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Originally set to expire this week, the One Laptop per Child program has extended the deadline on their compelling two-for-one gift-and-get charitable public sale of laptops until December 31st. This change will allow people more time to make a decision or organize larger group purchases and will also tap into the busy holiday gift-buying market. Larger group purchases of laptops result in a reduced price per laptop, making this a viable option for community and religious organizations as well as schools and other institutions.

The One Laptop per Child association (OLPC) is a Delaware, USA based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, created by faculty members of the MIT Media Lab, set up to oversee The Children’s Machine project and the construction of the XO-1 “$100 laptop”. In reality, however, higher costs of production have driven the actual costs up to $188 per laptop, and increasing competition from mainstream manufacturers may cause future tensions. However, given the mission of OLPC, such competition – if it successfully provides inexpensive laptops to the developing world – would still fulfill their goals:

“The mission of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is to empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child. In order to accomplish our goal, we need people who believe in what we’re doing and want to help make education for the world’s children a priority, not a privilege.”

Weighing just 3.2 pounds, this robust and durable laptop includes a camera, microphone and even game controllers, as well as a swivel-screen and other features one would normally not expect for under 500-800 dollars per unit. The laptop can run up to 24 hours on battery power for low-intensity applications and can be charged via hand-crank. The product may or may not reach its original target group of 150 million users worldwide, though its creators hope that competing models will fill gaps in the progress toward this goal. To gift-and-get one for a child at home and abroad, visit OLPC’s product page.