If you're like me, you're too lazy to lug your five-pound laptop around. Maybe you want a computer that's more durable, or at least cheap enough so you will not feel as bad when it breaks. Are you jaded by the multitude of viruses in Windows or the fruity brightness of Macs? There may be a solution on the horizon to any or all of the above issues.
There are two new laptops that offer unique features for bargain prices. The low prices are made possible by using older components and by using Linux for the operating system. While Linux used to be unheard of for consumers, it is slowly gaining wider acceptance. Dell even offers a version of Linux as an option on some of its computers.
First, there is the XO from the One Laptop Per Child project. OLPC is a half-humanitarian, half-groundbreaking, somewhat trendy project to put computers in the hands of children in third-world countries. The XO is the fabled "$100 laptop." Unfortunately, that price has slowly ballooned. Starting Nov. 12, the XO will be available in a "Buy one, Give one" program where you purchase one XO for yourself and donate another to a needy child for $399.
Nonetheless, the XO is still pretty cool, despite the fact that it looks like a children's toy. (The PR folks for OLPC refused to send me a review unit, explaining, "the XO is for elementary school children -- not for college students.")
It runs a custom version of Linux, which is designed so you will never have to double-click, and has many technological advances that make me sort of jealous of the kids who will get to use it. Due to the locales in which it will be used, the three-pound XO can resist short falls, dust and water. It can also charge its battery by solar panel, hand crank or pull-string. The XO also includes a built-in webcam, a fold down screen like a tablet PC and a special black and white display mode for computing outdoors and saving battery life.
In keeping with its rugged intentions, the XO has a flash drive in lieu of a hard drive that could die and need to be replaced. While the XO has both Wi-Fi and Ethernet, it also has mesh networking for areas without internet. The mesh network allows XOs to communicate with other XOs in the vicinity. (But won't that just allow the kids to IM each other in class?)
The machine is not without limitations, however. For instance, there is no CD/DVD drive, the 7.5 inch screen is very small and storage space is limited.
Similar to the OLPC XO, but less altruistic, is the Asus Eee; it rhymes with Wii and is a poor acronym for "Easy to learn, Easy to play, Easy to work." The Eee also runs Linux, has a seven-inch screen and is designed to be both light (weighs around two pounds) and cheap (it costs between $200 and $400). It lives up to its easy tagline by using a version of Linux where you only need one mouse button, a la Mac. The Eee does not have the rugged features of the XO, but it does have Wi-Fi, Ethernet, webcam and flash storage. The Eee is now available for pre-order and should ship soon.
I like the idea of having a computer so cheap it is almost disposable and small enough to carry almost anywhere. However, I'm not sure if these current offerings are proverbially there yet. A downside to all Linux computers is that they cannot run programs such as Microsoft Office or iTunes. Also, the prices of these computers run too close to basic Windows laptops, which start around $500. For now, I will still dream of an iPod touch to carry around instead of my laptop.
