If you can't trust a name like Zonbu, who can you trust? More service provider than hardware company (its machines are built by the white-box vets at Everex), Zonbu is attempting to revive the oft-tried/never-successful era of subscription-based computing. For many, the value proposition will be enticing: You pay a paltry $280 up front for a spacious, 15.4-inch laptop, then $14.95 a month for the next two years. (Alternately, you pay $480 for the notebook, without the service.) Under the hood you'll find beefier specs than most units of this class offer: a 1.5GHz VIA CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 60GB hard drive, and even a DVD player/CD burner. The laptop runs a version of Gentoo Linux, and of course it's preloaded with the usual frills: OpenOffice, Firefox, and Skype, organized in the most Windows-like environment of any of these PCs. Unfortunately, the large size and familiar form factor may lull you into thinking the Zonbu has more power than it does. DVD playback is jittery to the point of being unwatchable at full screen, and some basic laptop features - such as a battery life meter - are nowhere to be found.
Review: Zonbu Notebook
If you can’t trust a name like Zonbu, who can you trust? More service provider than hardware company (its machines are built by the white-box vets at Everex), Zonbu is attempting to revive the oft-tried/never-successful era of subscription-based computing. For many, the value proposition will be enticing: You pay a paltry $280 up front for […]
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WIRED
Subscription includes 50GB of online storage and automatic backup. Units under subscription plan are replaced immediately if they break. Incredibly bright LCD. Plenty of storage space. Familiar OS design and layout. Decent keyboard.
TIRED
$638 over two years may not be such a fantastic bargain. Often sluggish performance and jumpy video quality.
- RAM Size: 512 MB
- Clock Rate: 1.5 GHz
- Hard Drive Size: 60 GB
- Screen Size: 15.4 inches
- Screen Resolution: 1440 x 900 (WXGA+)
