Zonbu, maker of the subscription-based Zonbu Desktop, is expanding its offerings to include a laptop, according to LinuxWorld. At first glance, the Zonbu computers seem no different from the other inexpensive Linux computers, except a little cheaper, but what really makes them stand out is the new cellphone-style (get the phone free with a contract) approach. The $280 price tag for the laptop ties you into a two year $15.00 per month charge. (You can get the computers with a shorter contract or no contract, but it is far more expensive.) For this price you get transparent updates, free online support and hardware replacement, and 50GB of online, backed up storage. The idea is that the machine only comes with a small (60GB for the laptop, 4GB for the desktop) amount of local storage and additional online storage.

Another interesting thing to note about the Zonbu Laptop is the hardware maker, Everex. Everex is the company behind the gPC, another inexpensive Linux-based PC with a more standard buy-the-hardware-once approach.

Although the idea of a worry-free PC is great and it would help a lot more people back-up, in reality the market seems small. Many people will be nervous about having their data stored remotely (particularly with a small company), and when you factor in the service plan, the $200 gPC, with no monthly fee, sure seems like a better deal. Still, the Zonbu approach may be just what some non-techies are looking for in a computer.

(Note: I have not used any of the Zonbu products.)