Skip to main content

Hands on: OLPC XO 4.0 Touch brings convertible tablet PCs to children

The One Laptop Per Child project is getting back to its roots. A few years ago, the company revealed plans to release a tablet and ride the wave of popularity generated by slates like the iPad. However, it was clear from the mock-up images that the project’s goals were awfully lofty, especially for a device meant to be ultra affordable and destined for kids in developing countries. The working prototype, the XO 3.0, was a little more down to earth yet never made it to production. This year’s CES, however, brought both a dedicated tablet and a convertible tablet PC to the table. Though the XO 4.0 Touch convertible is a bit of a reversal as it goes back to an older design, the veer into tablets wasn’t a complete waste of time. The XO 4.0 Touch sports a touchscreen as well as faster internal specs.

Though the design looks a bit chunky, the XO 4.0 Touch is quite light and perfect for small people. It even has a handle for easy transport between classes, home, and school. It’s also quite rugged, so even if kids aren’t as careful or gentle with it as they should be, the laptop will continue to function. The hinge that makes changing from laptop to tablet mode is sturdy and looks like it will last for lots of twists.

Both the internal and external design elements prioritize power efficiency since the XO 4.0 Touch is often destined for areas where access to electricity is sporadic. For instance, the 7.5-inch display utilizes Pixel Qi technology, which greatly minimizes energy usage. The screen isn’t particularly vibrant, but it’s crisp and works in the sun. For the touch functionality, OLPC turned to a technology currently in use on popular eReaders like the Nook and Kindle: infrared. This uses less energy than the touchscreens on consumer laptops and allows for the use of a stylus without an active digitizer.

Inside, Marvell’s dual-core, 1.2GHz PXA2128 processor provides plenty of power coupled with high efficiency. It won’t break any records for speed, but is robust enough to run Linux quite well. Just as with previous XO laptops, the XO 4.0 Touch runs Fedora Linux with a customized UI designed to appeal to kids. The focus of the software is education and a peek into the offerings reveals apps and games that teach everything from math to programming to reading skills.

OLPC plans to start shipping the XO 4.0 Touch in March. Right now there are no plans to sell it via retail channels. The company will instead focus on governments.

K. T. Bradford
Former Digital Trends Contributor
K. T Bradford is a lover of gadgets and all things geek. Prior to writing for Digital Trends she cut her teeth on tech…
Best OLED monitor deals: Get an OLED screen from just $450
Marvel's Spider-Man running on the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8.

Shopping some of the best monitor deals is a good way to save on some extra screen real estate, but if you’re looking for something that can produce a stunning image you should turn your shopping cart toward the OLED monitors. OLED is one of the best picture technologies currently available, and it can create a lifelike image that makes interacting with games, presentations, and creative work much more immersive. The best OLED monitors can run pretty expensive, but that’s what OLED monitor deals are for. If you’re looking for superior picture quality and some ways to save, read onward for more details on the best OLED monitor deals taking place right now.
ViewSonic 15.6-inch VX1655 4K OLED portable monitor — $450, was $500

Getting into the OLED game can be both affordable and portable with the ViewSonic VX1655. It’s a 4K OLED display that’s made to function as either a laptop extension or something to pair with a tablet. It comes in at a super sharp 4K resolution and a refresh rate of 60Hz. This isn’t something you’d want to pair with a gaming PC, but it’s a great little display to keep with you if you do creative work on the run or want some extra screen real estate while working on a tablet at your desk.

Read more
Best monitor deals: Gaming, office, curved, OLED and more
Dell UltraSharp 27 4K PremierColor Monitor

Whether you prefer to work at one of the best desktop computers, the best laptops, or anything in between, an external monitor can be helpful to add some extra screen real estate. One of the best monitors can even go a long way toward reducing eye strain and creating an immersive digital or gaming experience. While high end monitors can get quite expensive, there are always some impressive monitor deals to shop, and we’ve tracked them all down. Reading onward you’ll find what we feel are the best monitor deals, whether you’re shopping for 4K monitors, gaming monitors, ultrawide monitors, or more general monitors meant for all-purpose users.
Best monitor deals

The following deals represent a best-of of the deals below. They're selected to give a mixture of prices, styles, and levels of discount. If you don't see something you like, don't worry, as the following sections will have plenty more deals for you to choose from. However, this is a highly recommended place to start:

Read more
7 best Chromebooks for 2024: the best for every budget
Close up of the Chrome logo on the top of a Chromebook.

Chromebooks might have a hard time competing with Windows laptops and MacBooks, but that doesn't mean they don't have their place. We've reviewed hundreds of laptops over the years, testing for important qualities like performance, battery life, and display quality — and we've found that Chromebooks consistently excel at performance and reliability.

You can find Chromebooks from Google, HP, Lenovo, Acer, and many others, and we've dug through them to put together this roundup of the best Chromebooks on the market. They're incredibly accessible devices, and for the right person, a Chromebook can be the best laptop in terms of value.

Read more