Microsoft may have made fun of it. And Intel may have dismissed it. But the One Laptop Per Child initiative is finally a reality.

The brainchild of MIT's Nicholas Negroponte, the non-profit One Laptop Per Child project combined the talents of a dozen different technology companies to create a low-cost computer for children in the developing world. The project's goal is to give children the technological tools needed to learn and develop in what has become a digital world. The result is the XO laptop, a rugged, low-cost computer that can become a child's window on the world. One Laptop is hoping that through donations and government purchases in developing countries that it can bring a new generation into the digital age. (Uruguay has signed up to purchase 100,000 laptops and Mongolia has committed to buying 20,000 models; organizations in Rwanda, Haiti, Cambodia and Peru are also planning to buy XOs.)

We've been testing a couple of the XO laptops here at J-Q.com and found that so far the machines live up to the promise. The computers cost about $199 but come with all the necessary tools for growing minds. There's a built-in writing program, art program, music program, Web browser, and even a built-in video camera. The system includes an AMD processor with 256 MB of DRAM. It does not have a hard drive but instead uses 1 gigabyte of flash memory, making the system much more impact resistant and durable. For future expansion, there are three USB ports and an SD memory card slot.