Zonbu PC on sale now

Finally, after all the talk and speculation, the world has its first zero-emissions personal computer. We've been blogging about it for a while now, and I think it's safe to say that the Zonbu really is a fantastic idea. The machine runs on a Linux platform and contains no moving parts (not even a fan.) A four gig flash card is its only on-board memory.

But still, the 1.2 gigahertz processor and 512 meg of RAM are plenty to let this machine do everything you need to do. It can play music, movies, check email, and comes with the Open Office Suite. Really, 90% of users don't need anything more than this, and it consumes six times less power than a standard light bulb. Plus, it's the cheapest new PC I've ever seen, at $250 dollars.

Of course, there's a catch. In order to have any considerable storage space at all,  you have to subscribe to the Zonbox service. This service provides you with free, seamless software and firmware updates, up to 100 gigs of storage space, and carbon offsets for your Zonbu usage. If you pay for two years in advance, the price of the unit goes down to $99. The cheapest plan (for 25 gigs of storage) is $12.95. But if you're switching from an older PC, you could literally save that much off your utility bill.

Handing over things like storage and maintenance to a remote location is useful for several reasons. First, you don't have to worry about hard drive crashes and data loss. Second, by consolidating information in data centers, information can be stored more cheaply and efficiently. The result is a computing experience that is simpler and cheaper for the user, and more sensitive to the environment.

Oh, and if you need one more reason, the look of the Zonbu is also completely customizable. Choose from one of a twenty skins, or upload and choose your own!

The only thing that remains to be seen: will anyone be willing to pay a subscription for their computer the same way they pay a subscription for their cell phones. Only time will tell.

Videos of the Zonbu in action after the jump

See Also:
-The 6 watt Linutop-
-The Enano E2-