TechNovus intros Atom-powered Nova Navigator cloud computer

Cloud computing concepts for netbook / nettop-sized machines aren't all new, but TechNovus is looking to jump in head first with its Nova Navigator. The tiny machine gets powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU and possesses no hard drive within; instead, it utilizes a 512Kbps or higher internet connection to access 50GB of online applications / storage. The unit runs Windows (Server) and SUSE Linux side-by-side, and aside from a few core apps (Firefox, Skype and a media player), everything else is ran from the cloud. As it stands, the box is scheduled to launch next month in India for around $199 plus a $15 to $20 monthly subscription, though there's no word as to when it'll be launched in other nations.

[Magallanes @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:53AM]

I still don't get it, a 10gb harddisk can cost up to $20 bucks, the same of the cost of a monthly subscription. And a harddisk can beat to death even to a 1000mbps local network connection.

May be the point is to have "captive users" instead to enforce the productivity and cost involved.

[z0phi3l @ Sep 22nd 2008 9:33AM]

IF say like me, you need something for the kids to check email, homework, etc, a setup like this is actually pretty nice as long as it has a few USB ports for media playing the storage of whatever small files the kids would use is essentially nil negating the whole use of a HDD. Plus if you can link accounts it could be used as an (slow) application server for household that might be on a tighter budget, one copy of say Office for the family served slowly is still better than say four copies of it in the right situation

[ipubs bastard child @ Sep 22nd 2008 10:06AM]

i can see this being useful to businesses that require scalable apps accross the network, but as this is pretty much already in place I cant see it taking off. not whilst outside of a lan, most providers in the uk at least, charge for bandwidth. At BT wholesale level it's around £1 - 1.50 per gig.

[Will @ Dec 18th 2008 3:18PM]

Don't pay for the $20 subscription fee. Just register for a free Web Computer at http://www.airset.com to use with the hardware. You can read more about AirSet from this article:

http://lifehacker.com/5112479/airset-creates-cloud-computers-for-your-data

[j.nikiel @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:55AM]

This is a great concept and where all general computing should go once internet connections are allowed to increase to truly blazing speeds. The average joe who accounts for a majority of the population doesn't need much more than a little box with a couple inputs/outputs like this.

[crsh @ Sep 22nd 2008 9:33AM]

But then again, you can have a full-fledged Windows box for $200.

[frankXchange @ Sep 22nd 2008 9:04AM]

I'm not seeing the logic. I suppose the subscription fee is okay if it includes unlimited access and voip, but unless they have amazing network speed, I can't see many people wanting to use their laptops as dumb terminals. Would I be remotely controlling my MS Office (assuming that's the software they're running and not something one of the interns coded over the summer) session on the server from my laptop, or would it be downloading the app to me each time? I assume the former, but I'd be curious to know more about the nuts and bolts.

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Sep 22nd 2008 9:08AM]

Sounds horrible.

Really horrible.

All of this cloud based computing really doesn't sit right with me. Feels DRMish.

[johnzilla @ Sep 22nd 2008 12:34PM]

Not to mention a major security risk and personal privacy risk.

"Hey Mr. Consumer, just do all of your work using these shared applications over networks we control, and store all of your data and personal information on our servers, and by the way thanks for letting us track your every action and activity so we can use that data later for whatever purpose we like."

Um, yeah, sounds like a great idea. /sarcasm

[crsh @ Sep 22nd 2008 9:31AM]

Cloud computing is the new network client from 10 years ago.. Limited and limiting, out of place given the low price of hard drives.. In short, bad idea is bad.

[Magallanes @ Sep 22nd 2008 10:22AM]

The VT100 terminal is dead, long live the cloud computer.

[Jash Sayani @ Sep 22nd 2008 9:35AM]

Cloud computer. Online storage. India. Nothing can sound more hilarious than these words together. India does not have decent broadband connectivity for simple browsing and they expect Indian users to use online storage !
Internet with 256 kbps browsing speed (40 kbps download speed) costs Rs.2500 a month. (Approx. US $ 60)

[sr1329 @ Sep 22nd 2008 1:45PM]

No kidding when I was there even the Reliance Broadband centers were annoying slow by US standards. The people I talked to who had used US or European broadband all complained about the slowness of home broadband there. Now those big multinationals have some sweet bandwidth to throw around, but most of it is meant for and used for VOIP.

