OLPC laptops to launch as '2B1'

The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project is planning to launch its notebook computers under the name '2B1'.

"While we have not settled on a final launch name, it is likely to be 2B1," Walter Bender, who heads up the One Laptop per Child's software and content programme, told vnunet.com.

The name refers to the OLPC's goal of uniting the world's children through the use of technology, Bender explained.

Bender published the 2B1 name on the OLPC Wiki last Sunday, but the site does not mention that it is the proposed launch name.

The unveiling was intended to keep the public informed of the project's current thinking, as well as to prevent confusion over the naming.

The project has been using the Children's Machine 1 (CM1) codename. The name started appearing last week in media reports, on the project's wiki as well as on a Wikipedia entry.

"The CM1 is our internal working name for the laptop and one that will likely be used throughout the B-Test period," said Bender. "It is unlikely to be the name of the final product."

The project uses the term B-Test for units that are tested automatically, marking the last step before mass-manufacture. Prototypes with so-called A-Test logic boards were tested manually.

The B-Test units will be shipped to nations considering purchasing the laptops, including Thailand and Nigeria.

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