
What Google started, is finished by Airset. Google has online applications for text-editing and spreadsheets, you can store your documents online, you can collaborate on a paper. That’s all fine, but now Airset offers a complete “virtual computer” a “personal webcomputer” – they call it “Cloud Computing”.
It looks great, but: There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. So quanta costa? Hold your breath. As long as you store less than 1 GB Airset is completely free!
I recall the days when I felt jealous because one of my friends had bought a personal computer with a 1 GB hard drive, while I was swapping files to floppies and back to cope with my 512 MB. But now a 1 GB hard drive is nothing, not even fit for starters, a joke – something they have to add money to to have a right to sell it you. So, there is of course a premium service with additional file storage.
The price break down is as follows:
- 5GB for $2.00/month
- 10GB for $4.00/month
- 15GB for $6.00/month
- 20GB for $8.00/month
- 25GB for $10.00/month
- 30BG for $12.00/month
- 35GB for $14.00/month
- 40GB for $16.00/month
- 45GB for $18.00/month
- 50GB for $20.00/month
So, when I have a cloud computer with 50 GB storage the price is $24 x 20 = $ 480 for two years. I think I have a better home computer with more storage capabilities (at least 250 GB) that will stay with me for 2 or maybe 3 years for this price. So what’s the deal?
I have an account @Airset – of course, I sign up with all web2.0 apps. I have tried it, but until yet I haven’t found a way to store your files on your own computer or – better – on a mobile device like a thumb drive. With Google docs this is possible, with Airset it should be in my opinion.
Maybe I’m a little old-fashioned, but I wonder if Airset will have the last word on portability and ubiquitous computing.
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