ZDNet UK


Skip to Main Content

ZDNet.co.uk - Winner of Best Business Website 2007
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Blogs
  4. Reviews
  5. Prices
  6. Resources
  7. Community
  8. My ZDNet

 

ZDNet UK RSS Feeds


IT Jobs
Low-power Computing

  • Email
  • Trackback
  • Clip Link
  • Print

OLPC XO review

7.0

Editors' Rating

Very Good

Price:TBA

Verdict

A work in progress rather than a finished product, the XO has much to recommend it. However, there are substantive issues to address if it's to live up to its creators' lofty ideals in practice... Read Full Review.

Pros

  • Low power consumption
  • Rugged construction
  • Excellent dual-mode screen
  • Child-friendly front end and application software

Cons

  • Moderate performance, not helped by a lack of progress feedback
  • Many standard Linux utilities and tools are not available
  • Stylus input is not yet supported; no access to the stylus input area in e-book mode
  • Unreliable mesh networking

Key Specs

Processor manufacturer: AMD
Processor model: Geode LX700
Clock speed: 0.433 GHz
RAM installed: 256 MB
Wireless LAN: Marvell 8388 (802.11b/g; 802.11s Mesh)
Hard drive size: 1 GB
Graphics processor: integrated in Geode LX700
Display diagonal size: 7.5 in
Case form factor: convertible clamshell
Dimensions (W x H x D): 24.2x3.2x22.8 cm
Weight: 1.45 kg
Operating system: Linux (based on Red Hat Fedora Core 6 with Sugar GUI)

Read full specs


More in this Special Report

Low-power computing: a tech guide

Low-power computing: a tech guide

We examine a number of low-power desktops, thin clients and notebooks to find out which platforms are most suitable for deployment in developing countries... more

Photos: OLPC, Classmate and Eee

Photos: OLPC, Classmate and Eee

How do the three leading education-orientated ultraportable notebooks stack up? Take our visual tour to find out... more

Lenovo ThinkCentre A61e review

Lenovo ThinkCentre A61e review

Businesses interested in cutting the power bills generated by their desktop PCs will be interested in Lenovo's ThinkCentre A61e... more

Aleutia E1 review

Aleutia E1 review

The Aleutia E1 is a creditable effort at creating a compact, low-power desktop computer. However, the current hardware platform seems a little underpowered for anything other than the most basic tasks... more

Inveneo Computing Station review

Inveneo Computing Station review

The Inveneo Computing Station delivers reasonably good performance for a low-power PC. It's small, but an untidy assembly means it could be more convenient to handle... more

NComputing L230 review

NComputing L230 review

NComputing's L230 thin client is an option if you need to add a group of low-impact users to an existing Ethernet LAN. However, you'll need to ensure that the host PC is adequately specified to deliver acceptable performance to the terminals attached to it... more

NComputing X300 review

NComputing X300 review

NComputing's X300 provides a cost-effective way to hang up to six terminals off a single desktop PC using low-power, secure, easy to administer and quiet access terminals. It's not for power users, but is well suited to schools, business workgroups, libraries, internet cafés and suchlike... more

ASUS Eee PC 701 review

ASUS Eee PC 701 review

The Asus Eee PC 701 is a great notebook. It's extremely affordable, attractively designed and highly portable. If you're looking for an ultraportable travelling companion or a cheap second computer, there are few better options... more

Intel Classmate PC review

Intel Classmate PC review

Aimed at students in developing countries, the Intel Classmate PC is an intriguing attempt at a low-cost notebook. We love the rugged design, but the small 2GB solid-state hard drive doesn't leave a lot of room for growth... more

OLPC XO review

OLPC XO review

A work in progress rather than a finished product, the XO has much to recommend it. However, there are substantive issues to address if it's to live up to its creators' lofty ideals in practice... more

On The Road Blog

Video Chat on the Move!

I've just had a fascinating and pleasing experience. I had a 15-minute video chat on ooVoo while riding on a bus through the Swiss countryside! First the summary - the quality was... More

Post a comment

Microsoft and the rough Diamond

Today's launch of the HTC Touch Diamond was utterly fascinating. It was also a bit of an anticlimax - some of us hacks had been tantalised by mysterious invitations to a highly exclusive... More

Post a comment

Wholesale Carrier Services: A Great Fi...

The wholesale carrier services of VoIP is the means of providing IP telephony services to the users on a wholesale basis. This opens the opportunity for local service providers to offer... More

Post a comment