OLPC XO

In November 2007, the One Laptop per Child program (OLPC) began offering a "give one get one" program for their XO laptop. For $400, customers could buy two XO's, one to be shipped to a child in a underdeveloped country and one for themselves. The offer was so popular the organization extended it to December 31. The XO laptop features a rugged, water-resistant exterior and keyboard, a battery with a life of ten to twelve hours (according to the company's website), and a wireless receiver with a range supposedly three times that of a conventional laptop. XO's were designed to work together, and therefore also come with wireless antennae that allow them to connect directly and form a mesh network. We reviewed the XO to test the claims. While the Internet access is superb, allowing for much greater distances from a router than any other wireless receiver we've seen, the battery life only lasts about 3.5 to 4 hours, and the file browser, built specifically for the XO, takes some getting used to. Overall, if you want a laptop with extreme durability, a battery life that's in the higher range for commercial models, and incredible wireless reception, you will want one of these. Unfortunately, OLPC discontinued their "give one get one" program as of January 1st. But if you're still interested, you may want to do some eBay surfing to try and find an XO.