One laptop per child project opens up on November 12

Cambridge (MA) - Starting November, North American residents will be able to purchase an XO laptop for $400, sending another machine to a child in an impoverished country.

Beginning November 12, Americans and Canadians will be be given the opportunity to purchase the low-cost computers, but only if they also buy one as a donation to a child overseas as well. The "give one get one" campaign will run for two weeks.

The first 25,000 buyers will be guaranteed a delivery by Christmas. All other purchases will arrive in the first part of 2008. Beginning today, customers can also just submit $200 online to send a laptop to an impoverished child without buying one for themselves.

The XO laptop sports a green-and-white casing, a high resolution screen, and it runs completely on open source software. It also uses a significantly less amount of power than most laptops and can be powered by solar energy and hand cranks, as well as electricity.

The OLPC project was created in 2005 by MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte. "Give 1 Get 1 presents a terrific opportunity for the public to help eliminate poverty and make the world a better place by inoculating children against ignorance," said Negroponte.

The first wave of countries to receive the inexpensive laptops will include Thailand, Uruguay, Nigeria, Brazil, Libya, and Rwanda.