Along with announcing two other new models, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project has shown off its latest concept – with a tablet style approaching its previous vision of a dual screen book laptop.
The mooted OLPC XO 2.0 has now been abandoned despite a lot of media attention - but not to disappoint, a whole new concept model, the XO 3.0, has arrived looking a little too much like vaporware, but certainly kind of cool.
Different approach
"The XO 3.0 is a totally different approach, to be available in 2012 and at a target price well below $100," says OLPC's release.
"It will feature a new design using a single sheet of flexible plastic and will be unbreakable and without holes in it.
"The XO 3.0 will leapfrog the previously announced (May 2008) XO 2.0, a two-page approach that will not be continued.
"The inner workings of 3.0 will come from the more modest 1.75."
XO XO
The mentioned XO 1.75 and the XO 1.5 are also being officially announced – with the 1.5 availabe in just a month and the 1.75 pencilled in for 'early 2011'.
"The XO 1.5 is the same industrial design as the XO 1.0, says OLPC.
"Based on a VIA processor (replacing AMD), it will provide 2x the speed, 4x DRAM memory and 4x FLASH memory.
"It will run both the Linux and Windows operating systems. XO 1.5 will be available in January 2010 at about $200 per unit.
"The actual price floats in accordance with spot markets, particularly for those of DRAM and FLASH."
The 1.75 is apparently going to use an ARM processor from Marvell and will cost around $150.
Colour us cynical, but we'll believe in the 3.0 when it's actually sat on our desks.
