OLPC XO-3

OLPC has always envisioned itself as saving the world, one laptop-armed child at a time. Their initial attempts with the XO laptop had to overcome economic and political obstacles, but somehow, building a super-thin tablet that can do everything will make it all better. If not, it will at least look really cool. None of this is surprising.

What is surprising, however, is the specs on their promised tablet: “multilingual, multitouch-screen keyboard with haptic feedback, Wi-Fi, high-quality video (1080p full-HD encode and decode), integrated video and still cameras, high-performance 3D graphics, Flash 10 Internet, and two-way teleconferencing.” All of this will be squeezed into a cardboard-thin tablet and sell for $100.

OLPC further promises that early models will run Google’s Android operating system, but later versions will run another open source Linux OS of their choice. The original XO laptop ran Sugar OS, a Linux mash-up of their own creation. But Microsoft screamed bloody murder and managed to convince them to also offer Windows XP versions, lest the poor children of the developing world never have the chance to hear the Windows chimes.

What they have promised in 2011 is not the final release but rather the prototype to be unveiled at CES (Consumer Electronics Show). If they do manage to accomplish their goals and make a tablet that resembles their mockups, it will be revolutionary. While screens with OLED technology can be extremely thin, the accompanying processing power necessary for 1080p HD and 3D graphics would make for one hot little piece of plastic, literally.

Nevertheless, OLPC and their new partners, Marvell, are eternally optimistic, and no one can deny that they have managed a decent amount of success, considering the obstacles they have faced. The goal with this device, like the XOs before it, is to reach developing countries and provide children who would not otherwise have computers, or in some cases even textbooks, with portable devices designed with education in mind. The early versions will look more like the Marvell Moby than the mockups pictured, but the XO-3 is still scheduled for release in 2012.