XO: Buy 1, a Kid Gets 1 Free

Americans will be asked to buy XO laptops in pairs—one for themselves and one for a child in a developing nation. Organizers of the "One Laptop Per Child" program hope to distribute laptops to millions of Third World schoolchildren this way. The combined cost of the pair of PCs—available in November—is $399, some of which is tax deductible, reports the Wall Street Journal.

It's not clear how well the XO will sell in the US when laptops with more features are falling in price. The foundation's software chief says the XO, custom made for the developing world, will resonate with kids around the globe. "There is a level of simplicity that people are looking for," he explains. (More XO stories.)