One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) has unwrapped its $100 XO3 tablet at CES 2012. The device – which is designed for children in developing countries – will run Linux (Sugar) or Google’s Android operating system.
The XO3 features an 8″, 1024 x 768-resolution display, Marvell Armada PXA618 processor, 4GB of internal storage, 512MB of RAM and can be charged using a solar panel cover or a third-party wind-up handle mechanism.
The device is also equipped with a USB port, Micro USB port, headphone/mic inputs and power jack.
Joanna Stern of The Verge – who gave the tablet a test drive at CES 2012 – reported the XO3 prototype unit ran rather slowly, which she attributed to the software still being in development.
“The delay between tapping the browser icon and it opening was noticeable. The second problem is that the software doesn’t seem to be optimized for touch,” said Stern.
“When I tried to scroll in the Wikipedia program, it highlighted text; I had to select the scroll bar to get to the bottom of the page. OLPC says it is working on this and that it does work in some applications.”
However, Stern emphasized that the XO3 hardware appeared as “innovative as ever,” and would likely be the most well-built tablet under $200 if OLPC managed to pull of its hyped $100 price point.
