Some sugar for the OX
I came across this article about the user interface of the OX aka $100 laptop or OLPC (one laptop per child).
They've lost the traditional desktop metaphore and went for a network oriented one:
There are also icons representing the three different modes—home, friends, and neighborhood—that are integral to the "zoom" metaphor. In home mode, a user sees the XO Man, and, when she clicks on the icon to launch an activity, the icon for that activity pops into a gray ring encircling the XO Man. In friends mode, she sees icons representing her circle of friends, each identified by nickname and chosen color scheme. Next to the friends are icons depicting the activities in which they're engaged.
If several friends are sharing an activity—say, working on a school report together—they are pictured clustered around the appropriate icon. Our user can ask to be invited into a group activity or can start one of her own and invite others to join. The neighborhood mode gives a broader view of all of the individuals and clusters of friends on the network at the moment and the activities they're involved in.
Sounds very interesting and I'm curious to see the first test results!
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