The new Zonbu Computer is a genuinely brave attempt to try something different in the computer market, which is great. It’s green (in a carbon-neutral’ kind of way), sports a super friendly interface via Linux, offers file storage and automatic backup to Amazon’s S3 online service and is available in a range of innovating pricing plans, starting from $249.00 all in, to $99.00 plus $12.95 a month service charge for 2 years (which includes all upgrades to the software and a same day replacement machine if it goes wrong).
Oh and it comes with a bucket load of applications already pre-loaded. Nice one, although I’ve got to say that the small amount of RAM may make it a tad sluggish when it comes to full on games and multimedia requirements. And we’ve heard some disturbing things about the resilience of Amazon’s S3 service in terms of long term data storage. Still, this is definitely a step in the right direction in terms of ‘fire and forget’ computing and for that we offer a round of applause.
Zonbu is a compact, ultra low power mini with all the bells and whistles: * Intel-compatible ultra-low power CPU * 512 MB RAM + 4GB flash-based local storage * Graphics up to 1400 x 1050 (16 million colors). 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: 10/100MB Ethernet built-in