[IAEP] Which cheap 2016 Laptop should be our reference?

[Dave Crossland]

On 22 June 2016 at 08:40, Dave Crossland <dave at lab6.com> wrote:

> There are 2 obvious candidates to me, the new "olpc laptop" available from
> olpc inc to USA resident individuals for us$200 plus us$100 shipping from
> china, with other countries shipping fees varying; and the One Education
> "Infinity" which is us$350 plus shipping from Taiwan/ Australia.
>
> The olpc unit ships with sugar and its cheaper so seems a better bet given
> both launched around now.
>
I completely changed my mind about this, after comparing the technical
specifications of the 2 machines. The OLPC Laptop has a fan, the camera is
1MP, and the casing appears to not be ruggedised. Being fanless so it
doesn't overhead when used on a blanket or bed seems crucial to me; as does
a rugged case. I note the camera as a top tier concern because, as I live
in New York City and was searching for (ex-)XO users tonight, I found
http://download.laptop.org/content/conf/20080520-country-wkshp/Presentations/OLPC%20Country%20Meeting%20-%20Day%204%20-%20May%2023rd,%202008/OLPC%20in%20NYC%20-%20Teaching%20Matters.pdf
which says that the Browse activity and Camera were the most vital things
about the XO for kids in Manhattan 8 years ago, and I expect that remains
true today.

So I think the Infinity is the better choice of the two, and likely the
best laptop launched in 2016 that is designed for kids.

However, I think on the website it will be helpful to offer both options,
which both being Intel will have the IME and other low-level proprietary
software requirements. If we're not going to require devices that run only
free software, then I think leveraging the Pi brand is a good idea too; so
then a 4th offer (perhaps with pole positioning) ought to be a "as libre as
possible" option, the x200.
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