OLPC
OLPC Fork Sugar On a Stick Goes 1.0
Marten writes “It was more than a year ago that Walter Bender left OLPC and started SugarLabs.org. Now, the first version of the new project has been released. Sugar on a Stick is a USB-drive that runs on Mac and PC-style hardware. ‘The open-source education software developed for the “0 laptop” can now be loaded onto a USB stick to give aging PCs and Macs a new interface and custom educational software.’ Bender said, ‘What we are doing is taking a bunch of old machines that barely run Windows 2000, and turning them into something interesting and useful for essentially zero cost. It becomes a whole new computer running off the USB key; we can breathe new life into millions of decrepit old machines.’”
OLPC Spinoff Pixel Qi Merges E-ink With LCD
MaryBethP writes with some tasty prototype photos and info about the new OLPC spin off “Pixel Qi” that is combining the best of e-ink and traditional LCD displays. “The screen can work as a traditional backlit LCD when indoors, can have that backlight disabled to be perfectly visible outdoors (shown after the break), and, as its pièce de résistance, can be toggled into an energy-efficient ‘epaper’ mode. How exactly the company is fitting these seemingly disparate slices of technology into a single 10.1-inch screen is something of a mystery, but we’re guessing much will be answered next week ahead of a planned product launch by the end of the year. Color us intrigued.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Apple Hires Former OLPC Security Director
imamac writes “It seems Apple is seeking to beef up security by hiring Ivan Krstic, the one-time director of security architecture at One Laptop per Child. ‘Krstic, a well-respected innovator who designed the Bitfrost security specification for the OLPC initiative, joined Cupertino this week and will work on core OS security. His hiring comes at a crucial time for a company that ties security to its marketing campaigns despite public knowledge that it’s rather trivial to launch exploits against the Mac.’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
OLPC laptop drops AMD for Via
As part of a wider hardware refresh, the XO laptop for education in developing countries will get a Via C7-M instead of an AMD Geode processor.
One Cell Phone Per Child
OLPCs are a great idea, but it’s the cell phone that’s really changing the developing world.
Analyst: OLPC won’t draw global PC makers
The One Laptop Per Child’s endeavor to have others copy its design may attract Asian whitebox vendors rather than the likes of HP and Dell, according to IDC.
OLPC to laptop makers: Use our design
Founder Nicholas What says the OLPC will open-source its hardware design and invite others to copy it, according to a report from the TED conference.