The machine being produced by Quanta for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project is now officially called the 2B1: The Children's Machine. The laptop-handheld hybrid device is set to go into production sometime in the first half of 2007. The OLPC committee is currently waiting on several orders from various countries. Thailand for example, expressed high interest in the OLPC project, indicating that 2B1 would be more effective than traditional school books.

The OLPC group says that 2B1 is "unlike any laptop ever built," which is fairly true. Although many believe that 2B1 is simply a highly reduced laptop from today's entry level models, 2B1 goes far beyond that and is actually something entirely new from the ground up. Despite using some of today's common computer components such as lower-power AMD processors, 2B1 for example introduces high DPI LCD displays. Producing images at 200 DPI, 2B1 will be able to display very sharp images beyond those of most current laptops. The LCD panel itself is special and contains two distinct power saving modes: a transmissive full color mode and a reflective high resolution mode.

Power saving features are also what sets 2B1 apart. According to the OLPC group, the LCD in 2B1 consumes merely 0.2 watts in reflective mode. The entire machine itself consumes less than two watts when operating -- low enough, says the OLPC group, to be powered by a person. 2B1 also has some impressive audio features:

2B1 is VOIP-enabled, creating another link among users (both locally and globally). It features Csound, an incredibly powerful and versatile music synthesis software that takes advantage of a full-featured audio codec (and the mesh network for collaborative musical performances). There are internal stereo speakers, as well as a stereo line-out jack. The microphone is built in, with a mic-in jack, which offers another unique feature: “sensor input” mode.

DailyTech previously reported that several countries were lined up for orders of 2B1. The OLPC group however says that while talks are in progress, no full orders have been placed yet. 2B1 will be sold for roughly $140 per unit to interested government bodies and the revenue generated by 2B1 will go back into developing communities and other humanitarian projects.