The Bookseller.com

9th January 2009

New ebook launched

22.05.08

The wraps have been taken off the new version of the XO laptop designed for schoolchildren in developing countries--and it looks just like an e-book, reports BBC Online.

The revamped machine created by the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project has been split into two touch screens that can either mimic a laptop with a keyboard or the pages of a book. OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte gave a glimpse of the "book like" device at an unveiling event at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Over the last couple of years we've learned the book experience is key," he said. The idea is for several children to use the device at once, combining the functions of a laptop, electronic book and electronic board.

The new machine will also be more energy efficient, half the size of the first generation device and lighter to carry, and has had its price slashed to $75 per device. "The XO2 will be a bit of a Trojan horse," said Prof Negroponte. Initially it will be promoted as an e-book reader with the capacity to store more than 500 e-books.

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