Netbooks are small cheap laptops with built-in wifi (Around £150-200). They are about the size of a Filofax and perfect for whipping out in your local Starbucks and checking your mail or surfing the web. They have been based on the Intel Atom chip, and run Windows XP. They won’t run Vista but will run the next version of Windows.
Later this year however you can expect netbooks with the ARM chip that normally powers mobile phones. These have big advantages. The chip has been designed to use less power and the batteries will last up to four times longer than the Intel chip. Because it uses less power it generates less heat so the case can be thinner. The chip is also significantly cheaper.
The downside is that they will not run Windows, but these devices will run Linux which is going to give it a big boost as a consumer operating system.
These are going to be A BIG DEAL. Watch this space.
Bob Browning's blog 
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