[Passerby @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:56PM]

For your information,

In India, you have download speeds up to even 8 mbps. The most commonly used one is BSNL's 2 mbps with 5 GB limit per month which costs only 250 rupees ($6) per month. Don't know which planet you are from.

[Patriks7 @ Sep 22nd 2008 9:56AM]

In my opinion, the concept is pretty good
The problem is that the way its being used is bad
Imagine if a company would be able to use this in a successful way
It would allow for thinner laptops or allowing current laptops to have more stuff instead of the harddrive
Or maybe even both? Have a small SSD with important stuff on your laptop and use the "Cloud" for everything else

[avester @ Sep 22nd 2008 11:24AM]

Computers = the new mobile phone?

SUBSCRIPTIONS SUBSCRIPTIONS SUBSCRIPTIONS .

[bokuwaomar @ Sep 22nd 2008 11:54AM]

I don't know about this. Maybe I'm just stupid and don't get this cloud computing thing, but this seems like a really stupid idea. An 80 GB mechanical hard drive is cheap. Why would anyone want to give it up to save $40 bucks, and then go and spend $20 every month for online access to access 50 of the 80 GB they don't have? Running apps in a web browser and saving files online is nice and convenient, but I don't see why some people seem to think it has to replace local apps and storage.

[sr1329 @ Sep 22nd 2008 1:40PM]

Seriously. I don't get the point of this either. Maybe on a local LAN it might make sense but in a world of $20 8GB SD cards at least give us some storage/local cache.

[Mike @ Sep 22nd 2008 12:24PM]

I think it's ironic that Bill Gates mentioned something like this a few years back and everyone laughed... I can see that going forward this type of computing could be ideal... cheap units that require a narrowband connection to the net and all your apps and data is stored and backed up remotely... ideal as the replacement to the VT100 terminal and can be handy in remote places where IT administration is limited.

The idea of subscription sounds crazy, but then the same could be said about some online computer games which now do the same, you are paying for a service that guarantees your apps and data are secure and always up to date, if someone stole this from your house they would not have any personal data... I think the government should take a look at that bit to save them any more data losses!

[sr1329 @ Sep 22nd 2008 1:42PM]

Remote backup is good, but what's the point of saving on a $40 HDD?

[johnzilla @ Sep 22nd 2008 12:29PM]

I love how all of this stuff is billed as "new".

We were using X11 diskless workstations and sharing applications almost 20 years ago.

And walking to school in snow 6 feet deep, 5 miles round trip, uphill both ways.

[sr1329 @ Sep 22nd 2008 1:38PM]

Anyone who's used internet in India will tell you right now that this will not work. If my apps and data have to be downloaded on what is promised to be 384kbps download and in reality something like 80kbps then this thing will offer a miserable experience.

[FuzzyCat @ Sep 22nd 2008 1:47PM]

I can't believe that companies are still trying to push this cloud computing crap. They've been trying to flog this shite for over 25 years and STILL nobody wants it. There are just too many variables for anyone to even think they could *rely* on cloud computing.

[Suhit Anantula @ Sep 22nd 2008 11:36PM]

Hi:

I am the co-founder of TechNovus Corp. We are based in Adelaide, Australia.

Thanks for posting the info here.

I wanted to clarify to you and your readers that we are launching this in Australia next month.

The product is designed and manufactured by our Indian Partner, Novatium Solutions. Novatium is launching in India.

The subscription price is a high limit and will include more than just storage. This is not set in stone and more details will be provided next month.

Cheers,
Suhit Anantula

[Will @ Dec 18th 2008 3:16PM]

I don't know if they automatically register and charge you the subscription fee at the time of purchase or if it's provided as a choice for extended memory. If it is the later case then you can just use FireFox and go online to register for a free Web Computer at http://www.airset.com to use with this device. Here's a website with a review on AirSet and what they do:

http://lifehacker.com/5112479/airset-creates-cloud-computers-for-your-data