Book Shaped Notebooks Edit
2nd Generation OLPC XO Laptop

OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) founder Nicholas Negroponte revealed the second generation of the OLPC XO laptop at OLPC’s Global Country Workshop in Cambridge, Mass. which was held on May 20. The new design is about half the size of the first model and goes for a foldable e-book form factor with two touch-sensitive displays.

“The next generation laptop should be a book,” Negroponte said.

The design transforms between three modes: a standard book mode with right and left page in vertical format, a hinged laptop in horizontal format (with one of the displays serving as a full touch keyboard), and a flat, two-screen continuous surface for use in tablet mode. The dual touchscreen displays, which work both indoor and outdoors, were developed by former OLPC CTO Mary Lou Jepsen.

The press release reads, “Younger children will be able to use simple keyboards to get going, and older children will be able to switch between keyboards customized for applications as well as for multiple languages. The device will also reduce power consumption to 1 watt.”