One Laptop per Child Unofficially Announces New Hybrid Device


OlpcLaptopOne Laptop per Child (OLPC) is an affordable eduction project supported by the One Laptop per Child Association in Miami, and the One Laptop Per Child Foundation in Cambridge (Wikipedia). Originally funded by a large group of organizations, including AMD, Google, Marvell Technology, and eBay, OLPC has had a lot of ups and downs. In fact, many have forgotten about the existence of OLPC, and its entire line of XO laptops and tablets. Maybe that's because it's been nearly ten years since the project attempted to release an affordable, rugged device for developing countries (it ended up not being affordable at all). But now, the project's Australian partner, One Education, is gearing up with the company to release a new XO device (Slash Gear). Said to be more ambitious than ever, the new XO-Infinity will be a modular tablet/laptop hybrid, comparable to Google's Project Ara.

OlpcLaptop1This thing is modular alright. Sneak peaked images within One Education's website show the rear of the device with multiple modular components, all color-coded. It looks to include CPU, battery, camera, and connectivity modules. Other hardware is currently unknown, but it is guessed that even the display and keyboard can be removed. Geeky Gadgets says that it's hard to tell whether these components are just concepts or the latest prototypes.

OlpcLaptop2Well we get the basic idea, and we do know it is dubbed the XO-Infinity, and it is definitely a hybrid device. The colors and rugged style match other OLPC projects, and if it goes with the plan, these hybrids could be upgradeable for years. That, in itself, is a learning platform for kids. More importantly, it is economically efficient for those living in developing countries. No information on pricing or availability yet.

Topics: Technology News Convergence & Convertible Hybrid PCs Laptops & Ultrathin Ultrabooks Tablets

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