OLPC laptop goes on sale to West

The One Laptop per Child Foundation's (OLPC) low-cost laptop has gone on sale to the Western world - for delivery to Americans and Canadians only.

From today until 26 November, the XO laptop - once dubbed the $100 (£48) laptop, but now costing twice that - will be available to residents of those countries as part of the Give One Get One programme. For $399 (£190), donors will receive one of the green and white devices, while another is sent to a child in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Haiti or Rwanda.

Donors will also receive a $200 (£95) tax deduction and a year of free wireless HotSpot access in the US through T-Mobile, for use with any device. The OLPC site said that alone was worth $350.

"Since announcing the Give One Get One program eight weeks ago, we've experienced a tremendous outpouring of public support," said Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the programme, in a statement. "OLPC is about learning not laptops. It is wonderful to see how many people deeply care about empowering children, who in turn are the world's most important natural resource."

The computers started production last week, and OLPC warned to order quickly, as numbers were limited. Delivery will begin in December, and arrival by Christmas has not been guaranteed.

The rugged device is water and shock resistant, OLPC said, and features a screen that can be read in the dark or in direct sunlight, a full-time router for internet access and open source software, as well as a free copy of Electronic Arts' SimCity game.

The XO requires between five and 10 per cent of the power of a standard laptop, and can be powered by solar energy, hand crank or pull cords, OLPC said.

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