The One Laptop Per Child project is beginning to market itself with a campaign dubbed “Give 1 Get 1“.
…on Sept. 24, the OLPC announced a money-raising gambit called “Give 1 Get 1.” Originally, the organization had no set plans to sell or distribute the computers in the U.S. Now it’s hoping to capitalize on widespread interest from American gadget fans to raise enough money to pay for shipments of XO Laptops to four countries that are among the poorest of the poor: Afghanistan, Cambodia, Haiti, and Rwanda.
Under Give 1 Get 1, which will run for two weeks starting Nov. 12, U.S. customers will be able to pay $399 to buy two laptops: one for themselves and one to be shipped to a child in one of those four countries. About half of the purchase price will be tax-deductible. Also, starting Sept. 24, people can simply “give” a laptop by making a $200 donation. Those who’d like to participate can sign up for e-mail alerts on the Web site www.XOgiving.org. The machines, which are being built in Taiwan, will begin shipping to U.S. customers in January or February.
This is actually really interesting. I’m sure a few of my friends will pick these up to hack and tinker with them.
OLPC -begins- marketing? Um, where have you been? Nicholas Negroponte has been marketing XO laptops for a year now, pushing little green machines to every government, including Libya! http://www.olpcnews.com/countries/libya/one_laptop_per_libyan_child.html