One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) today announced impending release of its second generation notebook, the XO-2 or XOXO laptop. Said the company in a release issued today: "Leveraging new advances in technology, the primary goal of the 'XO-2' will be to advance new concepts of learning as well as to further drive down the cost of the laptop so that it is affordable for volume purchase by developing nations."

Currently planned for release in 2010, the XOXO is set to be priced at $75; the company's first-generation machine, the XO, while famously planned to be priced at under $100, actually wound up costing nearly double that, at $188. The new model is also set to consume less power, down from 2-to-4 watts to a mere 1 watt, 1/20 to 1/40 that of a standard notebook, with a smaller, lighter-weight footprint. OLPC also plans to add dual-touch displays to the notebook, making for a smoother e-book reading experience.

In the meantime, the company will introduce XO 1.5 next year. The notebook will feature the same design as the 1.0 model, with a lower cost and fewer physical parts.