Second Generation OLPC XO Laptop Boasts Dual Touchscreens

The original purpose of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project was to provide all the children of the world with a working laptop computer. With the second generation, it seems that Nicholas Negroponte is pushing the technological envelope instead. While he has not been able to achieve the original goal of a $100 laptop, Negroponte seems perfectly satisfied with making his second-gen XO laptop a heck of a lot more interesting.

That’s because the XO 2.0 will not come with a regular display and a QWERTY keyboard. The details are still pretty slim, but we hear that the new system will come equipped with two touch-sensitive displays. Think of it as a pair of tablet PCs stitched together. The new XO 2.0 laptop can be opened and read like a book or it can also be opened the regular way with one of the screens acting as a virtual keyboard. The second-gen OLPC XO laptop will also be about half the size of the original machine.

The second generation OLPC XO Laptop is currently being planned for a 2010 release. On a side note, the Give 1 Get 1 program will start up again in August or September of this year.