It seems that computers are going through a sort of transition, one that makes ATX desktop computers unnecessary for most users. Clearly, this has everything to do with all these low-priced, low-power, ultraportable computer systems that have "invaded" the market. Products such as the Eee PC, or its desktop version, the Eee Box, are expected to become the backbone of a new breed of computers, namely of those that supply the end user with the basic features of a computer system.
However, there is one computer that can provide a better power consumption than the Eee Box. It is dubbed Cherrypal and looks pretty much like a normal Ethernet switch or router. Moreover, it is this "computer system" that will provide you with everything you need for your everyday computing experience, that is, web browsing, text editing, listening to music or watching videos, just not exactly in the way you imagine.
In fact, anyone can hardly name this a computer, once they
have taken a look at its technical specifications. The Cherrypal is built using a 400MHz Freescale MPC5121e mobileGT procesor, 256MB of DDR2 DRAM and 4GB of NAND Flash-based SSD. It can provide its users with a WiFi 802.11b/g connection, as well as wired 10/100 Ethernet connection through a built-in port. It also incorporates one USB port and a VGA display port. Audio can be rendered through a built-in 3.5mm headphone jack.
With all that, one of the main features of this product is its 2W power rating and the fact that it weighs as little as 284 grams. Speaking of which, this is exactly why the Cherrypal can be considered the greenest PC available, as Max Seybold, the CEO of the company that has built this device, said. On the other hand, the chassis of the device is made out of standard plastics, which aren't bio-degradable and are as harmful to the environment as those that go in the chassis of any other PC. Even so, according to Seybold, the Cherrypal uses 80% fewer components than the average PC.
For just $250, you can also get this small-sized, green computer that runs on a Linux operating system and a Firefox web browser. However, in order to be able to say that you have a new computer, you will be required to purchase a display, a keyboard and a mouse, which will pretty much occupy every available USB port. So, unless you get yourself one of those keyboards that come with a built-in trackpad or trackball, you will have no room for an external USB drive. The concept behind the Cherrypal is that users don't need high amounts of storage space, as each Cherrypal user will receive 50GB of free online storage, which is expected to be increased in the future, according to Seybold.
Max Seybold also believes that his company's product has the potential of selling in the "hundreds of thousands," despite the fact that, for a slightly higher price, you can get one of those Eee PCs or MSI Winds, which are much better as far as features are concerned. In the end, you alone can decide whether this product can really suit your needs. However, if the answer to that is in the positive, you will only need to wait until later this month, when it's released.
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