Litl
Encyclopedia
The litl webbook is a webbook
developed, marketed and sold by litl LLC. It features the ability to stand upright in an inverted-V position (referred to as "easel mode") and a cloud-based operating system called litl OS. It has been described as the "world's first" true cloud-based netbook.
“We knew that to really meet the needs of home users – from kids to parents and grandparents – we needed to design an entirely new system that would make the web engaging, entertaining and fun."
with engineering design by MOTO Development Group. The device is manufactured by FIC
.
-oriented operating environment
of the litl
webbook.
Litl state that a set of principles were developed to guide the design of the interface, including: "We used a simple rule: Any computer task that had the word "management" next to it had to be eliminated. File management. Gone. Windows management. Gone.".
:
Flicking through cards in Easel mode (when the screen is flipped back on itself causing the webbook to be in an A-frame position) is done using a blue-colored click-wheel (called the "litl wheel") on the litl webbook or remote control.
The card concept, easel mode and general usage of the interface are demonstrated in litl's videos.
The interfaces to some web content are also customized by litl or third parties to integrate with Litl OS and are referred to as litl channels. (Litl OS's optional display method for RSS feeds is also referred to as a "litl channel"). Customizations and settings are minimal in keeping with the design goals of simplicity and ease of use.
working closely with litl. Personas and detailed interaction design were by Cooper Consulting in consultation with litl's internal design team. Fort Franklin also contributed to some design elements.
is a mobile/embedded distribution of Ubuntu
provided by Canonical
. The user interface is written largely in Mozilla's dialect of Javascript
using the gjs binding to access GNOME
and Clutter UI elements. Litl automatically performs nightly software updates, and the OS stores browser cards, web channels, settings, and contacts online at Amazon S3
using a web service running on Google's App Engine
and the Django framework. Litl OS can synchronize information from the Internet to the webbook and between webbooks. Free and Open source components of the operating system's source code
can be obtained on DVD from Litl.
Notable software engineers who code for litl OS include Havoc Pennington
, a former chair of the Gnome Foundation
, and Lucas Rocha, who is currently a member of the GNOME Foundation
Board of Directors. Havoc Pennington
is currently litl's Director of Software Development.
Webbook
A webbook is a portmanteau of web and notebook computer, and is a generic class of laptop computers such as the litl, Elonex and Coxion webbook computers....
developed, marketed and sold by litl LLC. It features the ability to stand upright in an inverted-V position (referred to as "easel mode") and a cloud-based operating system called litl OS. It has been described as the "world's first" true cloud-based netbook.
Origins
Litl's CEO John Chuang, also co-founder of Aquent, has said that the origins of the litl webbook lay in his observation that while his family was increasingly using web applications, their home computer was based on pre-web thinking: “I have kids from 5 to 13 years old. My 13-year-old has never installed software in her life. Everything she uses is a Web app. Yet she’s using a technology that was completely not designed for that. I thought that was a mismatch.”“We knew that to really meet the needs of home users – from kids to parents and grandparents – we needed to design an entirely new system that would make the web engaging, entertaining and fun."
Engineering partners
The industrial design of the litl webbook was by FuseprojectFuseproject
Founded in 1999 by Yves Béhar, Fuseproject is a San Francisco-based industrial design and branding firm. It works across a wide array of industries including beauty and fashion, furniture and technology....
with engineering design by MOTO Development Group. The device is manufactured by FIC
First International Computer
First International Computer, Inc. is a Taiwanese computer and components manufacturer, that designs and manufactures computer products and electronic components for other electronics equipment manufacturers worldwide. The company's products include motherboards, embedded computing systems,...
.
Operating system
Litl OS is the cloudCloud computing
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility over a network ....
-oriented operating environment
Operating environment
The operating environment in engineering describes the circumstances surrounding and potentially affecting something that is operating. For example electronic or mechanical equipment may be affected by high temperatures, vibration, dust, and other parameters which comprise the operating...
of the litl
Litl
The litl webbook is a webbook developed, marketed and sold by litl LLC. It features the ability to stand upright in an inverted-V position and a cloud-based operating system called litl OS...
webbook.
User interface philosophy
The litl OS interface removes a number of conventional elements of general purpose desktop environments. "Litl eliminates menus, icons, and folders. In fact, we've removed all computer administrative debris between you and the web".Litl state that a set of principles were developed to guide the design of the interface, including: "We used a simple rule: Any computer task that had the word "management" next to it had to be eliminated. File management. Gone. Windows management. Gone.".
User interface structure
Litl OS's user interface utilizes graphic elements called "cards" to organize browsing sessions and content instead of the tabs and menus found on conventional desktopsDesktop environment
In graphical computing, a desktop environment commonly refers to a style of graphical user interface derived from the desktop metaphor that is seen on most modern personal computers. These GUIs help the user in easily accessing, configuring, and modifying many important and frequently accessed...
:
Flicking through cards in Easel mode (when the screen is flipped back on itself causing the webbook to be in an A-frame position) is done using a blue-colored click-wheel (called the "litl wheel") on the litl webbook or remote control.
The card concept, easel mode and general usage of the interface are demonstrated in litl's videos.
The interfaces to some web content are also customized by litl or third parties to integrate with Litl OS and are referred to as litl channels. (Litl OS's optional display method for RSS feeds is also referred to as a "litl channel"). Customizations and settings are minimal in keeping with the design goals of simplicity and ease of use.
Designers
User interface concepts were first mapped out by PentagramPentagram (design studio)
Pentagram is a design studio that was founded in 1972 by Alan Fletcher, Theo Crosby, Colin Forbes, Kenneth Grange and Mervyn Kurlansky in Needham Road, West London, UK...
working closely with litl. Personas and detailed interaction design were by Cooper Consulting in consultation with litl's internal design team. Fort Franklin also contributed to some design elements.
Software details
The underlying operating systemOperating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
is a mobile/embedded distribution of Ubuntu
Ubuntu (operating system)
Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...
provided by Canonical
Canonical
Canonical is an adjective derived from canon. Canon comes from the greek word κανών kanon, "rule" or "measuring stick" , and is used in various meanings....
. The user interface is written largely in Mozilla's dialect of Javascript
XUL
In computer programming, XUL , the XML User Interface Language, is an XML user interface markup language developed by the Mozilla project. XUL operates in Mozilla cross-platform applications such as Firefox...
using the gjs binding to access GNOME
GNOME
GNOME is a desktop environment and graphical user interface that runs on top of a computer operating system. It is composed entirely of free and open source software...
and Clutter UI elements. Litl automatically performs nightly software updates, and the OS stores browser cards, web channels, settings, and contacts online at Amazon S3
Amazon S3
Amazon S3 is an online storage web service offered by Amazon Web Services. Amazon S3 provides storage through web services interfaces...
using a web service running on Google's App Engine
Google App Engine
Google App Engine is a platform as a service cloud computing platform for developing and hosting web applications in Google-managed data centers. It virtualizes applications across multiple servers,...
and the Django framework. Litl OS can synchronize information from the Internet to the webbook and between webbooks. Free and Open source components of the operating system's source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
can be obtained on DVD from Litl.
Notable software engineers who code for litl OS include Havoc Pennington
Havoc Pennington
Robert Sanford Havoc Pennington is an American computer engineer and entrepreneur.He is known in the free software community due to his work on HAL , GNOME, Metacity, GConf, and D-BUS.- Career :...
, a former chair of the Gnome Foundation
GNOME Foundation
The GNOME Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, coordinating the efforts in the GNOME project.-Purpose:...
, and Lucas Rocha, who is currently a member of the GNOME Foundation
GNOME Foundation
The GNOME Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, coordinating the efforts in the GNOME project.-Purpose:...
Board of Directors. Havoc Pennington
Havoc Pennington
Robert Sanford Havoc Pennington is an American computer engineer and entrepreneur.He is known in the free software community due to his work on HAL , GNOME, Metacity, GConf, and D-BUS.- Career :...
is currently litl's Director of Software Development.
Specifications
| Model | Nov 2009 |
|---|---|
| Release date |
November 4, 2009 |
| Model name |
litl webbook |
| OS |
litl OS |
| Display Display device A display device is an output device for presentation of information in visual or tactile form... |
Matte 12.1 inch AFFS LCD WXGA display (1280x800) with LED backlighting and a 178° field of view |
| Front side bus Front side bus A front-side bus is a computer communication interface often used in computers during the 1990s and 2000s.It typically carries data between the central processing unit and a memory controller hub, known as the northbridge.... |
533 MHz |
| Processor Central processing unit The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in... |
1.86 GHz Intel AtomTM Z540 Processor (512KB L2 Cache) |
| Memory | 1GB 533 MHz DDR2 SDRAM |
| Graphics Computer graphics Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware.... |
Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 500 |
| Chipset Chipset A chipset, PC chipset, or chip set refers to a group of integrated circuits, or chips, that are designed to work together. They are usually marketed as a single product.- Computers :... |
Intel US15W |
| Storage | Local: Compact Flash 2 GB SLC local cache Internet: main storage is provided on the web by Amazon S3 Amazon S3 Amazon S3 is an online storage web service offered by Amazon Web Services. Amazon S3 provides storage through web services interfaces... accessed via a custom web service Web service A Web service is a method of communication between two electronic devices over the web.The W3C defines a "Web service" as "a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network". It has an interface described in a machine-processable format... running on Google's App Engine Google App Engine Google App Engine is a platform as a service cloud computing platform for developing and hosting web applications in Google-managed data centers. It virtualizes applications across multiple servers,... with the Django framework. |
| Ports | HDMI (Type A) USB 2.0 (1) Audio jack (1 line out) AC adapter connector |
| Battery | 3 cell 28WHr Lithium Ion Battery |
| Camera | Built in 300kP, 640x480 VGA webcam |
| Microphone | Built in |
| Wireless | 802.11 b/g PIFA/Gain: 0.67 dBi 2 Internal IR receivers compatible with litl remote |
| AC | 120-240V AC; DC 20V @ 2A |
| Weight | 3.38 lb (1.5 kg) |
| Dimensions | 1.06 x 12.6 x 9.25 in/27 x 320 x 235 mm |
External links
- FCC: OET Exhibits List
- Internal photographs (PDF)
- External photographs (PDF)
- Dec 31, 2008 - engadget: FIC's 10.4-inch CW001 Mini-note splashes down in FCC database
- Oct 28, 2009 - engadget: Litl Easel 'web computer' is cute as a baby-blue button
- Notebookcheck
- Netbookchoice
- Netbooked
- First thoughts on litl's Easel