The XO Laptop
For those of us who still like to give tangible presents at Christmas, why not the cute little green and white XO laptop? When you buy one for $399 (through www.Amazon.com/xo), under the Give 1, Get 1 (G1G1) program, another one will be sent to a child in a developing country. The XO could be considered a pretty good entry-point laptop for a young child: super sturdy, low energy consumption — and reportedly easier to learn to use if you haven't used a computer before. But it's also a present that sparks conversation: between a parent and child, say, about how when we bought you this, we automatically gave another one to another kid faraway who has never even seen a computer. The G1G1 program is currently slated to run until late December.
—Belinda Luscombe