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[Gabey8]

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/hp-2133-mini-note.aspx

It's interesting to see some of the devices coming out as a result of the mere existence of the XO. Let's face it, without the XO, there'd be no Classmate and no category known as |kid-sized laptops designed for education". Without the kid-sized educational laptops, the somewhat-more-feature-rich small budget laptops that are geared toward adult users would never have been created.

This one is from HP, and it "is a bit more expensive and weighs more than the competition". It seems that some of the newer ultra-portable offerings are creeping ever farther from the specs of the kid-oriented notebooks, particularly with regard to size, weight,and cost. (Welcome to the world of small, light, inexpensive notebooks that get bigger, heavier, and more expensive with each new generation. What the heck? )

I am curious to see how this sort of device, which has some configuration options that cost as much as some full-sized notebooks, will fare compared to the budget devices.

[con]

And Dell just announced it's going to enter the ring: 

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200804082339DOWJONESDJONLINE000917_FORTUNE5.htm

So far, most of these devices still fall short of the innovative coolness of the OLPC.  They lack the sunlight readable display.   They don't use a fan-less processor.  The processor and motherboard are still placed under the keyboard instead of behind the display.  The displays on most of these devices still have lower resolution than the OLPC.  They don't have a convertible display like the OLPC.   And they don't even come close to the $200 price of the OLPC XO-1.

[sracer]

And Dell just announced it's going to enter the ring: 

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200804082339DOWJONESDJONLINE000917_FORTUNE5.htm

So far, most of these devices still fall short of the innovative coolness of the OLPC.  They lack the sunlight readable display.   They don't use a fan-less processor.  The processor and motherboard are still placed under the keyboard instead of behind the display.  The displays on most of these devices still have lower resolution than the OLPC.  They don't have a convertible display like the OLPC.   And they don't even come close to the $200 price of the OLPC XO-1.

While all of that is true, there's a few more pieces of truth that haven't been mentioned...

These companies are producing these complete systems NOW (except for Dell and HP who will be soon).   They're not "betas" or "work in progresses". 

People keep reminding us that the XO is for educating disadvantaged children and not a general-purpose notebook.  So why does everyone keep comparing the XO to those general purpose notebooks and pointing out how they fall short of the XO?

But then when the deficiencies of the XO (for the use of general purpose computing) are pointed out, suddenly the distinction is made again.

We can't have it both ways.  Either the XO is hi-tech "Speak n Spell" device that is flexible enough to do more, or it is a general purpose device that is focused on children's education.

[Bastian]

(Welcome to the world of small, light, inexpensive notebooks that get bigger, heavier, and more expensive with each new generation. What the heck? )

The HP Mini-Note is lighter and smaller than the OLPC!

[Lori]

All that just goes to show that XOs with a more standard operating system and a way to purchase it could easily be sold for $300-$500.

[BeckyJ]

HP MiniNote user site:

http://mininoteuser.com/

HP MiniNote website:

http://h40059.www4.hp.com/hp2133/index.html

[samphilomath]

All that just goes to show that XOs with a more standard operating system and a way to purchase it could easily be sold for $300-$500.

you can get a nokia n800 for less then $230 with shipping include. If they start selling the XO, it should be for $200 no more no less.