I’ve just heard from the Zonbu folks this morning and they let me know that as of today Zonbu is releasing a notebook version of their low power, environmentally friendly desktop.

Zonbu GNU/Linux is a new, environmentally-friendly, compact PC available from Zonbu. It includes some features that really make it stand out from other PCs. Last, but not least, it comes with GNU/Linux. In this article, I will give you some of the highlights and thoughts of my experience with Zonbu.

I have been using my Zonbu for a couple of weeks now so it is time for a report.

The $279 Zonbu Notebook is the latest offering from the Open Source computer company—following up on the $99 Zonbu Desktop released earlier this year. The software is the same OS seen on the desktop, updated with a few new features such as real time data syncing. But the question remains: Does Zonbu find the sweet spot between solid performance and an entry level price?

If you had the chance to try one of the Wal Mart or Zonbu machines you will remember well that the hardware was second-rate at best. On top of that, the hardware BARELY supported Linux. But System 76 to make good on all of the promises these companies have failed to deliver on.

A little over a week ago I received my Zonbu Notebook. Since reviewing their tiny, silent desktop replacement computer I’ve been interested in Zonbu and their business model. Could they really pull of the subscription model with inexpensive computers? I’ve long held that in the next ten to fifteen years the majority of computers will be inexpensive blocks handed out to anyone who wants one in exchange for subscribing to some sort of service – be it connectivity, online storage or even gaming.

It has been over two weeks now since I started playing with the Zonbu. My first foray was under VMWare and then my actual hardware arrived.

Ubuntu 10.04 was officially released yesterday, April 29th 2010. I was curious to see if my initial impressions when reviewing the Beta were accurate, so I went ahead and tested it. On top of that, I wanted to find out how much improvement actually took place on this final version.

It's been four days now since I got my Dell XPS M1530 pre-installed with Ubuntu. You can see the unboxing pictures here. While I am not ready for a full review, I am ready to give some first impressions. Here is what I have noticed so far: