I made an inventory of the software I use that is truly installed on my computer, and there isn't much. My blogging software, desktop publishing, and media player are on USB Drives. My storage and backups reside online. I choose to play console games, and my large media files are on a networked external hard drive working as a media server. I am the kind of user that could benefit from a CherryPal Cloud Computer.

If you haven't heard of this device, it is unique. It is a solid state (no movable parts) little computing device with a tiny footprint. It only weighs 10.5 ounces and is 1.3" high, 5.8" x 4.2" wide. It accesses, at boot up, the CherryPalCloud where most of the software, processing, and storage lives. It does all of this for free and with only 2 Watts of energy consumption - 97% less than a traditional desktop computer. There is almost no chance of hardware failure and very little chance of software corruption. This is pretty trouble-free computing.

The CherryPal Cloud computer will feature Freescale's MPC5121e mobileGT processor running at 400 MHz (remember, much of the processing is done by the cloud), 256MB of DDR2 DRAM, 4GB NAND Flash-based solid state drive, WiFi 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, VGA out, two USB 2.0 ports, an ethernet port, and a headphone jack. It runs a customized version of the Debian/GNU Linux OS.

When the CherryPal boots up, and when a program loads, you access the Cloud, which Amazon runs, and you view a small advertisement. After the ad is viewed, it goes away until a new program is loaded. Because the cost of computing is offset with ad revenue, the CherryPal Cloud will only cost $249. It is available for preorder now, and will ship at the end of July.

Visit www.cherrypal.com for more information.