Nova Navigator

Nova Navigator

Jayesh Limaye, Jan 12, 2009 1014 hrs IST

This partly-online product has serious implications for the future of home computing.

Small size, Consumes low power, Inexpensive, Pay for what you use.

Slow, Could have been more compact, Only Ethernet-based internet supported, Almost useless offline, No bundle.

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Features

On unpacking the box, you find that there is only the Nova Navigator unit and nothing else. There is neither any keyboard or mouse, nor any power cable. You have to get these, a monitor and an internet connection. Dialup is not supported, and neither is a USB dongle, so the RJ-45 port is the only option you can use.

Let us first take a look at the offline part of this product, namely the hardware. The Navigator looks like a black box with dimensions: 30.5 cm Wide X 26.7 cm Deep X 6.5 cm Tall. The size is pretty small and you can place it vertically or horizontally anywhere. The casing seems pretty sturdy and since it is powder-coated, it is scratch-resistant.

The casing has buttons and ports at the front. When placed in the vertical position, the reset button is near the top, with the red drive activity LED below. Below that is a slanting blue power LED just above a slanting silver power button.