OLPC is showing off two new tablets for Kids, so it must be CES 2014, where they introduced the XO-7 last year – which eventually was released as the XO, and was available for $149 through outlets such as Wal-Mart and Target. It was a wild-looking device, definitely geared toward the kids and designed by Yves B©har – the industrial design rock star that has really been onboard working with OLPC, and the design certainly made sense for a three-year old and up child. It was rugged and practical, but still not quite up to standards for such a good cause.
This year they have two models they announced, the XO-2 and te XO-10, as well as a couple of accessories. One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is a “non-profit” organization that offers an inexpensive laptop designed and destined for “developing” countries. Behind the scenes partner, Vivitar, is still responsible for the hardware of the OLPC’s devices.
According to Engadget, the two models are virtually identical except for screen and battery size, while the internal parts are shared between the two devices. The XO-2 model has a 7-inch display and the XO-10 has a 10-inch display. Both displays sport a meager 1200 x 600 resolution, but let us remember that this is being viewed by a three-year old. There is actually a quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM and 8GB of Internal Storage – not bad for a kids’ tablet.
The XO-2, or 7-inch model, should give you about seven hours of battery life and the XO-10, or 10-inch model, should be in the twelve hour range. Both models actually run Android 4.4 KitKat, heavily modified of course, and ship with 100 pre-loaded English and Spanish apps. The company says these applications alone are worth around $200, but the tablets are priced at $149 for the XO-2 and $199 for the XO-10.
Also introduced were newer versions of the digital microscopes and telescopes that Engadget showed us last year along with a wireless keyboard designed by “superstar designer/OLPC pal, Yves B©har.”
Let us know on our Google+ Page what you think of the OLPC’s new models – a good value for their specifications and purpose?