You've purchased fair trade coffee, committed to buying only sweatshop-free clothing and offset your carbon emissions on your last flight home. But according to one new organization, social responsibility is about to reach a new market as well: the personal computer.
Starting Nov. 12, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) organization will launch "Give 1, Get 1," a program that will allow U.S. consumers to purchase their very own XO laptop, the famed $100-laptop previously restricted to mass orders placed by foreign governments in developing countries.
American buyers will pay $400, four times the $100-price tag the computers carry for foreign governments, and receive their own XO laptop, while also paying for a second laptop to be sent to a child in the developing world.
The idea, according to Professor of Computer Science Robert Jacob, is to accelerate development in poor countries by giving people there access to simple technology that many Americans grow up with.
"I thought the most interesting thing about the project is that techies are trying to solve problems for the developing world," he said. "Most information technology is designed for students and businessmen. Here, they went out and designed a product specifically for poor kids in the developing world."
Jacob stressed the importance of the "Give 1, Get 1" program in developing interest in the issue.
"I think [OLPC's] goal is just to get things going. As I understand, they were never intending to sell the product to individuals," Robert said. "The original plan was to sell it to governments in quantities in the millions. I think it's taking awhile to get that going, and this is a way to get it started."
The XO is designed to work as a learning tool in every environment, but it is specifically designed, with extreme durability and a long-lasting battery, for use within the developing world. According to the OLPC Web site, it allows children to "tap into their own potential, to be exposed to a world of ideas and contribute to a productive world community."
Senior Michael Eddy, the co-president of PANGEA, stressed the importance of the computer in educating the developing world. According to Eddy, access to computers is essential for participation in today's global economy.
"The things we learn from [technology] ... problem solving skills and creative thinking skills, kids in the developing world cannot develop," Eddy said. "If you want to succeed in a globalized economy, one of the essential skills that kids growing up are going to need is computer skills, so to give children access to information technology and computers is the key to educating the next generation."
Junior Constantin Sabet D'Acre has direct experience with bringing computers to impoverished communities: working in Cambodia to bring desktop computers to an orphanage. He said one of the XO's unique strengths is its "mesh networking" ability, which allows any XO computer with an Internet connection to share its access with all XOs in the surrounding area.
"The laptops are really focused on having kids communicate and exchange ideas and explore the world." Sabet D'Acre said. "It really helps kids to grow."
According to Sabet D'Acre, computer skills are coveted in Cambodia, where access to technology is scarce in much of the country.
"Right now, Cambodia is importing labor from abroad, because they don't have educated people in the workforce," Sabet d'Acre said. "When you teach a kid even the basics ... odds are very high that he will get a good job."
However, the laptops could cause controversy in less democratic nations. According to Jacob, due to the laptop's unique networking capabilities and promise of freedom of communication, dictatorial regimes may be opposed to the introduction of the XO.
"[OLPC is] proposing massive transformation," Jacob said. "It could also be subversive. You can imagine lots of people talking to each other, which is more communication than a dictator might want."
According to the OLPC's Web site, since its inception, the laptop has been supported by Nigeria, Uruguay and Brazil, among others, and it is it the company's hope that the "Give 1, Get 1" program will allow further reach of the product without direct support from governments. Its popularity in the United States, however, remains to be seen.
Eddy said he believes the philanthropy aspect of the program will help in developing popularity for the XO.
"It's not going to be the coolest toy for Christmas," he said. "But the philanthropy component has the extra value, and it allows kids to have fun and connect with another person on the developing side of the world."
Jacob also believes the idea of philanthropy will be key to the laptop's sales in the United States.
"Honda makes a hybrid Civic that looks exactly like a Civic, aside from a small label on the back of the car. But everyone wants the Prius because it's the Prius," Jacob said. "You may get the same thing here: [The laptop] shows people's concern."
Freshman Linda Khalil said the laptop's low price - $400 dollars, including the second laptop for a child in a developing country - is enticing, too.
"I have a laptop, but if I needed to buy a new one, I might consider it," she said.
But the philanthropic side of the offer is a factor as well, she said. If she were considering buying an XO on its own, she would "research its features much more," she said.
Philanthropy aside, junior Dan Wong questioned the XO's desirability as compared to other computers within the United States.
"It depends on its ability to function as a productivity tool," Wong said. "As an entertainment tool, it can't match up to other computers ... I'd almost be more willing just to pay $100 to send over a computer, rather than the $400 to buy one for myself as well."
