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Jolicloud's Jolibook Netbook Hitting Stores

Nov 19, 2010  By Katherine Druckman
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Jolibook

Jolicloud, the self-proclaimed "perfect OS for netbooks," has been making headlines for a while with their consumer-focused, and frankly very cute Jolibook netbook.  Word all around the web is that it is available today in the UK.

According to CrunchGear the technical specs are as follows: 

  •  Intel Atom N550 processor (1.5 GHz, dual-core)
  • 250GB hard drive
  •  10.1″ screen
  • Memory: 1GB
  • Three USB 2.0 ports
  • Jacks for mic, headphones, LAN and an external monitor

What interests us here at Linux Journal is that this latest netbook offering, if successful, could mark a return to Linux-based consumer netbooks.  When Asus first debuted their EeePC, the Linux world rejoiced at the possibility of widespread consumer adoption of Linux.  Indeed, Linux was the preferred OS of the netbook manufactures for a short time, but was predictably pushed aside with the introduction of Windows 7.  But, as cloud computing has gone from tech conference buzzword to something my mother talks about, and as consumers rely more and more on web applications like Facebook, Google Apps and others, a product like the Jolibook could bring back some of the Linux netbook momentum.

I have not yet tried Jolicloud's OS, but then I am really not their primary target audience.  Jolicloud is is presented as a hassle-free, fun, web application driven OS for everyone, and not really geared toward the power Linux user. 

If you've taken Jolicloud for a spin, let me know how it was.  Will this be the Linux netbook for the masses?

______________________

Katherine Druckman is webmistress at LinuxJournal.com. You might find her chatting on the IRC channel or on Twitter.

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TRied jolicloud

Aparaatti's picture
Submitted by Aparaatti on Thu, 11/25/2010 - 04:00.

Hi I yesterday installed jolicloud 1.0 on emachine eM250 and am very impressed. Really nice to use and has lots of apps because of ubuntu repositories. The 1.0 uses Jaunty packages so some of the apps are quite old, but still I have now a very usable system.

love jolicloud

Stephen's picture
Submitted by Stephen (not verified) on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 16:13.

after getting a most stubborn virus on my win 7 desktop and all computers in the house infected, I decided the time had come to investigate Linux.

Buying 3 linux mags later I got introduced very quickly to the new alternative OS World.

Recently on my Nebook I fell in love with Meego. It just works really well apart from playing mp3 files. So far not got that to work.

I carried on experiementing, getting a program to install multi-boot live linux OS systems on one usb stick.

After seeing a few snapshots of jolicloud I tried to download it. Without success. Eventually I tried the torrent link while in the Easy Peasy linux desktop(pretty neat actually).

There's this 'that's what I'm talking about' moment once it launches. The easy access to the app market and the well-organised layout makes it work beautifully.

I would say if you own an android phone, know your way around downloading apps to run, you'll love the customisation of Jolicloud.

I wonder if Chromium OS will allow duel boot? If so then google's cloud offering could be just one of many selectable options to load.

These Desktops have breathed new life into my netbook. I was thinking of getting a tablet for home but I see the massive advantage of having a netbook with a keyboard. Coupled with the ability to have whatever OS I want on it.

I'd suggest you download an iso image and try it yourself. You can even go to jolicloud website and play with it through your chromium website.

What I love is having these mini apps running well known micro-blogging sites like Twitter.

Ease of use

Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 11/22/2010 - 19:10.

I have used Jolicloud. I used to have it installed in my flash drive. It is 1000 times easier to use than Win 7. I'm just not a web-oriented type of person, so after hacking the desktop to make it look like Ubuntu or Fedora, compiling a couple kernels and so on, I left it for Arch Linux. It would be great for the average person today, though, especially with the prevailence of free Wi-fi.Most people don't do much that doesn't require the internet, especially when on the go. There really isn't any obsticle to using this in place of Windows.

Jolicloud OS

Ola's picture
Submitted by Ola (not verified) on Sat, 11/20/2010 - 14:07.

I am glad this is happening.
Jolicloud is one of the three Oses installed on my Asus Netbook (alongside Meego and Win 7) Infact I installed it from my Win 7.
It works just great...well as a cloud OS, infact I used it to introduce linux to some high school students and they just loved it. You really enjoy it with Internet access.
It had all the applications they longed and dreamed of...facebook, twitter,youtube education...to mention a few and many more educational software.
Its important Linux takes its share in the netbook market.
So this development is very welcome as I have longed to see and buy a "default Linux netbook".
I could write more on Jolicloud as an excellent OS for students, apps developers and anyone...if you would like to hear more of my experience with this OS, you are welcome and dont hesitate to try it out yourself.
(http://www.jolicloud.com/)
I also commend Linux Journal for bringing this up.
God bless!

