The geek scene is abuzz with several thin-client/green-pc/linux-based thin-client or mini PCs right now. I think the concept is great. Not only are these little gems super-energy savers, Open Source driven, and cheap - but they make a whole lot of sense for a lot of people. I will be profiling these companies on the following few blog posts.
The problem I see ahead for these little guys is marketing muscle. It seems to me, the only people who are paying attention to them are geeks. :) The one offering who shows the most promise, from a marketing standpoint is Zonbu. This Silicon Valley based company is headed by Grégoire Gentil and Alain Rossmann, who have had their share of expierence in the Start-up department; Gentil started Twingo (sold to Cisco in 2004) and Rossermann former Apple employee during the original Mac launch and co-founder of Openwave (get on to the internet with your cdma-base wireless phone - yep that's them). At any rate, they offer a impressive little number for just $99 (w/ service subscription of 13 bucks a month) or $249 (no service.) I will get more into the details of what this service is in a moment.
From a hardware stand-point this is what is under the hood:
- Intel-compatible ultra-low power CPU
- 512 MB RAM + 4GB flash-based local storage
- Graphics up to 2048 x 1536 (16 million colors, 75 Hz). Hardware graphics and MPEG2 acceleration
- PC-compatible ports for keyboard and mouse
- 6 USB ports to plug-and-play all standard USB accessories
- Broadband ready: 10/100 Mbps Ethernet built-in
As I stated already, Zonbu has a service attached to the computer that starts at $13 a month. The machine is centered around a custom version of Gentoo Linux. On the 4 GB flash drive is the distro and a good chunk of applications including: Open Office, Firefox, Gaim, Mplayer, Skype, Nvu, The Gimp, and some games. Storage for your songs, documents, pictures, videos, etc. is on a central server. All updates are automatic and is constantly backed up. If your machine is fried, it is replaced fully under warranty and you don't loose a thing - its like nothing ever happened. Zonbu goes to great length to assure its users' privacy. You can elect to not provide password recovery protection - thus meaning Zonbu will have no record of your password. If you are paranoid I guess its not bullet-proof but they do have a commitment to their users' privacy. The fact that the Zonbu has no hard drive means that it is super quiet too. They claim that there is a remote file access capability, which is great if you need to access files remotely if you cannot take your Zonbu with you or if you are at work/on the road. $12.95 gets you 25GB of storage, 50 GB for 14.95, and 100GB for 19.95 a month - In order to get your machine for $99 you must commit to a 2 year service on one of these plans during it's beta-phase, currently the first 3 mos. are free. If you cancel, they will credit you back the months that you didn't use the service, which is cool. This service as you can tell, is quite similar to a US wireless phone plan - without a nasty contract really. If you wish to buy the machine without a 2year upfront cost - just pay $249 and then go month to month.
No, Zonbu is not for everyone.. but hear them out and think about it, like I did. I think you will agree this is a great service for many people. Not everyone needs a $3000 Mac Pro, nor even a $500 Dell for that matter - but knowing there is a solution for perhaps your parents, kids, spouse, etc. that will keep you out of that troubleshooting headache mode, make Mother Earth happy, and save you a few bucks at the same time - hell, I am game! It started to draw me in the more I really thought about it. So as I move on at looking at Jon "maddog" Hall's Koolu, Genesi's Efika, and the like - take a moment like I did to truly think green and small (wait! that is their mascot at Zonbu - ahhh! cleaver,cleaver.... :) ). With the things Google is up to and some of the terrific & free software out there, I think we are on the cusp of a big turn of events and mind set shift in how computers fit into our lives. Are these systems going to be truly the start of the"appliance-computing" concept ???
