Listen up, NPR fans!
Do you organize your weekends so you don’t miss “Wait Wait...Don’t Tell Me!”? Have your family’s music lessons taken on a new energy because of “From The Top”? Is “Morning Edition” as important to your morning as your first cup of coffee?
If you’re one of NPR’s 26.4 million weekly listeners, you know the special place their news, talk, and entertainment programming occupies in many people’s hearts and minds. Much of it is gold, pure gold.
And yet, who hasn’t missed a favorite show due to an overly busy schedule? Or wished they could schedule a “can't miss” program for when they had a few moments of downtime? Or wanted to listen to multiple episodes of a favorite show back-to-back?
We’re excited to introduce the latest channel for the litl webbook: NPR Anytime. The channel, available immediately for free to litl webbook owners, provides easy “on demand” access to more than 800 of NPR’s podcasted shows. Users can enjoy shows missed during their live broadcast, create their own custom programming schedule, and, more generally, listen to their NPR favorites when, where, and how they choose.
“Our family has always been fans of public radio, but we used to miss a lot of our favorite shows because we were so busy. Now, if we miss a show, we use our litl to quickly get caught up. I can also pick and choose what I listen to while I’m working in my home office, cleaning up in the kitchen, or just relaxing around the house,” says blogger and mom Mia Wenjen. “The NPR channel makes our litl even more useful for me and my family.”
What do you think? Will “on demand” access to NPR's shows help make the litl webbook the ideal kitchen computer for your family? Let us know—here, on Facebook, or on Twitter.
The litl webbook operates in 2 modes for maximum versatility. In its unique "easel" mode, users enjoy web content ranging from NPR's podcasts and online photos to web video and news headlines.
Even from across a room, the NPR Anytime channel quickly communicates what show is being enjoyed. By way of the litl webbook's on-hinge scroll wheel or optional remote control, users can pause playback, jump forward or backward, or browse other episodes.
Most of NPR's podcasted shows have multiple episodes available for "on demand" listening. Users can read a description of each show, review what episodes are available, and make their listening selection.
Photo courtesy of frants / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Trademarks and copyrights referenced are the property of their respective owners. No endorsement is implied or intended.
Hands-On Review in the Star-Ledger
“I have seriously considered tossing my computer out the window,” writes the Newark Star-Ledger's Allan Hoffman at the start of his review of the litl webbook. “Though miraculous in their capabilities, today’s personal computers can be a chore to operate and maintain, especially when we’re using them for everyday activities like checking e-mail, surfing the web and sorting through photos.”
We couldn’t agree more. So when it came time to design the litl, we had two options:
- Build a computer that could withstand defenestration, or
- Start from scratch to build a home computer without the “computer-y” stuff.
We went with the latter.
Hoffman goes on to talk about several of the improvements litl has made in home computing, including easel mode, which “genuinely transforms the litl into something other than personal computer.”
There may be no greater compliment than that.
The full review is a testament to the breakthroughs in simplicity we have achieved with the litl webbook. Read the full review at NJ.com.
Thanks to Allan for his interest in the litl webbook.
Conversation with Marsha Collier and Marc Cohen
Marsha Collier and Marc Cohen, well-known hosts of the “Computer and Technology Radio” show interviewed litl’s head of marketing, James Gardner, over the weekend. The interview was broadcast live on KTRB San Francisco and worldwide on the Internet.
Marsha shared her first-hand experience with the litl webbook and then the group discussed some of the computer’s more unique capabilities. Babette Pepaj, CEO and founder of BakeSpace, joined the call midstream to talk about the litl webbook’s recently launched BakeSpace Recipes channel. The new channel offers litl webbook users easy access to the website’s more than 50,000 member-submitted recipes.
Listen to Marsha, Marc, James, and Babette discuss the litl webbook:
Thanks to Marsha and Marc for their interest in the litl webbook! We appreciated the opportunity to join the weekend’s show.
Download interview MP3: Marsha Collier and Marc Cohen - litl webbook interview 03-2010
Getting better all the time
Because the litl updates its software automatically, we are constantly making improvements to the litl's performance. Today, we released a new batch of updates that will make the litl's photo and video experience faster and easier to use.
First, we redesigned our signature channel, Mediawall. In particular, we improved speed and made navigation more intuitive when looking through your timeline and albums.
Back in stock
We’re back in stock with a fresh supply of litl webbooks!
