It may not be much to look at, but CherryPal’s new device — a $249 paperback-sized box containing an underpowered processor and a token amount of memory — is a forerunner of the oncoming revolution in “cloud” computing.

You just stick in any keyboard or mouse with a USB connector and any standard monitor (VGA), and you’re up and running.

Of course, being one of the first to do something doesn’t equate to being successful at it. But the CherryPal should excite anyone who believes that the average computer of the future will not only be Internet-connected, but also Internet-controlled. The CherryPal, set to begin shipping at the end of this month, is a true cloud computer, meaning almost all if its applications and data are stored online.

A cloud computer is desirable for a few reasons. One is that small chips like the CherryPal’s 400 MHz Freescale processor can handle more tasks with the help of an outside server. Individual devices almost never need upgrades, and are harder to infect with viruses. Upgrades are also possible without replacing the computer, and files are accessible from anywhere. And the CherryPal requires only two watts to run, much less than a normal computer.

Those reasons are why CherryPal hopes its device can rise past the more powerful competition to win a spot in the hearts of consumers. CEO Max Seybold says he hopes that students and less computer-savvy people will latch onto CherryPal as an alternative to traditional computers.

Computing experts will likely suggest that it’s most useful as a secondary device to a home desktop or laptop. That’s probably true for you or I, but a substantial population of people who don’t care about computing power may be perfectly satisfied using only a CherryPal. However, there’s a wide array of competition awaiting the new device.

Among them are companies like Apple, with its Mac Mini, and Shuttle, which sells the KPC starting at $229. There’s also Zonbu, which has a “hybrid” system that goes partway toward cloud computing for $299 — although getting all the features of the cloud requires an extra subscription fee, while CherryPal’s is free.

CherryPal plans to market its device as being both simpler to operate than other computers and, because of its light construction and low energy use, as a “green” computer. However, it’s also not the first to use that approach. Wal-Mart said the same about its Everex gPC, which runs a version of Linux customized to hook up to Google Apps. Despite quickly selling out of its first run of 10,000 computers, Wal-Mart was dissatisfied with the results and stopped offering it in stores. It still sells the gPC online, for $150.

Seybold says the CherryPal will offer better performance than such down-market systems, similar to a 2GHz computer running Windows Vista (unlike Windows, Seybold says the CherryPal is “unhackable”). But because of the wide array of competition, CherryPal’s success will hinge on its marketing efforts, which is more of an artistic than technical endeavor.

Still, the release of the CherryPal is an interesting first stab at a cloud device. Along with web-based operating systems like Gh.o.st and Pi, the CherryPal may help blaze a path away from the major device-based operating systems, Mac OS and Windows, each of which has its