One Laptop Per Child

Your independent source for news, information, commentary, and discussion of One Laptop Per Child's "$100 laptop" computer, the OLPC Children's Machine XO, developed by MIT Media Lab co-founder Nicholas Negroponte.

Retail Sales of CDMA-connected XO Laptops in India!

Tucked away in Deepshikha Monga's short article, "OLPC looks to World Bank for India funding" is a XO laptop bombshell:

Later this year, the XO laptops are expected to hit the retail stores. Sources say Reliance Communications, which partnered OLPC Foundation to conduct an XO pilot project inMaharashtra last year, is looking at retailing these laptops bundled with its CDMA modems. Might this be the reason for Nicholas Negroponte's visit to India in August for OLPC India Day? Regardless, it would be a shocking yet welcomed shift in strategy for One Laptop Per Child.

Instead of relying on the slow, arduous, and mostly unsuccessful governmental sales process, India's Reliance Communications has the right idea: Sell XO laptops directly to parents and the public.

Just look at last year's G1G1 success - OLPC "sold" 165,000 XO laptops in less than 6 weeks by skipping school systems and selling directly to eager American and Canadian buyers. Imagine the demand for an XO that has mesh networkingand CDMA connectivity! I know I'd be first in line for a truly mobile XO.

But before we get geek lust going, I have to echo Marc Valentin's questions:

Which part of it is true ?
- XO laptops will be really available in retail stores in India?
- It will be bundled with a Reliance CDMA modem?

If this is true, which operating system will be used? Linux or XP? Or maybe dual boot?

Let's be honest though, I'll be wondering these questions as I book a flight to Mumbai for a bit of line squatting.

Source: olpcnews