I participated in the Give-1 Get-1 program last month, and a few weeks ago I got my shiny new OLPC XO-1 laptop. I took a picture of myself using the built-in camera. As you can see, my cat Zahki never misses a photo-op.

After playing around with it for a few days, I have come to a few conclusions about the device. And, for my own amusement, I'm making this post entirely from my XO-1.

The Good

The hardware on this device seems exceptionally well designed when you consider the target audience. The laptop is rugged and is designed to survive some harsh treatment.

I was pleasantly surprised by the backlit/reflective display. It is quite readable when in reflective mode, and when backlit the color exceeded my expectations. It's a little blurry but quite easy to get use to.

The battery uses some strange chemistry I had never heard of before... Lithium Iron Phosphate. One interesting point about this battery is its long half-life: 2000 cycles! For comparison, Lithium-ion batteries typically last 500 cycles. (a typical person does around 160-200 charge cycles a year)

The wireless range on the laptop is excellent---the best I've ever had the pleasure of using in a laptop. None of my friends have yet received their XO-1s yet, so I haven't had a chance to try out the nifty mesh networking yet.

The laptop also comes with some rather cool software. Some of my favorite activities are EToys (a kind of visual programming interface), Measure (effectively a simple osciloscope), and Record (which allows you to take pictures and record audio). As you can see from this post, the web browser is fairly capable---I was even able to upload the picture I took! Not bad, considering that there is no traditional file system interface. Instead, you have a "journal" which doubles as a work-log and file manager.

The Bad

After owning this laptop for the past few weeks, one thing is painfully clear: the software needs some more work. Luckily this is something that can---and will---be improved upon with time. Here are a few of my pet peeves with the software:

• The device is practically unusable in "ebook" mode, because there is no way to interact with the user interface in this configuration. All I've been able to do is scroll on a single web page.
• When you've changed the orientation of the screen (perhaps for more natural reading in ebook mode) the directions on the directional pad on the screen doesn't change with it. Very annoying.
• Apps take forever to load. They take so long that I'll go to an already open app to fiddle around while I wait, but then when the app fully loads I am jolted away from the app I was just using.
• Over-all, the user interface just feels clumsy. Then again, I think that might be because I've been using my iPhone too much...

The hardware, while great, is not without it's flaws. Here are a few of my observations:

• Only the middle part of the stylus area below the keyboard is sensitive to your finger. While there is a visual indication of the sensitive area, I would have preferred some sort of tactile indication. This might have been left out to make using a stylus easier.
• The keyboard feels horrible. However, it is important to note that I am not the target audience for this laptop, so what feels horribly cramped and numbing to me will likely be just right for kids.
• The mouse has two buttons. I don't see any reason why the user interface would benefit from having a two button mouse. Having a one-button interface is less confusing to first-time users and will encourage better UI design.
• The power button on my XO-1 has gotten "stuck" a few times. If I'm pressing the power button to put the laptop to sleep and the power button gets stuck, I have only a few seconds to get it unstuck before the laptop shuts down entirely.
• The UI just begs for a touch screen. I know, I know... Blame my iPhone.

Software Suggestions

• Holding down escape for two seconds should quit the current app.
• There needs to be more visual feedback when selecting a access point.
• There isn't enough visual distinction between a tooltip and a pop-up menu.
• Being able to open multiple copies of the same activity seems very wasteful of memory. If you want to be able to browse multiple sites at the same time, then tabs seems to be a better way to go. (See how Safari on the iPhone implements tabs)
• There needs to be a visual indication when changing the volume. I have no idea what the current volume level is or if the buttons are actually working.

Hardware Suggestions

• Get rid of the second mouse button. You don't need it. One more moving part to break.
• Better yet, add another button or two to the "brick", to help improve navagation in ebook mode.
• While it would likely increase the costs of the machines and decrease the life of the displays, the software really begs for a touch screen interface. I keep finding myself touching the screen trying to make things happen and being confused when nothing happens. This is probably due to me using my iphone too much.

Conclusion

Over-all, I love this thing. It is a great learning tool, and I am quite proud of the fact that a child out there has one of these things because I participated in the program. It is a wonderful device, and will only get better as the software improves. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to stop now before this thing gives me carpel-tunnel.