The low cost solar powered or hand cranked charged XO 3.0 tablet computer was recently unveiled at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show.
The new XO 3.0 tablet is the latest in a range of devices produced by Marvell Semiconductor that have so far been distributed to 2.4 million children in 42 countries under the One Laptop Per Child initiative.
“XO 3.0 builds on many of the technology breakthroughs we made with the XO 1.75, including the use of the Marvell® ARMADA® PXA618 processor, resulting in a significant decrease in power consumption -a critical issue for students in the developing world,” according to Ed McNierney, Chief Technology Officer of One Laptop per Child (OLPC).
OLPC says it is the only tablet that can be charged directly by solar panels, hand cranks and other alternative power sources as well as mains electricity.
According to various reports, cranking the hand charger for six minutes allows 60 minutes of tablet use. As the XO 3.0 uses just 2 watts of power, an optional 4 watt solar panel cover provides twice as much battery time as the panel spends charging under optimal sunlight conditions.
Its LiFePO4 batteries contain no toxic heavy metals and enhanced battery management allow for an extended recharge-cycle lifetime.
The XO.3 is powered by a 1-GHz Armada PXA618 processor; offering double the performance of the CPU used in the earlier XO 1 while consuming only half the power. Like the XO 1.75, The XO 3.0 features dual audio jacks, a mini USB port, a full size USB port, Wi-Fi system, 500 megabytes of RAM and 4GB of flash storage that can be upgraded to 32GB. The unit also features an 8-inch, sunlight-readable 1024 x 768 resolution screen.
The XO line’s “transformer” hinge means the laptop can be used in a variety of configurations – standard laptop use, e-book reading, and gaming. The tablet’s child-proofing features include sealed, rubber-membrane keyboard, display bumpers and plastic walls 2mm thick, as opposed to the standard 1.3mm.
The XO 1.75 will begin shipping in March this year and the 3.0 version will go into production at the end of 2012. The price of the XO 3.0 is expected to be around the $100 mark.
One Laptop per Child (OLPC) was created by faculty members from the MIT Media Lab to design, manufacture, and distribute laptops affordable enough to provide every child in the world better access to technology and knowledge.
