Starting Monday, November 12 at 6:00am EST, you will be able to donate one XO laptop to a child in the developing world and also receive a laptop for the child in your life, by visiting www.laptopgiving.org or calling toll-free 1-877-70-LAPTOP.Now we know exactly when G1G1 will be starting, and its even earlier than OLPC telemarketers predicted, which is great. Now we can all have a pre-work XO-1 buying orgy and start the day with a smile for two reasons.
First, T-Mobile's HotSpot commitment was detailed in the email, and it makes an XO-1 buy worthy just for the connectivity:
Additionally, T-Mobile is offering donors one year of complimentary access to T-Mobile HotSpot locations throughout the United States, which can be used from any Wi-Fi-capable device, including the XO laptop.Better yet, the content available on OLPC just got better too. In addition to being a Library of Alexandria, the XO-1 computer is now a gateway to a whole other level of social learning with OLPC Sim City.
Wait, let me be clear, Electronic Arts has followed through on actually donating the original SimCity to each computer in the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative, which the company claims is the first time a major video game publisher has gifted a game to the world. If so, this is yet another great achievement of Nicholas Negroponte's dream.
May a Monday sell-out of G1G1 be the next.
The Pepperpad folks have ported a special version of their software just for the OLPC computer including support for mp3:
http://www.pepper.com/linux/olpc.html
The Pepperpad folks have ported a special version of their software just for the OLPC computer including support for mp3:
http://www.pepper.com/linux/olpc.html
Hail PepperPad!!!
That is really fair of them. Their software is ideal for the bunch of people who would like to have a more "adultish" GUI for the XO.
And the pepper package includes Java 1.5 (which is missing badly from Sugar)!
Hey,
we just startet the initiative OLPC Germany to get this subject more in the public in our contry (www.olpc-deutschland.de) and got already some request about getting the XO outside the USA. Will it be possible, to order it from Germany?
Regards from Germany,
Gregor
www.olpc-deutschland.de
They need to get Tmo to offer a year of Hotspot access to simple donors. Meaning someone who donates $200 for a laptop but doesn't want or need their own laptop should get a year of free WiFi from Tmo.
I've registered with two email addresses, and received no notice from OLPC. And no, nothing in the spam folder. Thanks for sharing the information so that I can get on the phone Monday morning :)
I am going to order 4 on Monday, to be placed as a "learning center" in the kindergarten classroom of my daughter, a Teach for America volunteer teaching in the South Bronx. My plan is to set them up first at my home (making the server software run on some piece of hardware we have lying around), and familiarize my daughter with the system at Christmas. We'll see how this works, given that the model of the computer is as a personal tool, not a shared device. I hope the demand for g1g1 doesn't preclude my getting more than one.
I called at exactly 6:00am. The phone was busy on my first three tries, but then I got through.
The operator sounded like a native English speaker who was not very good at taking phone calls, but it may have been a well-trained phone person whose native language was not English. She followed a phone script on her screen TO THE WORD, which was kind of amusing as she stumbled over the carefully prepared introduction. She did a good job, though, repeating everything back to me, etc.
I completed my order by 6:10am, and I have my confirmation number.
The only odd thing: She confirmed several times that I was participating in the "give one, get one" program. At the end, she added that she was confirming my tax-deductible donation of $399. If I am getting a laptop for my gift, then shouldn't my tax-deductible amount be half that?
It is possible that the tax-deductible donation amount really is $399, and that this is not a purchase at all, and that the laptop is technically a gift recieved because of my donation, in which case i am responsible on my tax form for taking off the value of the gifts given. I think that's the way donations always work, I've just never gotten a "gift" for my donation that was more than a coffee mug.
Anyway, I am very happy that it was so easy to make the order. Of course, many geeks can't wake up before noon, so that may explain why I got through so quickly. *grin*
I hope they sare succesful. I hope they change the entire laptop industry. I hope they improve the lives of millions of people. Yay OLPC!
-dougas, raging XO fan
Hi, I'm very excited about this computer. I happened to come across it while I was searching for an educational toy such as a toy laptop for my elementary school aged daughter. They sent me the reminder e-mail and I ordered it yesterday within 5 minutes of calling at 9:30 a.m.
I'm glad that I was able to participate in this program and share in the experience of helping out another child as well as my own! I just hope other mom's can benefit from this as I know I will. I've spread the word around a little at my daughter's school and told all my friends.
I hope people will buy this xo computer for their children instead of all the wasteful toys that some parents tend to buy for the holidays. Enjoy! Lisa.
I don't know what the confirmation email looks like. Is it from PayPal or is it from LaptopGiving or OLPC. Is the receipt number the same as a confirmation number? I'm worried I won't get my laptop!!
