JoliCloud and Netbooks: End of the PC, Laptop era in sight?

Michael is running this story about an ex-CEO of Netvibes, who plans to provide a much robust and feature richer netbook, quick-boot OS with all you may need to get on the Cloud.

Avastu advisory for investors

Wait till 2010, there are a lot more little start-ups, many names I can't reveal as they are still in stealth mode. Many of such start-ups will also fail as they only end up picking up one end of the spectrum and running with it. A typical downmarket/upmarket tussle, where you will, have to not only rely on better and more complete products but also ones that have following characteristics:

• Heterogeneity
• Interoperability
• Embedded functionality
• Un-brickability (From hardware perspective)
• Unbreakability (Not tampered with)
• Security

So continuously listening to:

• Real-Time Analysts
• Bloggers
• Web

Will be your best bet in this world.

Here's Mike's story:

There are a ton of other features as well, including a planned application platform for third party developers, but the company has asked us to keep our reporting to a minimum until they are ready to release Jolicloud into private beta. Which should, Tariq promises, be very soon.

For competition, check out Good OS, which is another stripped down operating system that’s perfect for low end PCs. Good OS is different, though, in that the company is targeting device manufacturers to add it as a dual boot option. Jolicloud is going straight to the consumer to encourage them to try it out.

As a heavy tester of Netbooks, I can say that Jolicloud is a huge step forward in terms of usability. Netbooks are so different from normal laptops and desktops that they need their own tailored operating system. Until now that appeared to be Windows XP, which is the OS of choice for Netbook manufacturers. But I expect those manufacturers will take a long look at Jolicloud and consider licensing it, or copying it, soon.

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