Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

You don’t have to be a child living in the 3rd world to get a $100 computer anymore - a company has introduced a $99 PC for everyone called “Zonbu.” Designed to be a “green” PC, the small computer needs little power to run, utilizing just one-tenth the power of a typical desktop machine. In addition, the company operates in an environmentally-friendly way, offering a free take-back program and using less energy in production of the devices. By eliminating fans & hard drives, the Zonbu is completely silent; instead, flash memory is used to run the machine. Since flash memory doesn’t need to “start up” the way a hard drive does - by spinning its disks - the Zonbu starts right up away. The computer runs the Zonbu OS, which is their own flavor of Linux, and includes the open-source productivity suite Open Office, the Firefox browser, the Evolution email client, a universal IM program, Skype, a media player, a photo organizer, various other multi-media apps, and games, including puzzles, shoo ters, and a selection of arcade classics.

With the purchase of Zonbu, you can also get the Zonbu service (and you should) which provides you with upgrades to your applications & operating system. As new versions of OS, the applications, and the drivers become available, the Zonbu service automatically applies the upgrades, so your system is always up-to-date. With this $12.95 per month service, your data is encrypted and stored on the company’s servers, so even if something was to happen to your Zonbu device, the data could be restored to a replacement machine. Additionally, you can log in to Zonbu’s private web space from anywhere that has an an internet connection and access your data from there. The device has six USB ports so you can hook up your printer, an iPod, a digital camera, insert a memory stick, or plug in any other number of gadgets.

Since this is a managed, diskless device, you can’t install your own programs, and there could be a lack of support for various peripherals. These limitations mean that you should not consider using this as your home’s primary computer, as you will still want something more customizable to your needs. However, as a kid’s computer, a spare to have in the kitchen or the guest room, or just an extra computer for the family so you don’t have to fight over who’s “turn” it is, this basic machine may be worth checking out.

For more tech news, check out www.sarahintampa.com

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