The post-peak laptop?

If you’re reading this, you’re obviously using a computer of some sort. Have you ever thought about what a computer might look like in a low-energy world?

Nicholas Negroponte has. He’s the man behind One Laptop per Child. His idea was to provide cheap, durable laptops to children in third-world countries, with a cost of only $100 per unit. The result is the XO Laptop. It came in at twice the target price, but still pretty impressive.

The XO laptop folds closed like the traditional laptop with the screen facing the keyboard, but you can also spin the screen around backwards and close it with the screen facing out, like a tablet PC. It has a touchpad that can be used as a writing or drawing surface, with either fingers or a stylus. It has a color LCD screen, but with a super-low-power monochromatic mode that’s actually visible in full sunlight. It has flaps that close over all openings, to prevent sand, dirt, or moisture from getting inside. The membrane-covered keyboard serves a similar purpose. Those flip-up flaps also serve as antennae for wireless connectivity. It comes pre-loaded with a web browser and RSS reader, as well as an array of educational and practical tools, wrapped up in an interface that’s easy for kids or those without much formal education. It can be charged by AC or DC sources, including hand crank and pull-string chargers. And it comes with a suite of software It can also take photographs and record audio and video.

Oh, and it’s power consumption? About 2 watts. That’s about 1/30th of a conventional laptop. And it seems this laptop is very green in almost every conceivable way.

Not bad for $200. And until December 31, 2007, you can buy one for yourself. But there’s a catch. You have to buy one for someone in a third-world country too. “Give one. Get One.“

Leave a Comment