Please visit our website, litl.com, and we’d be happy to help you get started. Thanks for your patience.
Perfect in the kitchen
The kitchen is the heart or activity hub of the home for many families. Meals are prepared and enjoyed here, but it's also an important activity center where people dash in and out, plan and discuss schedules, check messages, make phone calls, have family meetings, and so forth.
We’ve never been satisfied with the computers we’ve brought into our kitchens. Invariably, they looked out of place, weren’t useful for everyone in the family, or took up too much precious space. They certainly weren’t fun to use.
The litl webbook may well be the ideal “kitchen computer.” Sleek and modern, the litl looks like it actually belongs in a kitchen, not a cubicle. It’s versatile too: use it with the keyboard and screen and the litl goes online like a traditional laptop. You’ll always have the web close at hand.
For a different experience, flip the screen back around the hinge and stand the computer upright in “easel” mode. Everything from family photos and local weather to an egg timer and breaking news can now be enjoyed from anywhere in the kitchen. Trust us—very fun!
If counter space is in short supply, you’ll appreciate that the litl's easel mode takes up half the space of a traditional laptop. Additionally, the litl’s screen is viewable from a full 178 degrees so you won’t lose sight of it as you move from the sink to the stove and back to the dishwasher. And you won’t be spending time taking care of the litl, either. It’s maintenance-free and is designed to always run quickly and securely.
Can a great kitchen computer get better? We think so.
We’re excited to announce the launch of the BakeSpace Recipes channel. BakeSpace, a 2009 Webby Award nominee for Best Social Network, is a free online community where members post, search and swap recipes, share cooking tips, and socialize with other food enthusiasts. The new channel provides quick and easy access to more than 50,000 member-submitted recipes and is available now at no cost to litl webbook users.
Babette Pepaj, BakeSpace’s founder and CEO, remarks, “We love the concept behind the litl webbook because it’s all about making it fun and easy to enjoy the web. With the addition of the new BakeSpace channel, the litl is now also a great tool for cooking enthusiasts. If you enjoy spending time in the kitchen, the litl webbook could be your ideal computer.”
Is the litl webbook the kitchen computer you’ve been waiting for? Check out our video and let us know what you think.
TechnoDad: live demo on Chicago WLS-TV 7
Michael Ferrara, better known as the TechnoDad, is a popular home technology reviewer. He shared some first thoughts about the litl webbook a few weeks ago, mentioning that it could be perfect for his "technophobic" mom.
Last week, on Chicago's WLS-TV 7, Michael highlighted the litl webbook again in a roundup of interesting new electronic devices.
Thanks, Michael. We appreciate your interest in the litl webbook.
Talking tech with Craig Peterson
Craig Peterson, host of the popular radio show "Tech Talk with Craig Peterson", aired an interview with litl's head of marketing, James Gardner, over the weekend. The interview was broadcast in Boston and throughout much of New England on WGIR and was also streamed over the web.
Listen to Craig and James discuss the litl webbook:
Thanks to Craig for his interest in litl! We love his contagious enthusiasm for technology.
Download interview MP3: Craig Peterson - litl webbook interview 02-2010
Thinking a litl differently
Gregory Huang and Wade Roush from Xconomy teamed up today to capture reaction from the Boston and Seattle start-up communities to Apple's newly announced tablet. Their article, "The Apple iPad’s Impact on Mobile, Gaming, and E-Books: Local Techies and Startups React", is well worth reading.
Our CEO, John Chuang, added his perspective, concluding that we're pursuing a fundamentally different vision for the future of personal computing:
Ultimately, we are about a much bigger change in how operating systems work and how computers work. We are about [the] operating-system-as-a-service, about being extremely maintenance-free, about content, about synching. [The iPad] is more of a traditional device—an extension of the mobile platform, which we’ve seen, but at the end of the day it’s still local hardware, with local storage, and that’s not what we’re trying to accomplish.
As John's previously described, litl is premised on the fundamental belief that personal computing, especially at home, will continue its rapid move to the cloud. Email and photos transitioned first, but casual gaming, web video, video chat, social networking, and even productivity apps are all following fast. And yet, the hardware and software tools we use to enjoy the web are still mostly based on "pre-web" thinking: powerful on-board processors with large hard drives supporting local operating systems and standalone software.
We don't think this mismatch between consumer behavior and computing devices can endure. More than anything, it creates unnecessary complexity and compels consumers to become de facto systems administrators. Outside of the technical community, few consumers have an interest in updating software, backing up hard drives, or patching their operating system: they want the web to be fun and they want it to be easy.
The mismatch also stunts innovation by tying manufacturers and consumers to outdated thinking. John Gruber, technology observer and pundit, lamented the dearth of innovative thinking, "If a small startup can build the Litl, why couldn’t a big company like Dell or Sony? People today still love HP calculators made 30 or even 40 years ago. Has HP made anything this decade that anyone will remember fondly even five years from now? Inkjet printers?".
So, we at litl have chosen a very different path from the tablet and other traditional computing devices. Learn more about it on our website. And, if you agree with our thinking, please tell your friends and help us change the world a "litl" bit 
Photo credit: John Harvey
A litl different from the rest :)
Kevin Schram, reviewer for the technology website "Thoughts from the Sidelines", shared some of his observations about the litl webbook today.
The article touched on many points, but specifically highlighted the webbook's innovativeness ("In a market that’s flooded with cheap, indistinguishable 10-inch netbooks, this new product from boutique startup Litl stands out.").
Great observation, Kevin. We're "pushing the reset button" on home computing because we think today's computers and operating systems are fundamentally a mismatch with how they're actually being used. John Chuang, litl's founder and CEO, described this lack of alignment in an interview with Xconomy's Wade Roush:
"Everything my family uses is on the Web," says litl's CEO, John Chuang. "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."
John continued in the article:
“We didn’t want to build anything that already existed, or something with just marginal improvements,” Chuang says. “PCs have served a great purpose, but we wanted to take a crack at a different type of computer that would be for and of the Net.”
To learn where our passion to build a new and better computing experience - with more than "marginal improvements" - took us, spend a few minutes on our website. We've written extensively about our company philosophy and our approach to both software and hardware innovation.
Thanks for the interest in litl, Kevin. We appreciate it.
TechnoDad: hands-on with the litl webbook
Michael Ferrara, better known to many as TechnoDad, is a popular home and family-focused technology reviewer. He's appeared on hundreds of local morning television shows across the country as well as on HGTV's "TIPical Mary Ellen" and "Our Home".
On his blog today, Michael published his first thoughts after some hands-on experience with the litl webbook. He noted our bias towards simplicity, adding that the litl could be perfect for his "technophobic" mom. His comments concluded:
"The litl, at $699 seems like its priced out of the market compared to cheap, Windows-based netbooks. But when you factor in the included lifetime upgrades, the multi-angle screen, the automatic backups (litl will shut down your account if the computer is stolen), a two-year money-back guarantee, and the planned automatic upgrades like the ability to download photos and videos, the litl’s premium price is not only reasonable, but looks like a good value."
Thanks for your interest, Michael! We look forward to additional feedback.
Out of stock, but more on the way
The litl webbook is out of stock right now, but we're busy making more.
If you'd like to know when more are available, we've started an email list on our website. Add your email address and we'll contact you.
(While you're waiting, please follow us on Twitter @litl to stay current on our news and announcements.)
“Springwise” litl webbook review
Springwise is a popular European website that features emerging social trends, promising business ideas, and interesting new products. They source their articles from more than 8,000 global business and marketing-savvy spotters in over 70 countries.
The litl webbook was "spotted" last week by one of their trend researchers. Their article, "Simplifed web computer mimics TV", discussed litl's thinking about home computing and concluded with a recommendation to aspiring technology entrepreneurs:
"Judging by the success netbooks have already achieved, there's clearly something to the idea of focusing home computers on the web—many, in fact, predict that will be the future of personal computing. Litl says it will soon provide the technical details necessary for independent developers and potential partners to create custom channels of their own, so for app-minded entrepreneurs, this could be one to get in on early. For all others, it's definitely one to watch!"
Thanks, Springwise! We appreciate your support.
2009 Crunchies Awards
Thanks to everyone for their support of our nomination as "Best New Gadget" at the 2009 Crunchies Awards. We didn't win nor did we get a chance to "thank all the litl people", but it was a thrill to be honored as a finalist. Congratulations to the other nominees and this year's winners.
litl heading to CES
Later this week, the litl team will be heading to Las Vegas for CES! For those who will be at the show, stop by the Intel booth for a peek at the litl webbook. Or, e-mail asklitl@litl.com to schedule a time to meet with someone from litl.
Hope to see you there!