Indeed, Linux was the

jackd's picture
Submitted by jackd (not verified) on Fri, 11/19/2010 - 19:55.

Indeed, Linux was the preferred OS of the netbook manufactures for a short time, but was predictably pushed aside with the introduction of Windows 7 ... a product like the Jolibook could bring back some of the Linux netbook momentum.

I agree with Doug. You're dreaming.

JollyBook

tuxhelper's picture
Submitted by tuxhelper (not verified) on Fri, 11/19/2010 - 19:18.

In the middle of a world-wide depression and everyone expects eee prices ? Get real! People's got to come to grips with reality..

I've yet to install the os as I've seen os's come and go and I'm not interested in being a tester. But with a nice html5 desktop it should draw some attention to those developer's wanting to integrate their apps into a desktop capable of utilizing a lot of media, considering that the majority of sites on the web deal with media in one form or another.

pointless article and pricing

Stevew's picture
Submitted by Stevew (not verified) on Fri, 11/19/2010 - 15:38.

The sight of your own words would be sufficient value for posting a short article about something of potential linux interest, but there are none of your own words. The specs are from another site and you even admit to having not used the OS at all? what on earth is the point of posting this?

I agree with Doug, for linux to start to regain sales in the netbook space it has to price itself below the competition.

Priced itself out of the market

Doug.Roberts's picture
Submitted by Doug.Roberts on Fri, 11/19/2010 - 12:22.

In my opinion, this netbook does not have a prayer of succeeding in the market at an entry price of $380. The only target price for a non-Windows netbook that might entice buyers to try it is one that is lower than current low-end Windows netbook pricing, which is currently around $299.

As much as I like the concept of a non-Windows netbook offering, I'm afraid this one has priced itself out of the market.

--Doug

I agree $360 will get you an

Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 11/20/2010 - 03:13.

I agree $360 will get you an entry level laptop with better and more features than a netbook. I'm sorry but any netbook over $300 is a waste of money and is being price gouged. $300 for top of the line netbook.. 11 inch screen, a dual core atom or a low end mobile processor that's above the atom. 2 gb of ram and a 250 gb hdd.

RE: Priced itself out of the market

GrueMaster's picture
Submitted by GrueMaster (not verified) on Fri, 11/19/2010 - 17:21.

I would disagree with this statement, as I have seen the $299 Windows netbooks (and I bought one in July). This one has a 250G drive (most are 160G), and also a dual-core cpu (most in this range are single core). Actually, Amazon.com lists the ASUS Eee PC 1015PEM-PU17-BK (very similar hardware specs) for $368, so for $12 you get a system with an OS designed for it, not shoe-horned in and stripped down (Windows 7 starter).

I agree

Doug.Roberts's picture
Submitted by Doug.Roberts on Fri, 11/19/2010 - 17:30.

The price for a netbook with hardware equivalent the Jolicloud is more like $360, rather than the $299 that I stated in my earlier comment. Still, my point is that having to pay more for a netbook equipped with a non-Windows OS will guarantee a major fail for the Jolicloud. People are resistant to change when it comes to the OS that they are familiar with. It will take a price incentive rather than a price disincentive to get them to make the switch.

Compounding this issue, of course, is that fact that the profit margin on netbooks is already so low there is not much room to undercut the price of a Windows-equipped netbook.

--Doug

Don't forget that this is UK

Webmistress's picture
Submitted by Webmistress on Mon, 11/22/2010 - 15:19.

Don't forget that this is UK pricing, and we don't know what the price will bee in USD once/if it is available in the US.

£279 is not bad for a dual core Atom netbook, and seems to be at the low end of UK prices for similar products.

Ever taken a cab in London? You can't really judge prices by looking only at the exchange rate. The reality of how little the USD is worth stings a bit.

Katherine Druckman is webmistress at LinuxJournal.com. You might find her on Twitter or at the Southwest Drupal Summit

I agree...

JShuford's picture
Submitted by JShuford on Mon, 11/22/2010 - 05:54.

I agree with you Doug... I like the OS and would have liked to have seen a tablet version instead of a Netbook. Too bad for Jolicloud.

...I'm not just a "troll", but also a subscriber!

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