... repeated many times in the past couple of months.

1. Reviewer tests Zonbu, gives generally favorable review.

2. Commentors (almost all of whom have not tested the device) trash the device with almost identical arguments from review to review (the accessibility one is new and legit; good job Salon readers).

Here, in a nutshell, is why I will most likely get a Zonbu, and why I'm not a moron for doing so:

1. Environment. The low energy use, low toxic metal content is important to me. Especially the low energy use. I want to leave this thing on 24/7, or nearly so, for reasons explained below.

2. Offsite storage. Hard drives, computers, etc., die. I'm pretty good at backing stuff up, but it's a PITA. The one solution that I like is Carbonite; I pay ~$5 a month and it backs up the portions of my HD that I specify automatically without getting in my way. It's great, but has it's own limitations: you have to buy a subscription for each machine (and I have 2-3 in my house that I'd like to back up), they don't offer a Mac version (and other similar services for the Mac are too dear for me), and it doesn't allow remote access to my files (it's purely for restore in case of failure). What I'd like is a central conduit for backing up all the machines in my house. Zonbu can do that- though the base machine is locked down, I have contacted Zonbu and they say they offer a 'community' version of the OS that you can install your own software on. I'm reasonably adept at Linux, so I plan to install Unison, ssh, etc. (all open-source software), and set up automatic backups between all my machines and the Zonbu. Having the machine on 24/7 would make this more convenient. I realize that I'm skirting the 'no-fuss' issue, but hey, it works for me.

3. Security: As the data is encrypted before getting sent offsite, I don't have real concerns about security. And I am pretty sure that Amazon won't lose my data; when you offer a service like S3 you better have good fail-safe plans of your own (besides, I have a 'backup' on the machines I'm backing up if I do). I could eat those words, but they have a strong commercial interest in not screwing up. The only concern I have here is the slow file access that Farhad mentioned.

4. Pricing: If you think of the Zonbu subscription as purely an offsite backup service, it's actually pretty competitive. Add in the away-from-home access (which others offer as a for-fee service for PCs), software maintenance (no addl. nickel and diming), and general support, it's quite reasonable. Hell, retail Amazon S3 storage goes for $0.15/GB/month stored before transmission fees ($0.10/GB), not much less than the Zonbu fees! And by my own calculations you'll save $5-10 a month in electricity vs. a 24/7 home server. People seem to react strongly to subscription-based computers. I don't understand that; I don't see the same reaction with respect to cable TV, Tivo, phone service, etc. What's the difference?

And comparing Zonbu hardware+subscription to a Mac Mini is a false comparison- do you honestly think you'll never pay another $ to Apple? OS upgrades, etc.? I speak from experience, when you buy a Mac (which I really like, though I don't have the religion), keep a cash reserve handy. Hell, I'd sign up with Apple for a .mac plan if only it included software upgrades! Similarly, one reason I prefer eMusic to iTunes is the subscription model- it's all fixed costs, so I can budget for it and don't have to mull whether spending another $ is a good idea or not (I won't even get into DRM issues).

I was considering getting a Mini, though, but as it looks like Apple is going to drop it, I've lost interest.

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A lot of people seem to be of the opinion that a network computer is a bad idea. I dispute that, at least for the secondary market (i.e. 2nd or 3rd PC in the house) that Zonbu is explicitly targeting. I think it's a matter of implementation- a well implemented machine with a reasonably reliable network (I may be an outlier, but my Verizon DSL has very good uptime, and has for 7 years) could work fine.

In my case, I'm mulling between an in-house backup system (like a Western Digital MyBook) and a Zonbu. They aren't the same thing at all, but both offer the kind of backup capabilities that I want (one onsite, one not). I am leaning toward the Zonbu, b/c it offers easy offsite storage and external access, and I can use it as my kids' first computer. And my data will be retained even if my house burns down.

Having grown up with a Vic-20 (with 3.5k of memory and a tape drive for storage), I also have a soft spot for solid-state computers that take less than 5 minutes to boot.

So I'm pretty sure I'm going to get one. I may very well get one for my Mom, too- I had bought her an iOpener years ago (another failed thin client), and we both loved the thing- she could use it, and I didn't have to support her. Even though it was modem-based, it was reasonably usable. I hope Zonbu has a better fate in store.

For the record, I have nothing to do with Zonbu, other than the fact that I've been pestering their support department for weeks asking about details.