Gizmodo
I got time with the Zonbu, a $99 Linux PC that is amazingly as simple to use as a Mac. That's because it's preloaded with best-of-breed open source software for almost anything you'd need, all managed via the other cool thing the Zonbu has: A 4GB CF card that acts as a cache for the 25-100GB of personal storage on Amazon's S3 servers. In other words, this machine syncs, swaps, and backs up your data automatically, over the wire. I love it.
Here's a complete list of apps, a video tour, along with a list of sweet surprises I discovered after a few days with the Zonbu.
•Zonbu's App list is extensive, including browser, email, cal, full office doc tools, finance, music library (with ipod syncing) video playback, skype, P2P/Torrent, IM, publishing, and a few games including Tron and Civilization.
•The install is efficient. Apps open slowly, but when they're going, I had no problem using multiple apps at once. The machine only bogs down when handling real- world tests. I ripped the soundtrack to The Life Aquatic to 128kbps MP3 files, and it took 30 minutes on the Zonbu, versus 7 minutes with other programs working on my 2.33 GHz Macbook Pro with 2GB of RAM. That's 4x slower, but at 1/25th the price. I can accept that.
•The PC isn't $99 unless you get a two-year Amazon S3 service plan. For $13-$20 bucks, you get 25-100GB of synched data. There's a one-year service plan, too. The plans include next day hardware swaps (a warranty), tech support, managed care.
•You can't install your own stuff on the Tweaked Gentu linux install. But Gregoire at Zonbu is a big Open source geek, so he's made the their data-synching version of Gentu available for free. Just download it, install it on your own hardware and get your own S3 account.
•Working with large files over a slow network could be a problem. But this machine is completely capable of anything up to that point, and considering the price, you'd have to be a real ass to complain about it. The connection is 128-bit encrypted.
•Zonbu's OS and local cache is stored on a 4GB CF card that is a 150x speed unit with a custom controller. It reads and writes at a respectable 30MB/s and 15MB/s. They'll sell an 8GB unit, and you can also expand the local storage by adding a USB drive. They also sell an optional $50 CD burner/DVD reader. A DVD writer is in the future.
•Windows are transparent when dragged, and the window close and minimize buttons are similar to Vista's. The GUI is extremely lightweight, despite the transparencies.
•3D acceleration uses 64 MB of system mem.
•There's hardware decode of MPEG-2. Even with average sized MPEG-4 files being played, CPU utilization stays around 15%. Very nice.
•Starting end of June, they'll ship 500 units to early buyers, but not at the reduced/rebated price with service. Around September, the Zonbu comes out of beta, and the $99 price will be there.
•Just in case you didn't realize it, no keyboard, mouse or monitor.
•6 USB ports, VGA, mic and headphone out. PS2 Mouse and keyboard plugs.
•Ethernet and support for Belkin USB WiFi Adapter
•When you log in, it checks Amazon S3 for updates. There is a Web-based client for your S3 data. Sync is manual coming down, but changes on the Zonbu sync upward automatically.
•Neato Apple ][ screensaver
•VNC client is particularly useful.
•They're planning a car and a livingroom variant. The car thing is useful, since the device is CF driven, so shockproof, but you'd have to find a way to get EvDo support. (EvDo to ethernet router seems like overkill compared to hacking USB EvDo driver in.)
•The fanless device gets hot on it's side, maybe freezing. But this is an early piece of hardware, so this could change.
•The 1.2GHz intel-compatible VIA chip is "green." No kidding, that's what happens when you have a low-power chip. That's like saying a 1.2 liter Civic is green.
• The design is fanless. The prototype box I had got hot and froze at one point, when I placed it on its side. Small gripe. The aluminum stand that holds it upright is slippery on the bottom. I worried that I'd trip on the mouse cable and smash the thing into the floor. Nothing some rubber bumpers from a hardware store couldn't fix.
•Zonbu's first 500 units ship end of June as part of a beta. But there won't be a rebate to bring the device to a $99 price point until September-ish. I think you can join the waiting list now.
•They'll be selling skins for the black faceplate. Or you can upload your own image and they'll ship you a custom sticker.
App List:
Browser: Firefox
Email and Calendar: Evolution
IM: Pidgin works with AOL, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ and IRC networks.
VOIP: Skype
Peer-to-Peer clients: Azureus and aMule. Bit Torrent and other standard protocols such as eMule and eDonkey.
Office productivity: Open Office. word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, draw, database, math, Acrobat, Personal Finance Manager.
Media Player: MPlayer
Music Library: Banshee
Photo Organizer: F-Spot
Sound: Sound Recorder and Recording Level Monitor.
Photo Editor: Gimp
Web Page Editor: Nvu
Games
Action — Supertux, Tiltball, Tron
Arcade — Breakout, Frozen Bubble, Penguins, Pingus, Tetris
Puzzle — Blackjack, Chess, Crossword Puzzles, Solitaire, Sudoku, Swap Attack
Shooter — Blobwars, Chromium
Simulation — Billiard, Civilization
Mini Games — Ataxx, Five or More, Four in a Row, Iagno, Klotski, Mahjongg, Mines, Nibbles, Robots, Same GNOME, Tali, Tetravex
Accessories
Ah, life's little conveniences, neatly packaged in your planet friendly Zonbu. Our accessories include a calculator, a CD-DVD creator, Image Viewer, Notepad, a screenshot program, a zip extractor to create and open compressed files including zip format and a Reference category with access to a dictionary, an encyclopedia, a thesaurus and a translation website.
Home Page [Zonbu]
Comments
Might be a somewhat stupid question but does it have the standard linux apps like Vim/Emacs and whatnot?
