Cheap, Small Computerstag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-13932512010-04-01T07:57:05-07:00Computers aren't all expensive, big, noisy, high-power-consumption metal boxes any more. A new generation of inexpensive, small, quiet, efficient computers are emerging. Many run Linux and are "Internet-centric", ideal for using "cloud computing" applications and as a result are much more simple to use and are more reliable. TypePadOn The Eve Of iPadtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341cf25653ef0133ec61e5ec970b2010-04-01T07:57:05-07:002010-04-29T15:10:50-07:00Last night, after seeing a terse review of the iPad on a news program, my wife asked me if I would be getting one. I said, Yes, probably. This morning I saw a report that said that the iPad could end up being the best-selling computer in history. I also saw an article where the reporter said metaphorically that "I'll give up my iPad when they can pry my cold, dead fingers off of it". My reservations are: The frustrations of the iPhone Apps Store will be writ really large with the iPad. There will be great ideas and enhancements...Steve StrohInitial Impressions Of My OLPC XOtag:typepad.com,2003:post-466731542008-03-06T09:56:58-08:002010-04-29T15:15:12-07:00My One Laptop Per Child XO Laptop arrived unexpectedly two days ago, and I've done little more than play around with it so far. I've fired it up, filled in my name, and gotten it briefly on the Internet via Wi-Fi. Mostly I've marveled at it for the technological achievement that it represents. For $200, there are some amazing breakthroughs in a computing device: The overall price - even without achieving the desired $100 price point, it's still a remarkable achievement that a complete (self-contained, including screen, battery, enough memory and storage to be usable out of the box) computing...Steve StrohShuttle KPC - $199 Desktop Cube With Linuxtag:typepad.com,2003:post-450534482008-02-26T09:40:00-08:002008-02-26T09:40:00-08:00Vendor: Shuttle Computer Group, Inc. - us.shuttle.com Name / Model: KPC - us.shuttle.com/kpc Overall type of computer: Small desktop (cube form factor) Approximate list price, quantity one: US $199 (no graphic - all graphics on Shuttle's site are in Flash) Notable features: Visually pleasing, small cube that won't dominate a desk. A neat feature is that Shuttle offers a way to create a photo or graphic and apply it to the front panel. It runs Linux; optionally Windows XP / Vista. Comes standard with 512K RAM, 80 GB hard drive. Though small, it seems to have a full complement of...Steve StrohWhy I Started Cheap, Small Computerstag:typepad.com,2003:post-451116062008-02-01T08:44:00-08:002010-04-29T15:52:03-07:00Welcome to Cheap, Small Computers! I've always been fascinated by Single Board Computers (SBCs), which have mostly been used to embed computing power into dedicated devices that don't work as traditional, general purpose computers. SBCs used to be "lightweight" - low power (both electrical consumption and Central Processing Unit [CPU] horsepower), using "embedded" processors (typically having a lot of Input/Output [I/O] capability. SBCs are physically small, and are typically programmed using special "embedded" operating systems. But an interesting thing happened along the way - SBCs became "real computers" because CPU horsepower increased but cost didn't, memory increased, but again, cost...Steve Stroh