Startup and cloud computing aficionados CherryPal have unveiled their first compact PC. Powered by a 400MHz Freescale mobileGT MPC5121e processor, the 10.5oz computer has a scant 256MB of RAM, 4GB of flash memory and WiFi b/g. So far, so meagre, but the CherryPal’s saving grace is the online software and storage suite the company is promising.
This newest version of the Linutop ups the processor to a 500MHz Geode, it also has a half gig of RAM and a gig of flash storage. Even better yet, there is a VESA mounting bracket built into the thing so you can mount it to your favorite LCD monitor.
Tech reviews are very much a snapshot process, making a decision after a relatively short period of time and of a single incarnation of the product. Useful, yes, but not an exact facsimile of living with something day in, day out that you’ve bought yourself. If you’re lucky – and assuming that no manufacturer ever pushes out a product so perfect there are no possible improvements – you get a company that’s constantly tweaking and augmenting; if you’re really lucky, you get an opportunity to revisit their product and ring the changes. Back in May I spent some time with Linutop’s fanless, Xubuntu-based micro-PC, framing my review from the perspective of a Linux-naive home user, to see if the compact device would make a decent alternative to a low-end Windows PC. At the time I criticised how tricky, for a fledgling user, it was to add functionality beyond what was preinstalled; since then, Linutop have released v1.2 of their software package, and asked if we’d like to check out the changes.
Back when I reviewed Linutop’s fanless Linux PC one of my final thoughts was how it might compare to Zonbu’s similarly Linux-based Zonbox. Both have cut-down specs and no hard-drive, but while the Linutop relies on a thumbdrive for storage, the Zonbox uses an online subscription service with a subsidised starting price ($99) and monthly fees of $12.95 upward. Over at ArsGeek they picked up a Zonbox and gave it a good going over with their review-stick.
Much to my shame, Linux is something of a mystery to me. Actually, I think they should teach at least the basics of it in school computing classes, alongside English and at least one foreign language (though don’t ask me about my French abilities either), but this is neither time nor place for my election campaigning. And so I look on with maudlin self-disgust at promises of Dell laptops with Linux pre-installed, or clever thumb-drives and Live CDs that offer a chance to fiddle with the OS without ruining your everyday copy of Windows; I inevitably fold when faced with some sort of command prompt. Perhaps, then, you’ll wonder why I was so keen to try the Linutop, a surprisingly compact and silent diskless computer that runs a specially tweaked version of xubuntu.
I’d seen photos of the Linutop diskless, silent computer before, but I hadn’t quite realised how small it was until seeing the image below; unless that’s a specially-constructed Giant Wallwart Of Death, the fanless PC is deliciously dinky. Based on a very low-power AMD Geode LX700 and external flash storage, it runs a customised version of xubuntu specifically tailored for things like internet browsing, blogging, word processing and IM.
SlashGear Japan
