hircus | # 1 | 2008-05-21, 22:26 | Report

From infoSync World:

Key goals for the OLPC XO 2.0 include an even lower target price of $75 than the original $100 price point, reducing power consumption from 2-4 watts to 1 watt, a new design about half the size of the original XO, and lastly adding a dual-touch sensitive display to enhance the e-book experience. The design provides a right and left page in vertical format, a hinged laptop in horizontal format, and a flat two-screen wide continuous surface that can be used in tablet mode.

It's due out in 2009, so I'm not sure whether the images are just photoshopped or they actually have prototypes already implemented. No detail on what CPU will be used, but the power envelope is leading to speculation that they might be using ARM. *lust*

Benson | # 2 | 2008-05-21, 22:42 | Report

<snark>
Did they ever even get the quantities to hit the $100 price point?

And how will they run XP on ARM?
</snark>

Regarding the images, definitely CG tablets composited with photos.

And if I understand right, they are using a touchscreen as keyboard. Not good.

Finally, they said the 1.5 is due in '09, and the 2.0 not till '10... they only provide details on the 2.0, though, so who knows how much of that will be in the 1.5.

cvmiller | # 3 | 2008-05-22, 17:49 | Report

Why ARM? OLPCs run and AMD (read: x86) processor now. I don't see why they would switch. (and they run XP now! But why would you want to? Ubuntu is _so_ much better)

On the subject of the photos, I _totally_ agree, all fake.

Craig...

Benson | # 4 | 2008-05-22, 18:34 | Report

That speculation is what I was referring to. Besides, ARM is, at the moment, better performance/power than any x86-compatible CPU; it's a sensible choice, if they didn't want to run XP.

ysss | # 5 | 2008-05-22, 18:49 | Report

I think that kind of design is the 'future'. There were some mockups of Apple keyboard with a multitouch-screen keyboard that can be readapted for multiple applications (jog dial for video editing, sliders for audio mixing, turntable for DJ, etc) which I thought is pretty cool. With some haptic feedback, it may provide a usable analogue of the required feedback for fingers precision control.. I mean, the trend with keypads have been continuously thinning anyway (typewriter, IBM keyboards, notebook keypads, etc).
But obviously I'm quite biased, cause I've sketched such design a few years ago but scratched it off without knowing of multitouch and haptic tech.

ARJWright | # 6 | 2008-05-25, 21:54 | Report

Personally speaking, I'm digging the design. I do wonder if there will be any haptics, if not so much for the UX, for the feeling of something that isn't so harsh to the touch.

Definitely would be a solid form factor for the IT actually.

With anything XO, I'd love to see the software. They fact that they think so far out of my "professional and long time computer user" paradigm is really neat. I wish more developers took that leap.