First Look

I'd seen the XO previously at Ohio Linuxfest and Ontario Linuxfest, so its appearance was familiar to me. It has a green trim with rugged, white plastic construction. The outside of the case is bumped so that it has a texture. The handle at one end of the case is the perfect size for childrens' hands.



The keyboard is very, very small. This design is intentional as a theft deterrent: adults would find the keyboard very difficult to use and quite cramped. In using it, I confirmed this. I will probably purchase a roll-up keyboard to carry with me when possible. The layout isn't the standard U.S. English keyboard, either--it's an internationalized keyboard with alternative keys for things, including linguistic marks, ligatures, and currency marks. The shift key is in the normal position, though.



The two antennae operate not only as antennae, but as dust covers for the ports on the side of the display and as a locking mechanism for the closed display. Underneath the antenna on the left side is a USB port and the audio ports. The right side has two USB ports.



On the front of the display, there is a directional pad and screen direction switcher button on the left corner. The right corner has the power button and four buttons: a square, circle, x, and check. There are speakers above these on both sides. The SD expansion slot is on the underside of the display on the right side. Users can put SD cards in there to expand the storage space of the unit.