OLPC versus Amazon Kindle... who cares!

So the OLPC is getting into a few peoples hands, but I came across the most strange of strange comparisons on the O’Reilly Radar blog space. I first have to thank my friend David Haimes for first pointing me at this.

So lets start with the Amazon Kindle. There’s plenty already said about its industrial design out there in the blogsphere but I fear the same fate as the Sony E-Reader. Why? Well I guess that I’m some sort of 40-something stick in the mud. I know when I started to fool around with Wordstar on an x8080 with CP/M, my Dad said that I was a complete fool. Bear in mind he was a University Lecturer in all things very complicated that I never really got my head around, but he used a manual (read not even electric) Olympic typewriter. He had custom ordered it (I’m guessing in the 1960’s) with extra symbols like a 1/2 and other way out mathematical symbols. So I remember making my own “Top Trump” cards using this device and trust me when I say this, it took no prisoners. I think to some extent its why I still type with two fingers at a speed that at least keeps up with the nerds that can touch type. Tipp-ex and Wite-Out were some years away from being available in rural England so its all about accuracy and not the ability to locate the delete key with your pinky.

What’s my point? Well I still print stuff on to paper to review. You know, design documents, long email threads, papers etc. I thumb my way through 5-7 magazines a month (at least Evo, Macworld, Fast Company, Wired and British GQ) and whatever books lay to hand. Why? Well I like the tactile feel of paper. I like turning pages. I like the portability and the fact the I never need to charge a book when its running low on power. Its the ultimate of low powered portable devices.

I am my dad. Holly crap Batman. Maybe Hendrickson is right in his O’Reilly piece, its the way ahead for mass distribution of materials for education. Give it out electronically on demand on something that on a good day with the wind behind it plays like a book. It the same sort of way AstroTurf is like like grass right. But where do I, or more importantly my children, scribble notes of their current sweethearts for future generations to enjoy? Who knows. But its all going digital all very quickly. Times are a changing my friends.

And the OLPC? Well its still so much more way cool than a Kindle. Case rested.

Trick or treat?

So one of the first things I got asked, well no. Probably the
eighth thing I got asked after


Take me to your leaders... or other tricks the OLPC can do including making a Cappuccino.

•How did you get that? [coz i’m cool]
•Can I get one at Best Buy / Wall Mart [no]
•That’s cool, but not as cool as my iPhone [wrong]
•How did you get that? [please stop asking the same questions]
•...

You get the picture. Going back to the eighth question... well how big is it? TINY (see right)! As you can see sitting on top of my 12” Apple PowerBook, its dwarfed and that’s amazing based on how tiny the PowerBook is to start with.
Just image how enormous your Leveno/Dell is in comparison. Sitting in Coach, no problem even when the bugger in front of you goes into full laid back mode 30 seconds after lift-off. I then found out then next coolest feature, the movable screen. Oh how sweet. I love my Apple gear, but dream on Mr. Jobs, you laptops aren’t this cool!

Arrival

When I first ready about One Laptop Per Child, I though it a noble effort but seemed like a dream to get a $100 laptop built and delivered. I then read about the “Give one, Get One” program. Its seemed just a great deal, do some philantrophy, help somebody else out who would never get access to this type of technology and get something that the kids would get something from. The obvious question is what does a 5 year old with their own Laptop. Well, what did they need when they were 3 and 4 with my wives desktop system... well nickjr.com and episodes of the “Clangers” dad found on YouTube. Enough said.

So the OLPC arrived today, and I had the pleasure of opening it and setting it up. Not quite the pleasure as opening a product from Apple, but a genuine buzz about what it would look like and how it would perform. There was even flutter or three in my stomach.

First impressions? Well its *tiny*. I mean really tiny. The keyboard is a bit rubbery but will survive a spilt juice and other eating debris. Like the fact the the Antenna ears act as the lock to keep the two halves together. Like it has a carrying handle (like those old Apple Laptops). I even got it hooked up with a 128-bit Hex WAP Key onto my network first time.

Application look cute so far as well. Interface seems to be very simple as well. Not Windows, not OS-X, not Linux flavor of the month.

My daughters birthday is not for another 3 weeks... so I get to play (hee hee hee).