Has anyone that placed a phone order received their email confirmation? I placed my order at 5:30am on the 12th and still have nothing, and no charge to my cc. I have called cust serv 2x and they just say everything is fine and the orders will be placed in the order they were received. I should be somewhere near the beginning since was 5:30am the first day. Getting a little worried.
Suzy,
Did you receive a confirmation or a credit card charge yet. I placed my order at 6:30 am EST on the 12th and still have not received a email confirmation or a credit card charge.
Anyone else out there in a similar pickle?
I ordered online on Monday morning, 11/12. Late Thursday evening, 11/15, I received this e-mail from "OLPC Customer Care [service@laptopgiving.org]"
Subject:Thank You for Donating to One Laptop per Child
Thank you for participating in the One Laptop per Child "Give One Get One" program. Your donation of $798.00 will bring education and enlightenment to children of the developing world. $200 of each $399 "Give One Get One" Donation is tax-deductible (your donation minus the fair market value of each laptop you receive). With Shipping and Handling, the total charge to your credit card is $847.90.
As a "Give One Get One" donor, you will receive one of the first XO laptops to be distributed in North America. Laptops will be delivered on a first come, first served basis. While early purchasers have the best chance of receiving their XO laptops in time for the holidays, quantities are limited and we cannot guarantee timing. We will provide you with regular email updates.
If you have any questions about your donation, please contact OLPC at service@laptopgiving.org or call 1-800-201-7144. Should your employer wish to match your donation, we are a 501(c)(3) organization and our EIN# is 20-5471780.
T-Mobile USA is proud to offer you one-year complimentary access to T-Mobile HotSpot in recognition of your support to the One Laptop per Child "Give One Get One" program. As you help children in developing countries stay connected, educated and enlightened, T-Mobile is supporting you! You will receive an email message close to the time that your laptop ships containing instructions on how to begin your complimentary year of T-Mobile HotSpot service. Please refer to http://hotspot.t-mobile.com for additional information on T-Mobile HotSpot Wireless broadband Internet service.
To find out more about the mission of One Laptop per Child, please visit www.laptop.org. To review "Give One Get One" terms and conditions, please click here
Thanks again for your generous support, and welcome to the One Laptop per Child community!
Sincerely,
Nicholas Negroponte
Chairman
OLPC Foundation
One Laptop per Child Foundation is exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent provided by U.S. law. This receipt is not valid if your donation is refunded for any reason. Additional information about the foundation is available from www.laptop.org or the foundations registration office of your State.
One Laptop per Child
P.O. Box 425087
Cambridge, MA 02142
U.S.A.
I'm a little concerned about the status of my order. Here is my summary of contact with OLPC:
Ordered online at 3:00 AM PST November 12th. Credit card was charged same day; have printed receipt from PayPal with receipt number.
6:30 AM PST Nov 12th: Realized that order form allowed me to ship to a PO Box; wondered if that was possible. Called 877#; person that answered phone said it was o.k.
November 15th, evening: got phone call from person at PayPal confirming my transaction via Credit Card. I was puzzled, but person said that she did this all day, confirming credit cards.
November 19th - no email confirmation yet.
Nov 19th 4:30 pm: called Donor Services line: after holding for 10 minutes, I got a person who said she could not see my order, but that many peoples' orders had not been processed yet and were visible to her computer. I explained that my transaction with PayPal had already been charged, and that I needed to verify/change my shipping address. She told me USPS Boxes were not valid. She took my new shipping address, but could not confirm that my order was in the queue or processed. I asked her if she would recommend calling later in the week in the hope that my order would be rectified; she said "you *could*" (admittedly, it sounded like she had had calls like this all day.) I finished with her, and just out of curiosity, I tried to call back. I got the following: "Donor Services does not have a CSR to help you at this time. Please leave a message with your name and phone number and we will contact you via email." Then, "the mail box you accessed cannot take messages. it is full.". OK - maybe not a good day at laptopgiving.org. I guess I was lucky to get through at all. I have a lot of hope: hoping that my paid order and my ersatz order (with the right address) will meet up; that Mr. Negroponte and crew appreciate my support; and hope that they will be able to follow through with their end of the deal. (Unfortunately for me and for them, I'll be calling until I get a decent answer and/or an XO in hand.) sigh.
After calling the G1G1 line and asking how to pay by check, they told me:
Multiply $423.95 ($399 + $24.95 shipping) times the number of laptops you want to give/get. Send a US check or money order for that amount, along with a letter that gives your shipping address, to:
OLPC Foundation
92 Corporate Park, Apt C-324
Irvine, CA 92606
That should suffice for anyone who doesn't like PayPal or who doesn't have a credit card.
Whom should we who donated on day one contact if due to disorganization in Donor Services we are forced to re-order?
Are our early confirmation numbers going to be honored if our credit cards aren't charged for weeks?