Zonbu: A new breed of computer
The Zonbu is a new low power, environmentally friendly, $99 dollar computer. It has no moving parts (so it’s totally silent) and limited storage (4 GB of flash). Most of its computing power comes from being connected to the internet, so Zonbu users actually pay the company for monthly storage (although the storage is actually provided by amazon’s S3 service). Salon.com’s Machinist recently gave the Zonbu a very positive review. It’s very easy to use and does almost everything most people use a home computer for.
I’m probably not going to get a Zonbu, particularly because I don’t want to pay a monthly fee to use a computer (after all, I already pay a monthly fee to host this website). Also it restricts what software you can install (like the iPhone). Still, I’m excited that the Zonbu is out there, because it points to an obvious change in personal computing. In the next five years almost everything most computer do is going to be done over the internet.
Storing your files on the internet is much better than storing them on your home machine. Your home computer will break one day, I promise. If amazon.com is storing your files, they will be fine. When you go buy a new computer, you’ll need a bunch of programs. If those programs are web-based (think google docs & spreadsheets) you won’t need to install them. Also they’ll probably be free, never crash your computer, and you’ll never need to upgrade them (google can add features and fix bugs without you doing a thing)
And the benefits of internet-based computing don’t stop there! If you want to share your files, or collaborate with someone on a document, you can just tell the service storing your files to provide your collaborator access. When your on someone else’s computer, you’ll be able to access your files. Using a free public computer will be as good as using your own.
Where I work you can log on to any computer in the building, and it behaves just like the one at your desk. Your personal settings and files all appear, and everything you do gets automatically backed up. This is exactly what computers like Zonbu allow for, only on a world-wide scale. It’s also just one of the many reasons why fast reliable broadband needs to be more than a luxury in the US.