CherryPal PC
July 31, 2008 at 2:34 pm | Filed under: TechnoBlogWill teaching an old dog new tricks result in cheaper, faster, cleaner computing? There is a new kid on the block. The CherryPal PC which promises faster performance, fewer moving parts, ultra green energy usage for $249. Oh, and did we mention no hidden fees?
The CherryPal’s specs are a bit lean: 400Mhz PowerPC Processor, 256MB RAM, 4GB flash drive. The real power comes from its access to a “cloud” computer with 50GB of storage and power to do processor intensive things like photo editing without taxing your CherryPal’s pokey processor. As long as CherryPal stays in business your applications stay up to date and computer essentially upgrades itself–except for your local or personal files. The lighter specs also make the “greenest” desktop in the market with an energy usage of just 2 Watts. By CherryPal’s calculations that could save you $60+ a year and lower your computers carbon footprint by 80%.
To my old school sensibilities the CherryPal smells a lot like a dressed up smart term–the modern (read sarcasm) update to dumb terms. Dumb terms were devices that typically included a display and keyboard with just enough processing power to interpret the data from the serial network and allow multiple operators to utilize a large mainframe. These things are seriously old school, if you are reading this and are unsure if you have ever seen one you are not alone.
Smart terms took this model a step further off loading the graphical demands of the evolving user operating systems to a small local processor to conserve network bandwidth and increase speed. Smart terms never took off except in certain niche areas largely for two reasons. One, they are entirely dependent on a fast, always on network connection. Slow that network down and the user’s experience suffers, cut it off and the smart term becomes a fancy plastic brick. The second reason is that the cost of PCs plummets so fast that it is possible to buy a full-fledge system of yesterday with much more individual power than a smart term for not a lot more money.
Although the USA still lags behind most of the developed world (and parts of the developing world) in high speed access, broadband is becoming increasing ubiquitous.  Instead of a mainframe and dedicated serial, or networking lines, the CherryPC relies on a proprietary “cloud” computer. This means that for intensive ( or possibly all) tasks the PC relies on the users Internet connection to this network supercomputer to do the computations–essentially making FireFox the OS.Â
So here is the million dollar question: has the world changed enough that the CherryPal has hope for better brighter future? At $250 the CherryPal sneaks in even under competing light weights from Asus or Dell, but another $200 buys you ability to play DVDs (not to mention burning them) as well as the ability to run windows (if that is still impotant to you). The CherryPal certainly promises lower cost and a green footprint at only 2 Watts of power. Is the trade-off worth it? What do you think?
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2 Responses to “CherryPal PC”
I wonder why I would buy a NEW computer for $250 that is so underpowered it isn’t funny when I can buy a workhorse refrubed computer for $100 less in bulk from major retailers with warranty? that includes the ability to read/write dvd software. And why Firefox the OS? Google Chrome is stable and solid. As for the “cloud computer” who provides this? Is this an intranet option you need to setup yourself or would we rely on someone else to provide a “cloud computer” for us and what about when they get enough client base they decide they are now going to charge for the “cloud computer”? Interesting thoughts….
I guess you are taking the companies at their word when they say there are not going to be any future service charges. You are also relying on the computer to stay in business to supply your “cloud”. It does seem like an eco-friendly model.
If you’re looking for some middle ground you might want to check out the new MSI Wind desktop. It features similar specs as the Wind NetBook (aka underpowered “cloud”-able or cloud-ready laptop) but at about the same price as the CherryPal. It feature a usable 1.6Ghz Atom Processor.