Darn! Cloudbook delayed

Cloudbook, one of those ‘net ‘puters that we expect will start the next wave of computer usage for the rest of the planet.

January 25, 2008 (Computerworld) Everex said today that its highly anticipated ultramobile CloudBook PC won’t make it into U.S. consumers’ hands for another month or so, as the Taiwanese vendor makes last-minute changes to its Linux-based software.

CloudBook was supposed to be available from Wal-Mart Inc. stores and the Walmart.com Web site today.

But in an e-mail, Everex’s director of marketing, Paul Kim, said that “a couple of last-minute software tweaks” prevented the CloudBook, a competitor to rival Taiwanese AsusTek Computer Inc.’s successful Eee, from reaching stores just three weeks after its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show.

The $399 computer runs gOS, a flavor of Linux based on the popular Ubuntu distribution but with a reworked user interface aimed at smaller screens like CloudBook’s 7-in. (diagonal) display.

The Everex device is not in the <$200 club but then it is laptop not a desktop. But give it time. Two things will happen. The price will go lower or more features will be added for the same price. It always goes that way.