Time traces

Angie Gonzalez, of Datacore, and I had a conversation about how virtual storage complements any type of virtual processing solution. Nearly all virtual server-based solutions gain a great deal of benefit when a supporting virtual storage strategy is also deployed. Why is that?

• Virtual storage solutions iron out incompatibilities among storage subsystems making it possible for a workload to move from one place to anotfher without also requiring IT administrators to reconfigure storage systems on the fly.
• Virtual storage solutions can make it more easily possible to select the storage subsystem based upon the performance requirements of the application, overall polices and operational events.

Until fairly recently, only the largest of organizations could afford sophisticated virtual storage systems. Datacore has been doing its best to bring this type of technology to the midmarket for nearly 10 years.

What is your organization doing to complement its virtual processing solutions with virtual storage solutions?

Michael Arrington’s post on creating a cheap web tablet is generating a lot of discussion on the internet and as a mobile enthusiast I wanted to add some of my thoughts to the discussion. There is a device available now that has dropped down as low as US$299.99 recently that runs an excellent Mozilla-based browser and has much more functionality than Arrington is asking for. If you took out the GPS receiver and maybe even the keyboard from the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet Nokia could probably produce one for around US$200. Actually, the Nokia N800 model can be upgraded to the latest Tablet OS 2008 and that is available for just around US$200 so that may be a good alternative that is already available.

The N800/N810 devices run on Maemo Linux and there is quite a community of developers always working to make the device better and better. Check out the Featured Maemo Apps site to see how much you can do with these Nokia Internet Tablets. There is also the excellent Maemo.org site and Internet Tablet Talk community site that you should visit.

Michael also wants the device to run Skype and the N800/N810 do this wonderfully. I actually kept in touch with my family while on a couple of European trips using the N800/N810 connected via a WiFi hotspot with Skype and the client has been around for over a year now.

As Michael thinks more about this endeavor, he may want to chat with Kevin Tofel who has been using his UMPC in the cloud only now for 44 days and has lots of experiences trying to get things done with web services. I would actually like to see Kevin’s same experiment ran on the Nokia N800 or N810. I think if Nokia wanted to sell more of these devices, they should think about marketing it more as a “cloud” computer now that there are more and more web services available. I know when I showed off the N800 to family at recent events they said that the device was all they need since it lets them check email, surf the sites they want to view, and still perform some other tasks like word processing, media playback, and more.

PCWorld is reporting that US buyers won’t get a chance to purchase Lenovo’s least expensive netbooks slated for release this fall. While higher-end models of their new S10 IdeaPads with 10.2 inch screens and Windows XP will be selling in the States, buyers in every other major market will have access to 8.9″ screen models running Linux.

While we can only speculate regarding what the cost would be for the smaller model here in the US, according to Lenovo’s press release,

Without the Windows tax and using a smaller LCD, a $300 price tag is not out of the question on a machine that weighs only 2 pounds and is an inch thick. Having reviewed the 8.9 inch screens on Intel’s second-generation Classmates extensively, I can say with great assurance that LCDs of this size would be highly usable for students K-12.

Even with a more conservative estimate of $350 per machine (and the ability to ditch XP Home, which really has no place in an educational enterprise), these savings add up quickly.

When are folks going to learn? Linux is your friend on a netbook. Save the cash, buy more computers, get more kids online, and don’t waste money on anti-malware products. Come on, Lenovo…even here in the States, we still like a bargain.