Somewhere between the laptop and the smart phone, the computer industry has long believed there could be a small, low-cost device that would please consumers and sell well.
The device would be more versatile than, say, an iPhone, but much cheaper and more portable than, say, a ThinkPad. The trouble is, every attempt to create such a category of computer has met with failure – until now.
This year, that in-between type of computer now called a “netbook” has finally caught on. Since I reviewed a pioneering model, the 7-inch, $300 Asus Eee PC in January, the market has been flooded with new and better, if somewhat more expensive, netbook models. Nearly every company – from big names such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard, to obscure ones such as MSI – has jumped into the fray.
Netbooks still constitute a smaller niche than laptops and the exploding smart phone, or hand-held computer, category. But they are threatening to break into the mainstream in a big way, especially in an economic climate in which a low price and fewer bells and whistles are suddenly more attractive.
They are much more portable than most standard laptops. They are easier to use on a plane or carry around town. And they are way cheaper, between $300 and $500, than the lightest, thinnest standard laptops, which often top $1,000.
Compared with even an amazingly powerful pocket device, like the iPhone, the Google G1, or the forthcoming BlackBerry Storm, a netbook, at about twice the price, offers a much larger keyboard and screen. And they can run far more sophisticated software and perform a much wider variety of computing tasks.
But netbooks come with serious compromises. While they are great for light use on the go, their cramped screens and keyboards, and slow processors, make them…