I just don't really see why you'd want a linux system that you couldn't install anything to. Kindof the exact opposite of what linux is about. If you just want an idiot proof system for the wife/kids or whatever you can build one of those for really cheap.
I mean the Amazon synching thing is kindof cool but as you said that software is open-source.
Was this the $99 PC that wasn't $99? The one where it was only $99 with an extended service plan?
Looks like it:
Zonbox is sold for $99 with a two-year service pre-payment at $12.95 per month. The service can be canceled at any time and customer will receive a prorated refund of the balance of the remaining subscription minus the prorated Zonbox rebate. Zonbox is sold for $249 without any commitment.
that's pretty cool, for small environments I think it's great. I wouldn't personally use it as here in Toronto I've found a 2.4ghz p4, 2800+AMD and 1.2AMD systems in the trash for free in the last 3 months only, but I guess if you live in suburbia where there's no offices and people don't throw things out (and simply store it in their basement for 10 years) it feels ok to pay for a 1.2ghz.
cheapass aside, it seems perfect for mom+pop, though this amazon virtual drive seems silly, I'd rather just BUY a 100gb usb drive for $60
overall though some real nice work done for the linux front by zombu
Anjow, read above. I wrote that. Man, you guys have ADD. (Love you for it, but still, ADD.)
...
What was I saying again?
Heh, I just skipped that part, looked like more spec list stuff with the bullet points.
While $140 is about as cheap as you'll get a no-strings-attached desktop PC, Zonbu's $99 Linux-based model looks like a strikingly capable alternative.
More importantly, is that Optimus Prime on the right?
You can do anything at Zombocom.
Anything at all.
The only limit is yourself.
If the user can add a USB drive, can the drive have preloaded user applications on it?
What?? No Tuxracer???? Count me out.
This looks like a very cool system if it weren't for the subscription thing.
I'm very happy to be learning that folks are way ahead of my leanings and coming out with these modest flash-based systems that will handle general computing tasks.
I still want to build my own though.
If I do it'll likely be a Linux venture too.
I guess it's only fair to say "Prepare to be emulated!!" :D
(Nice pic Brian. You DID say that's as far as you got transforming Optimus, right?) ;)
@Brian:
Who you sayin's got ADD? I want you to know that I resent that and -
Oh look, there's a butterfly....
phreakincool: The only way I can figure this thing is more powerful than Optimus, is that it was somehow able to harness the totally awesome power of the rubics cube and funnel it through the radicalness of the song, "You Got the Touch!" Only then would there be enough power to overcome the Matrix of Leadership.
You know what would be a funny Optimus to see with this thing? Not Optimus Prime, but the Optimus Maximus keyboard that will cost many, many times as much as the computer.
Its not 99 bucks dambit! you got to pay for backup service.
This seems like a waste...Linux equals freedom yet zonbu totes none of the freedoms we enjoy. The only good thing that comes with this is that its not win/os2.
That box would be perfect for a MythTV Frontend, especially at $249! Finally an extender for the Myth crowd. With a dedicated MPEG-2 decoder will it work with an HD feed?
One thing though, how does a dedicated MPEG-2 decoder help with MPEG-4? I guess the decoder chip supports multiple formats, H.264 PLEASE!
It's Gentoo, not gentu.
still, I want the livingroom version.
People seem to be missing the point: It's a computing appliance that happens to be implemented using Linux, not a Linux box per se.
As for the subscription, it seems a reasonable trade-off for supporting a non-techie user community who don't want to be bothered with managing hard drives and making backups. Besides, would you rather pay a subscription fee of some sort for TiVo, or build your own DVR? (Oops, I think I know the answer to that one... [sigh]).
"You can't install your own stuff on the Tweaked Gentu linux install."
Why not? Is this a TiVoization "violate the purpose of the GPL" deal with DRMed hardware, or just that they don't support your modifications?
This box does not make sense for everyone. But it makes sense for people like me (who don't have the time or inclination to mess with their systems anymore).
I've been trading emails with the Zonbu support folks. Apparently there is a "community" version of the OS that you can hack to your heart's content. It's just not supported as well. So you are not too Tivoed.
Personally, I *like* the business model. The prices aren't bad for offsite backup, and offsite backup by S3 is a *good* thing- a RAID doesn't really help much when the floodwaters rise.
I also like that this runs around 15W- that makes it eligible as a 24/7 box with negligible energy requirements.
So, sign me up- 1 for my kids and general backup (photos, etc.), and maybe one for my mom.
You'd think they'd at least pitch in to register the Flip4Mac software so that it doesn't confuse their potential customers...
The subscription cost is free! Let me explain:
For those complaining that it isn't just $99 because of the online storage subscription, remember that some $500 PC isn't just $500 if you factor in electricity costs.
If you have an average PC drawing 175 watts, running 24/7 as mine usually is, and pay the avg 9.86 cents/kwh, that's $151 a year, or $12.60 a month. Double that if you have a high-end gaming system.
Zonbu draws 15 watts, or $1.08 a month. The difference in electricity costs alone practically equals the $12.95 of the lowest storage plan. If you live in places with higher electricity rates, such as CA and the Northeastern US, you're saving money every month.
Plus you get free data backup, online access to all your files and a 3-year warranty. Well worth it in my opinion.
That said, I'm getting one (runner-up was the new iMac). This is small and cheap, and the online storage/backup fits my needs perfectly. I'll also love having a quiet computer for once. Not just quiet, but absolutely silent.
My one sticking point was the inability to install programs not in the Zonbu-supported repository. After researching this though, if you install the developer version of the OS, you can install your own software, just without support.
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