EA Donates SimCity to 'One Laptop Per Child' Project

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What kid would want a free laptop if it doesn't come with any games? The One Laptop per Child foundation now has a solution to this basic problem.

Electronic Arts today announced it is gifting Maxis' original SimCity to the project. The One Laptop per Child initiative is a non-profit organization with the goal of providing cheap, functional laptops to poor children in developing countries.

The hardware itself, the famous "$100 laptop," actually increased to a price of $200 recently. The foundation has received funding for laptop distribution in countries such as Uruguay, Peru, Mexico, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Haiti, Cambodia, and Libya.

"SimCity is entertainment that's unintentionally educational," said EA global branding VP Steve Seabolt. "Players learn to use limited resources to build and customize their cities. There are choices and consequences, but in the end, it's a creativity tool thatÂ’s only limited by the player's imagination."

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    November 8, 2007 1:19 PM

    I REALLY Want one of these, I like that it looks like a kids toy AND it has the crank thing so you can power it without having to plug it in

    It still has that righT? the hand crank or almost lawnmower pully lever to get its own power?

    MORE DEVICES need hand cranks, CARS, TRUCKS, we need a way to hook treadmills and shit up to cars and trucks, use the treadmill for 30 min and then you get power to travel for 2 days or something

    • reply
      November 8, 2007 1:21 PM

      Actually I believe the reason the cost increased to $200 is they removed the crank and replaced it with a more generic power adapter, to allow any sort of pedal or power-generating peripheral. I think the issue was that the crank could get clogged with sand or something.

      Could be wrong on that, but I don't have time to check it out right this second.

      • reply
        November 8, 2007 1:26 PM

        DOH! That bites

        So you can still power it yourself with a pedal or something?

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          November 8, 2007 1:29 PM

          "lose weight while playing video games! just attach this laptop to your stationary bike and pedal for hours while playing simcity. AND IT GETS BETTER! the laptop's clean energy helps the environment!"

        • reply
          November 8, 2007 1:31 PM

          "The XO battery can be recharged with a hand-crank, pull-cord, pedal, solar panel, or car battery when no electricity source is available."

          http://askbobrankin.com/xo_the_200_laptop.html

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            November 8, 2007 1:34 PM

            YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

            so freaking sweeeeet

            I wish there were more devices that I can power on my own, it just feels better being independent from gas and electrical company etc

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      November 8, 2007 1:29 PM

      IAWT hand crank advocacy!

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      November 8, 2007 1:59 PM

      You're not supposed to want one! They made them look like toys so people wouldn't want them so there would be no commercial demand so kids wouldn't get their laptop stolen and put on ebay.

      I kinda wanted one too as a novelty, but then I realized wanting one meant some poor kid would have his laptop stolen down the line* and that is really saddening. I wonder if there's a OLPC replacement program.

      *Not directly because of me wanting one, just in general.

      • reply
        November 8, 2007 2:28 PM

        There's a buy-two give one away thing direct from the OLPC guys, so don't feel guilty.

      • reply
        November 8, 2007 3:04 PM

        I'm not stealing anyones laptop!

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