Saturday, April 25, 2009

About XO(laptop)

If you have used a laptop computer before, you will immediately notice some differences in the XO computer. For example, it has no disk drive, cd drive or dvd drive. However it has 3 USB ports that will accept flash drives and one SD port (hidden under the screen). There is just 1 GB of memory, so programs need to be tidy. Here's where to find out more about the technical specifications of the XO: http://laptop.org/laptop/hardware/specs.shtml

The XO uses a form of Linux which is an open source programming language which allows you to modify programs to fit the needs of your class. Here is where to find out more about the software: http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/software-and-interface.php

The XO keyboard may be a little different from the ones you are used to. Not only are the keys designed for fingers of small children, they are customized for the languages of the countries where they will be used. To see information about the keyboard layout for English go here: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Keyboard_layouts#US_International_keyboard If you would like to see Spanish, Portuguese, and several other languages, go to OLPC Keyboard layouts.

Unlike other computers you have used, the XO does not currently (January 2008) support printing directly from the machine. It is planned to add this feature later this year through a software update. Meanwhile, you can save files to a flash drive, plug it into another computer, and print.

The XO comes with a wonderful built in camera, capable of taking still shots and video. These can be useful for students who wish to illustrate their stories and projects, video chat, and send photos in emails. Here's where to find out more about using the camera to Record.

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