The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) organization has received a $5.6 million grant from hardware component maker Marvell to fund the development of an Android-powered mobile tablet based on a Marvell design, Ars Technica reports. The product, which is expected to be ready for a public demonstration at the Consumer Electronics Show next year, is intended for the developed world. In a statement to Xconomy, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte explained that the Android tablet likely will not have OLPC branding and is a transitional step as the organization works to develop the XO-3, a tablet device for the developing world that will have more ambitious hardware and will run the Linux-based Sugar learning environment. The XO-3 will ship in 2012, and the Android tablet supposedly will be ready in 2011. OLPC and Marvell announced a partnership earlier this year, but the $5.6 million grant is a new development. It could help OLPC move forward as the organization continues to transition to a more mainstream product development model, especially given OLPC’s failure to fulfill its original goal of delivering a ubiquitous $99 laptop for education. OLPC downsized half its staff last year and discontinued development of its Sugar software platform after it failed to raise sufficient funds…
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