Years in the making, the One Laptop Per Child “XO” is finally shipping!

If you haven’t heard of it yet, forget everything you know about laptops. This is by far the most innovative laptop — make that end user computer — to date. I won’t bother to reiterate the specs here.

Inside of one generation, OLPC is going to change almost everything for children in developing countries. Watch and see.

Better yet, get involved, and get rewarded for it. Between now and November 26, 2007, buy a laptop for a child in a developing country for a mere US$399 (your weekly Starbucks allowance) and you’ll reap a lifetime of good karma. Oh, you’ll also get a free unit for that special kid in your life (you), a $200 tax deduction and 1 free year of T-Mobile Hot Spot service. My coffee grounds tell me you’re about to increase your Starbucks allowance.

And here’s some security frosting (pun intended) for the cake: OLPC is hiring Security Software Engineers to work on Bitfrost, which has Simson Garfinkel’s HCI-SEC research written all over it. Go to work there and you just might reap two lifetimes of good karma. Your individual mileage may vary.

I’ve already put my money where my mouth is and bought two earlier today.