One Laptop per Child and fuseproject demonstrated a fully functional version of the much-anticipated XO 3.0 - a lowcost, low-power, rugged tablet computer designed for classrooms around the globe - at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show. The XO-3 tablet integrate
s off-grid power sources and durable, kid-friendly design to provide a low-cost, energy efficient way for children in developing nations to learn and utilize technology.
“After 6 years of design development with Nicholas Negroponte and the non-profit organization he founded, One Laptop Per Child, I am incredibly excited to share the next generation XO-3 tablet,” Yves Behar commented. “More than 2.4 million children in 25 countries received the original XO Laptop, and these kids have been our inspiration to create the next generation of this educational tool.
One Laptop Per Child is a technology story about how to provide low-cost educational tools to millions of children. For those children, and for us, it is also a creative story about how to design specifically for young students. Every decision made by the OLPC engineering team and the design team at fuseproject has been about adapting technology to children’s needs at a cost that makes the tablet affordable for developing countries.
The first impression of the XO-3 is its extreme simplicity. The focus is on the screen, while the surrounding green rubber border provides a safe tactile grip for children’s hands. The back surface has a bumpy texture and integrates a rear-facing camera. The connectors, power switch and speakers are arranged on the bottom edge, facing the user.
The XO 3.0 tablet features Marvell ARMADA PXA618 SOC processor, Avastar Wi-Fi SOC, standard or Pixel Qi sunlight-readable display, and Android/Linux operating system support. The XO-3 is the only tablet that can be charged directly by solar panels, hand cranks and other alternative power sources.
