This computer is cheap! For $99, you can get yourself a computer. A standard computer? Well, no. But we're digging the concept of Zonbu's Green PC.
What is it? Well it's Linux running machine that weighs under two pounds. There's no hard drive, but instead, 4GB of flash memory. Where do you store your files? Well, for a small, monthly fee (of $12.95) you can have remote storage space for all your photos, documents, and anything else you might need to save.
And as for green, is this computer really "green?" Well, Zonbu certainly hypes it as such. It's average energy use is 17 Watts, it's small size means using a whole lot less materials, and their recycling program will take your Zonbu device when you're finished with it. But we think the remote file storage is a green idea they fail to properly highlight. Consolidating everyone's file storage to central locations, means less hard drives floating around the landfill.
The bottom line, this is a really simple pc, which is exactly what it's makers intended. Simple design, simple materials, and simple storage all adds up to a computer with a very light environmental impact.
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How does central file storage lead to less hard drives floating around? Do we know what Zonbu does with their server's old hard drives?
view Graham's profile
I believe the computer's only $99 if you agree to at least two years of their storage service. So it's not really that cheap.
view spiffy's profile
Graham: Here's a quick example. I can buy an Apple Xserve RAID (people here seem to like Apple, so I'll use them as an example) with 14 HDs in a RAID 50 configuration (the unit has two controllers) and get about 6TB. That's about 60 people assuming that they all get the 100GB plan and use all their space. Realistically, you'd get well over 100 users on just 14 HDs.
view Ondrej's profile
This makes the most sense for the lightest and least expert computer users with the least complicated document-creation needs. Running your software off a central server means you can't customize your own applications, which makes no difference to light users but drives super-users crazy. Similarly, the differences between MS Office and Open Office (which Zonbu runs) are minute if you just type simple documents but hair-pulling if you use styles and footnotes and such.
I'd be more concerned about the company folding suddenly, like that VOIP provider just did. Definitely, if you go with this, keep all your documents on a flash drive.
view wende in phoenix's profile
wende, this isn't a remote terminal like the Sun Ray client mentioned here before. The OS and applications are stored locally. I'm totally with you on being annoyed about lack of customization and application installation.
view Ondrej's profile
You're right, Ondrej -- they do say the apps are "installed" rather than run off the central server.
It'll be interesting to see if a service like this makes Linux more popular among casual computer users who want plug-and-play.
view wende in phoenix's profile