Another Kinder’s Kinderlappy review

The BBC has a nine year old’s review of the XO. What is the ultimate kicker?

But the real surprise came one evening, when Rufus asked me to explain what his friends were telling him on the laptop.

I thought those imaginary childhood friends from years back must have returned.

But I went and had a look – and it was true – he appeared to be chatting online.

So how had he managed that?

“You go on “neighbourhood”, then you go to the chat thing.

You go on Nigeria and you chat to them.”

But why, if he was online with the children at the Nigerian school I had visited, were they sending messages in Spanish?

I decided he must be linking up with one of the South American schools taking part in the OLPC project but we still aren’t sure quite how that is happening.

Still, Rufus is widening his social circle. ” I have three friends. It’s nice to talk to them. They don’t speak much English but I can understand them.” The conversation is not exactly sparkling, but Rufus has learned to say “Hola”.

So if there is nothing else great about this system it’s this (at least to me, until now) unknown feature. Finally, there is the next generation of pen pals and a real way to connect with kids around the world, without having to deal with the hoops of the mail, or governments or any of the other derailers that prevent kids from connecting with each other. Something that I think will carry this system to a special place as the spirit of kids to interact and find out about each other can’t really be contained.

This could really be something that changes the world – instant messaging shrunk the developed world and now it has the chance to shink the developing world, so now kids in Africa could just as easily learn from instructors in Canada.

But there is the double edged sword… how can the others on this network be trusted to be kids? Is there any way that this network of learner are protected against the predators out there who would buy one of these systems and enter a place that they should not be (not that these people should be anywhere but locked away).

I’m sure as more of these systems get out, there will be many more revelations about this.