Ars Technica reports that the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) has got an official name for their machine, the Children's Machine 1 (CM1), and is touting new features which include a 1200x900 resolution for the 8" display. As Nicholas Negroponte explains, it

has higher resolution than 95 percent of the laptop displays on the market today, approximately one-seventh of the power consumption, one-third of the price, sunlight readability, and room-light readability with the backlight off.

Me, I'm a sucker for well designed interfaces, and the eye candy is definitely looking very slick:

(click on the image for a higher resolution screenshot)

See more demo images and the design mockup which is only partially implemented in the current demo screenshots.

Maybe this will give Blackboard and WebCT a wakeup call. Blackboard's circa mid 90's button design for menus, the junky looking icon interface for WebCT, the overuse of frames, and general user-unfriendly communication features could certainly use some redesign.