Buy a Laptop, Get a Laptop

November 15, 2007

They say it's about giving, not receiving. But from now through November 26, if you buy an XO laptop (left) for a child in need, your own child will get one, too. The offer comes from One Laptop per Child, the non-profit association founded on computer technology developed by Nicholas Negroponte at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab. See the 4 minute video below by NY Times' David Pogue, which explains what the laptop can do.

In the short term, One Laptop Per Child wants to get the machine into the hands of some of the poorest children in the world. In the long run, organization hopes that their technology (and the education enabled by it) helps eliminate poverty.

I think it's a really great idea. And if getting a free tax-deductible laptop isn't enough to convince you, the purchase also comes with one year of complimentary access to T-Mobile HotSpot locations (a $350 value).

Comments

[Sarah]

I was thrilled to discover that the "Give 1 Get 1" offer has been extended to December 31. I'm completely obsessed with this program, and I just signed on to "Give 2" (and get 2, for my two young kids). While the XO offers serious value for the dollar on its own (educational games and wireless Internet capabilities, to name two), some of its coolest features work best when two or more XOs are networked (which is possible without an Internet connection). I wish I could afford to buy a whole fleet of XOs for my kids' school! Getting to tell my children that their computers have "partners" that kids are getting to use in Africa or some other faraway place just makes this offer all the more impossible to pass up!

[Mysterymeat]

Wowzers - that's maybe the most impressive demo I've ever seen. Not the glitz and glamor of Steve Job's iPhone rollout, but splashing, sanding and dropping that thing sure communicated a lot about just how survivable that thing is. Absolutely can't believe the price is possible. Thanks a lot for the post !!!

[Ari Fisher]

what a great idea.

[LarryO]

Wow! This is very cool. Thanks for posting this.