Think Bigg

If you saw my earlier post on One Laptop Per Child, or have seen any of the hundreds of recent media reports, you know a little about what they do. If not, you can check out this glowing review by David Pogue of the New York Times for a full report:

What began as the “$100 Laptop” has edged up almost 2x in cost, but the idea is basically the same: design an ultra-cheap laptop that uses minimal power with maximum wifi range and put it in the hands of kids around the world.

In connection with the company’s “Give One, Get One” promotion which begins on November 12th, I was privileged several weeks ago to be able to meet with Walter Bender, OLPC’s Chief Operating Officer, to take my own test drive of the tiny laptop with the Apple-esque design.

Here is my take:

For a $200 laptop, the features are remarkably robust and in many cases, innovative. Unlike many $1,000 laptops, the screen is clear and crisp in even bright daylight. The design details are well considered and kid-friendly — the keyboard, for example, is sealed to prevent dirt, dust and sticky juice from seeping in underneath the keys. Power consumption is much lower than in standard laptops, and the laptop accessories include a solar charging option, as well as a hand-held power crank, a must in developing country contexts.

The laptop can automatically detect other XOs in the vicinity and sharing content with any or all of those users is as simple as a click of a button. If you want to see what I’m reading or if I need help with a math problem, I can invite you to see what I see on my screen and, voila! Cooperative learning ensues. At least that’s the theory.

And that brings me to a few of my pet peeves.

First, I have to admit that I waffle a bit on the idea of giving kids unfettered access to the Internet. The world wide web is a powerful tool — perhaps much like a knife. Used properly, it’s an indispensable means to progress; in the wrong hands, however, it can be very dangerous and especially so when your target audience is children.

In developed, Western country contexts, we’re inundated with one story after another of children who have been exploited and victimized by unmonitored exposure to the Internet. While most people’s response tends to be “It’s up to parents to protect their children” (and incidentally, that was Mr. Bender’s response), I wonder how that response holds up in a developing country context where the parents of these children may not even be literate, let alone Internet-saavy.

The second and admittedly less significant issue that may or may not matter to someone purchasing an XO laptop through the Give One, Get One program this year is that the company seems not to be prepared to provide traditional technical support to purchasers. The company philosophy evinces an incredible faith in the ability of children to figure things out — so much so, in fact, that Boston school children are currently writing the XO manual via a cooperative wiki process! Whether that faith is well-placed or naive is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

The XO programming software is transparent and accessible, and from my conversation with Mr. Bender, they fully expect that child hackers around the globe will be morphing and changing that software as time goes on. That said, if you are the kind of parent who expects a 24-hour 800-number with a human being on the other end of the line to answer your questions, you may be disappointed.

On balance, I love the technical achievement that the laptop represents — OLPC has managed to create a totally new machine, based on a totally new set of criteria. Maximum features for minimum cost. My personal concerns lie with the broader questions of appropriateness. When you market technology to children, and especially children in developing countries, how can we be sure that the desired result — bringing those children as individuals and their societies as a whole into the global community and global economy — is the result that’s actually achieved? And how do we protect those children and those societies from the dangers we as longer-term members of that global community know are most certainly out there?

To find out for yourself, starting November 12 and just in time for Christmas, you can purchase your own XO laptop through the Give 1 Get 1 Program. For $399, you will be purchasing two XO laptops—one that will be sent to empower a child to learn in a developing nation, and one that will be sent to your child at home.

It could be perfect gift for your child — a gift that also gives away.

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