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Hands On: Zonbu's Data Syncing Linux Notebook

The $279 Zonbu Notebook is the latest offering from the Open Source computer company—following up on the $99 Zonbu Desktop released earlier this year. The software is the same OS seen on the desktop, updated with a few new features such as real time data syncing. But the question remains: Does Zonbu find the sweet spot between solid performance and an entry level price?

What distinguishes the Zonbu from other operating systems is the Zonbu Plan, which offers automatic software upgrades and synchronized online storage for a monthly fee. It is also what allows the laptop to sell for $279, provided you subscribe for two years. With the $15/mo plan the hard drive links up with the Amazon S3 server and provides backup and additional storage that can be accessed from anywhere. Without the Zonbu Plan, the laptop will cost $479.

The other neat feature of the Zonbu OS, is its potential to integrate with anything. One example is the public folder, which makes any file in the folder remotely accessible and and usable by any script written for Zonbu. We were able to drag and drop images into the public folder and have them appear on our Facebook page, via a Zonbu Facebook App.

On the hardware side, Zonbu went with an Everex laptop, the same manufacturers who offer the $200 Wal-Mart PC. It features a 1.5 GHz VIA processor, 512 MB of RAM, 60 GB HDD and a 15.4-inch widescreen LCD. Their goal is not to create a powerhouse, but to offer a low-cost Windows alternative. The laptop also has a CD-RW/DVD combo drive, 802.11 b/g, 3 USB ports, headphone/microphone jacks and VGA out. The Zonbu Desktop, in comparison, went with a 1.2 GHz processor, and used 4GB flash memory backed by Amazon's S3 server as its primary method of storage.

As we've mentioned in the past, the Zonbu GUI is generally quick and responsive, with programs like Open Office and Banshee music player proving more than adequate. But the OS lacks the polish and power of Vista or OS X. As an example, dragging an image from the browser to the desktop is not possible; sites such as YouTube can also glitch out a little. However, these aren't dealbreakers, but examples to show the difference between the top dogs and new competitors.

9:00 AM on Wed Nov 28 2007
By Adrian Covert
8,074 views
10 comments

Comments

Kaiser-Machead at 10:40 AM on 11/28/07
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Crap. I'd rather buy a discounted thinkpad.
strider_mt2k at 10:47 AM on 11/28/07
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I like this better than the desktop, but I'm still not into the whole "plan" thing.
Of course I'm not it's target audience either.

Probably good for some folks.
aec007 at 11:11 AM on 11/28/07
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Negroponte, can you linux now?
geel at 11:43 AM on 11/28/07
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I am holding out for the Medison Celebrity Laptop ....
whootowl at 02:17 PM on 11/28/07
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Zonbu no longer requires payment up-front for the two-year subscription. At time of purchase of two-year plan, you pay the discounted price for the hardware ($279) plus the first month's service fee.

The service is reasonably priced, well worth it IMHO. I just spent the whole holiday weekend trying to recover my brother's Windows PC that had been ravaged by a virus. No such problems with Zonbu's automatic maintenance and data security.

The iPhone is supported by monthly fees. Your set-top box is supported by monthly fees. Paying for Zonbu service is akin to paying for TiVo. The value is in the automatic maintenance, automatic upgrades, and automatic off-site storage.

The laptop is especially nice as a "green computing" solution. At an ultra low 15W, it even bests my Zonbu Mini, which draws more like 50W including the 40W LCD monitor I use. Compare that with your rig.

Fireup the game machine when the urge hits, but when such high-wattage computational horsepower is not needed, use a Zonbu.
oo0cyst0oo at 03:32 PM on 11/28/07
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YES!
x23 at 03:32 PM on 11/28/07
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Zonbu?
oo0cyst0oo at 03:32 PM on 11/28/07
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made of win.
whiskey at 11:42 PM on 11/28/07
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Man... give up Vista (XP is the way to go for PC users, lol) and Mac users are in Nirvana (though this fact is debatable)...

Now if you wanna go the linux way (free as in "it didn't cost me a buck but it is legal anyways" free), there are some tricks to it. Just be sure whatever distro you end up using does rock your wifi, ethernet and sound drivers, provides you with MP3 support out of the box and comes with DVD playing capabilities (or if you can easily install them later). If you get Ubuntu, you can easily install vmware on it and rock your XP too) although 1 GB of ram is recommended for this.
TwilightPrincess at 10:45 PM on 02/25/08
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Well, I for one will be glad to get rid of my p.o.s windows machine! Windows is nothing but a great way to f*#k up a good machine and suck up all your money! I ordered my Zonbu 2 days ago(I am in BC, Canada). It isn't the prettiest, but between me and my daughters, I am sure we can make it more attractive! It kind of reminds me of a MAC...boring to look at. But I hope they make it in a bigger screen eventually. I am going to order 3 more if it is even half as good as it seems! I am not new to linux..I had Gutsy on my Toshiba P100-JR1E...after finding "work-arounds" to get my card reader and sound to work. I am dissapointed with the DVD/CD-RW drive in the Zonbu laptop..."What, I can't burn DVD's?" Oh well, an external drive takes care of that...when will I need to burn a DVD on the go anyway? I will also need to get an external card reader (which I have used on the go)...which is even more dissapointing than the lack of DVD burning I can do on the go...but again, a small price to pay to be windows free!