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OLPC XO Laptop ReivewWe have donated one OLPC and also have received ours with hope to see what is all the commotion about. During the review we had mixed fillings and, perhaps, we quietly wished to discover another super gadget like EEE PC is. Did we? Well, read on further: The very first impression was how small the laptop but not the handle. During a few minutes later the anticipation kept building up while it took some time to open the laptop. The method which is used to keep the screen closed is unconventional, inconvenient and simply odd. Once the laptop was opened and its keyboard was exposed, the disdain over how childish it looks has overcome the optimism. It is foreseeable that no self-respecting adult person would seriously consider utilizing such a laptop in public, the laptop does remind an electronic toy for pre-teenagers. Going further with XO laptop, the boot time was at least a minute further down killing any hope for this product to be fun. The loaded menu was simple enough yet it did take quite a while to understand what the utilized symbolic language. Much later after trying most of the programs one has only wonder why a GUI developed for children would be so doleful in colors, sterile, simply lacking life and personality as if it were some hacker’s machine. Back to its physical characteristics the screen did have rather solid hinges but it did require some force to turn the screen 180 degrees and one would only hope it is within a child’s ability. In addition, seems like none of the included applications could benefit from a rotated the other way screen. The LCD screen is not a touch screen which limits its use in a rotated mode. The WiFi with multiple antennas does reach far but lacks capability to connect to WPA-2 routers. The choice of a software package is weak, an opinion forms that the music education is given more priority over spelling or math. On the other hand, it is commendable to include a basic programming language which will probably be the most educational and fun for those who are mathematically inclined. The OS has no accessibility applications or impaired vision settings. Overall it feels like the software package lacks and is not all it could have been to fit a role of an electronic tutor for a child. Perhaps future application updates would be able to fill the void like for a language development, for example. Moreover, the battery life is not that great as advertised. The laptop has a good ability to conserve power when the screen image remains static, however, during the review and constant loading of different applications the CPU was working long and hard and the battery was draining rapidly. In the end, it is a good laptop for children, it is abuse and somewhat liquid proof but with a bit lifeless and boring software. The CPU is rather underpowered and application load times, as much as booting, is an issue. The main point is while this notebook can well do its purpose, it is unlikely to find users among adult population and generate a fan base similar to EEE PC. Even Furby was more popular. |
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