Usability

Please provide links to actual reports of use of any element of the XO experience. Use four equal signs for titles.

To remark those reported from actual use in school settings use asterisks (see samples) Please do not add here vaporware or wishware, but only actual, standard issue elements.

What mostly works

disclaimer: stuff here is not meant to parrot sales talk, but comments from real users, ideally from students in XO deployments.

screen for outdoors use

• "The XO screen performs nearly flawlessly in direct sunlight, I was very impressed."

*chat under mesh*

• "Chat works perfectly, I connect, I see who is in the neighborhood, I invite that person and we chat; but it is very difficult with other activities."

What doesn't quite work

disclaimer: stuff here is not meant to belittle the great work being done, but to keep us aware of usability issues in one single place.

e-book mode

• issues with definition, luminosity, and navigation
• in ebook mode, the back of the display presses against the touchpad buttons and touchpad resulting in random mouse events
• it would be cool to have the xo half-open and use the stylus-area for note-taking on opened pdf files
• the buttons right of the display are actually suited better for switching pages because its easier to press the intended button
• setting backlight to the lowest brightness and dcon in b/w mode is pretty usable for reading in darker environments

*mesh connections*

• "The connection is very unstable and in a group with 15-20 children there is always a couple XO that will not connect or they don't see the rest even if they are connected"

eToys under mesh

• "when we try to share activities that are like more complex such as Paint or Write (don't even mention eToys) all gets much more difficult."
• "It is slow and not very usable"