The CherryPal is what happens when you combine a highly customized, incredibly efficient platform with cloud computing. It is a tiny (1.3×5.8×4.2-inch) computer that runs on a FreeScale processor. It is designed to provide casual PC users with an easy, reliable, and affordable solution that avoids the problems of the typical desktop/notebook while taking advantage of CherryPal’s cloud infrastructure.
For $249 you get a small box outfitted with a Freescale’s MPC5121e mobileGT processor (400 MHz) , 256MB DDR2 RAM, b/g WiFi, two USB ports, ethernet, and VGA-out. It may seem quite anemic–and it’s true that the CherryPal does not have a lot of power–but the thing is that it does not need much power. This is possible for two main reasons…
The first is the cloud. The CherryPal relies on the cloud-computing for most of its activities, including storage (up to 50GB), updates, new applications, and so on. Unlike other computers using this approach (like the Zonbu) CherryPal offers the cloud without a subscription fee. The same goes for its 24/7 helpline.
The other element of the CherryPal that enables it to work on just 2W is its dedicated software. The OS is based on Debian Linux, but most people would never know this because the OS is hidden from the user. Instead almost everything is done through the browser, a customized version of Firefox, which means the system is easy to use and there is not much that can go wrong (even if the user starts poking around).
Some software is kept locally, like Open Office, but much of it is loaded from the cloud each time the user wants to run it. At this loading point an advertisement will eventually be presented for a few seconds, but that is not expected until Q408.
We haven’t gotten our hands on the CherryPal yet, but it’s looking quite cool so far. A few people are excited about it and it could be the ideal desktop for a casual home user or college student. There are, of course, privacy concerns that the company is taking very seriously (like by hardware-encrypted communications) and considerable limitations to what the system can do, but it’s an exciting approach to cloud-intregation and making computing easier, and more efficient, for all sorts of consumers.
More information is available at CherryPal.com
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