OLPC’s XO laptop comes to Europe

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One Laptop Per Child is finally bringing their successful Give One Get One (G1G1) programme to Europe.

Last year, the G1G1 programme let Americans buy one of the cheap XO laptops for themselves for $399, while donating a second of the educational devices to be sent to a child in the developing world. The promotion was only supposed to last two weeks, but was extended to the end of the year.

For the 2008 round, the laptops will be available to Europeans at a cost of €312 or £254 from 17 November via a microsite set up on Amazon.

The G3G1 programme is also crossing the Atlantic. Last year, News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch matched any donations his employees made – so for every laptop they bought, three were sent to children overseas.

This year, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) will be doing the same for their employees. The financial messaging company will be matching any donation their employees make.

While last year’s G1G1 was a success, raking in as much as $2 million a day, this time around might be more of a challenge, as cheap laptops have since flooded the market.

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