Comments on: OLPC or Eee?

Question: OLPC or Eee?

ooklala — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 21:18:58 -0800

I want a small cheap (under $450) laptop. I want to get either an OLPC or an Eee PC. Which would be more worth my while in the long-run?

I am wondering, can the OLPC be used for more than a toy, I.E. be used by an adult in a productive environment or should I get the Eee. I would not mind if I could run the Sugar Interface on top of Ubuntu (which can be installed on the Eee) but how hard it that? I don't want a device like the Nokia Internet Tablet as that is too small. Any suggestions?

By: dobbs

dobbs — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 21:40:32 -0800

I'm also considering an OLPC--I was curious about the keyboard. Is it only good for kiddie fingers?

By: furtive

furtive — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 21:45:21 -0800

Eee has a bit more power, but doesn't have a crank to power it by.

By: dixie flatline

dixie flatline — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 22:01:43 -0800

I'm pretty sure the current model of the OLPC doesn't have a crank either. (Don't have a reference, but I heard this mentioned recently on one of the twit.tv podcasts.)

By: rokusan

rokusan — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 22:16:58 -0800

You can get a pretty good laptop, of the real and full-sized variety, for $450, if you don't mind buying last year's model on eBay. Hell, I get daily Dell flyers with CURRENT laptops for only $100 more than that.

I'm interested in the OLPC and EeePC too, but only when they're actually $99 or so.

By: Gary

Gary — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 22:45:18 -0800

The OLPC no longer has a crank.

The EEE specs are better than the OPLC specs. The current version of the EEE for sale is 900MHz, 512Mb ram and has a 4GB flash drive. The OLPC is 450Mhz, 256Mb ram and has a 1GB flash drive. The OLPC does have a nicer screen, so you'll have to look closer if you care about anything particular.

The OLPC is half the price and that is reflected in the hardware. They're both $400, but that's because the OLPC buys another computer with the money to send to a child in a developing country.

(Buying a computer for a child is an excellent thing to do, but the question was about the computer itself).

By: Gary

Gary — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 23:06:10 -0800

I would not mind if I could run the Sugar Interface on top of Ubuntu (which can be installed on the Eee) but how hard it that?

Here are the instructions on installing Sugar in Ubuntu. I haven't tried it, though. Ubuntu has some issues on the EEE. I'm sure they'll get resolved, but you might want to wait. Linux and incompatable Wifi drivers are not a fun mix.

One last comment to answer your original question. The OLPC appears to be very concerned with keeping the system completely open source. So while the eee has more power, I'm sure you can do productive and useful things on either machine. Even if their software is aimed at children, I'm sure someone will figure out how to put different flavours of Linux on it.

By: Tomorrowful

Tomorrowful — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 23:18:23 -0800

On one hand, I think the EEE will probably be a better deal, since the OLPC will run you twice what it 'should' cost, due to the fact that you're not buying a consumer product per se; you're making a donation and getting a really nice thank-you gift.

On the other hand, the EEE just launched, and we haven't seen the usual swarm of mainstream reviews yet; nor have the gadgeteers and early-adopters gotten their OLPCs yet to play with. So there's a dangerously high (IMHO) conjecture element here; we don't know if - as a totally hypothetical example - the EEE crashes easily, or somesuch. As someone who's also looking at both, I don't think we'll be able to come to a meaningful conclusion until both have been available for at least a couple of weeks.

By: tremspeed

tremspeed — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 00:33:04 -0800

i got a compaq laptop- nothing special, but a 'real' laptop- for about $450 new, from best buy. this was like last year.

disregard if you want/need linux, or if you like the geek-chic factor of the olpc, but i don't think you necessarily have to rule out a more 'standard' model due to cost. if you need small this won't work.

it's pokey, kinda heavy and so on, but it's been extremely handy as a secondary machine. it's been my primary for a week or two since my monitor broke....

By: Good Brain

Good Brain — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 01:19:09 -0800

If you can wait, it sounds like Everex, which just launched a $200 linux PC through Wallmart, is planning on releasing a $300 linux laptop sometime next year. (I think, but I'm not sure, that they expect to get a cut of the google ad revenue from people using the default config of the included browser.)

By: oaf

oaf — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 04:51:11 -0800

I think if I had a bit more than $450 (like $500) to spend on a laptop, I'd get the low-end Dell Vostro and put Linux on it.

By: brett

brett — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 06:24:12 -0800

I have big hands, have played with an XO, and sadly, the keyboard simply isn't big enough for touch typing. Also, it's made of a sort of rubberized material, which is bad for tactile feedback but good for serviceability: you basically don't have to worry about spilling stuff on the keyboard.

None of these are meant to criticize the XO—it's a truly awesome machine—but they're holding me back from buying one myself.

By: jkaczor

jkaczor — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 07:58:44 -0800

Ok - but if I can piggy-back on this question - what about for a child?

Looks like my daughter will need to use a laptop in-class - so we want something small, portable with good battery - but she needs to be able to touch-type as well (so - the OLPC keyboard may interfere with that).

By: willie11

willie11 — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 08:11:51 -0800

You can get a great lightweight and thin used laptop on craigslist in any major city. Even a three or four year old model will be fine for almost anything you need on Ubuntu. Then you simply wipe the Hard Drive and install whatever OS you like.

By: altcountryman

altcountryman — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 08:16:10 -0800

Good Brain mentioned that Everex linuep that's got me a bit interested (when the 12" model comes out) as well. I think these would be good laptops for a child of any age who wants something functional on a budget.

By: jbickers

jbickers — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 08:19:50 -0800

Walmart's been advertising a 15-inch no-name laptop with 1GB of RAM for $478.

By: advicepig

advicepig — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 09:12:43 -0800

I too have big hands. I can palm a basketball, but I don't have fat fingers. I have also played with the XO. I found the keyboard to be a non issue.

By: furtive

furtive — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 10:34:20 -0800

Up Close with the Eee PC User Interface, Part 1

By: ooklala

ooklala — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 10:36:38 -0800

I already have a MacBook, so what I am looking for is something freakishly small like the XO and the Eee.

By: Lazlo Hollyfeld

Lazlo Hollyfeld — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 12:21:26 -0800

The Eee started shipping on Thursday, and the initial reviews have been very positive. Mine is on a UPS truck and should show up Monday. The most active Eee website is eeeuser, which is a good place to find out more information about it.

I have to admit that a lot of why I picked the Eee is that it looks more like a laptop and less like a speak-and-spell. Also, you can buy one right now. They have also done a lot of things right: external vga support, internal SDHC slot, wifi, solid state HDD, upgradible RAM, small ac adapter, runs Linux, etc. The Eee is also smaller, weighing less than 1Kg (The OLPC is 1.45)

By: alms

alms — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 12:29:52 -0800

David Pogue's review in the NYTimes includes a video of him using an XO. The highlights for are when he pours water on it, throws dust and sand on the keyboard, drops it on the ground.

Since it sounds like you're getting this partly for hack value, I'd definitely go for the XO. They are trying to save the world, lots of people are excited about it, and it is totally open-sourced. That combination seems likely to lead to some interesting software, not to mention many interesting conversations.

By: mbrubeck

mbrubeck — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 04:54:45 -0800

The XO has much longer battery life (6-24 hours, vs 3 hours for the Eee).

By: gecko12

gecko12 — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:14:17 -0800

There's a new comparison by Laptop Magazine here.