designed the XO laptop, specifically, he’s the director of security architecture for OLPC, the non-profit behind the XO. According to a post in his “notebook” (less idiotic sounding than “blog,” so he says), he’d been so concerned with keeping the XOs secure in the 3rd World Countries they’d end up in that OLPC founder, Nicholas Negroponte decided to send Krstic along on the first delivery to make sure he could activate them properly. That picture is Ivan with an Uruguayan kid who just got his lucky little hands on a laptop.

Somewhere in there, I believe, in the classroom they’re standing in, is the XO laptop half of my $400 paid for back on November 12. This makes me feel pretty damn good to see my money immediately put to good use. I always hesitate to donate to one of those mega charities because I am so cynical and un-trusting. I see the heads of these charities driving nicer cars than I could ever own and I think to myself “this guy is going to help the poor?”

In the case of OLPC and the XO, I know where my money is going–period.

Read more about the XO laptop’s deployment in Uruguay in a post Ivan’s “notebook” or in abridged form in an Utter from PixelFish at Utterz.com or in a post at OLPCnews.com

If you have no idea what I’m talking about here, check out all of my posts on the XO and OLPC.

You can also check out some of the OLPC and XO-related posts myself and others have made on Utterz.com.

Also, in case you missed it or forgot, the Give 1 Get 1 (G1G1) program has been extended to December 31, 2007. This means that you can still pay $400 (plus shipping) to get your very own XO laptop AND pay for one to be sent to a child in the 3rd World. On top of that, you get a year’s free T-Mobile wifi HotSpot service (which practically pays for the laptop) and, I believe, you don’t have to use said service with the XO–it’ll work with any wifi enabled device you have. Visit XOGiving.org to place your order today.

Remember how you felt the last time you got a really cool gadget? Now imagine how a kid in a 3rd World country will feel when he gets handed one of these things. Yeah–about a thousand times more excited than you. ^_^

GOOD NEWS, XOniverse!

According to a press release, the G1G1 program has been extended to December 31!

For those of you not in XOniverse, you may recall the XO laptop and the program being run by OLPC (the non-profit behind the XO) where if you pay $400, they’ll send you an XO laptop and they’ll also send a 3rd World kid an XO, as well–it’s called Give 1, Get 1. The period in which North Americans could Give an XO and Get an XO was originally only supposed to be fifteen days–from November 12 to 27, 2007. However, thanks to $2 million a day in sales, OLPC is extending the program to December 31, 2007.

So, if you’re thinking about it, you’ve got a bit larger of a window–but don’t expect Amazon.com service–it could take as long as four months to receive your XO and it runs $25 for shipping.

Read thepete.com/tag/olpc for more of my blogging on the XO and the G1G1 program.

You can also check out laptop.org or wiki.laptop.org to learn more about the XO from the source.

Follow XO-related news at OLPCnews.com.

Or if you’re ready to make the jump, head to XOgiving.org and place your order.

I’ll be blogging on the XO as I come across news or when I have new experiences to report with the XO. I still have yet to spend any more time with SugarOS, but I hope to do that once the first draft of my novel is done. So be sure to stop back and see what’s new. Feel free to drop me a line if you’ve got XO news.

This is just a quick post, today, since I have yet to hear back from the OLPC folks regarding when my XO will ship. The rumor is that it’ll be here by Christmas, but I hope that’s an over-estimate. While we wait for my XO to arrive and for me to find the time to work with SugarOS some more, I’ll be posting about other stuff regarding the XO. For today, I’d like to introduce to you the Fido project:

Yep, that’s an OLPC XO laptop integrated with a Roomba. Well, specifically an “iRobot Create” which is like a Roomba minus the vacuum. In a nutshell, the creator, Damon Kohler (he has a blog here: damonkohler.blogspot.com), says they this thing allows him a web-controlled robotic-telepresence in his home. What that means is that he can control this thing from a web browser and he can have the XO snap a picture with its webcam and upload it so he can keep an eye on his home while he’s away. Thanks to the Create, he can look all around his home, too. So, it sort of a nice little robotic sentry. Here’s another vid: