Litl
| Developer | litl LLC |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | First International Computer |
| Type | Webbook |
| Release date | November 9, 2009 |
| Introductory price | $699 |
| Operating system | litl OS |
| CPU | 1.86 GHz Atom Z540 |
| Website | 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 (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.
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."
The industrial design of the litl webbook was by Fuseproject with engineering design by MOTO Development Group. The device is manufactured by FIC.
Litl OS is the cloud-oriented operating environment of the litl webbook.
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.".
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 desktops:
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.
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