What type of computer?
How much does a computer have to do and how much of a computer does it take to do what we do most? For most of us most of the time, the answers are not that much. Perhaps one of the ways to make ubiquitous computing practical is to downgrade our expectations. Netbooks have challenged the traditional technology business model that offers more and more as efficiently as possible. Instead, why not identify what most people do most of the time and provide such services as inexpensively as possible. It might even be argued that some things computers used to have to do is no longer that necessary. For example, a large hard drive required to store both many programs and large personal collections of content is not really needed if one can do most work with web applications and store images, video, and other types of content online. What is really needed is reliable access to the Internet (probably wifi, but possibly the same type of access used by your cell phone). Once online, content can be uploaded or creating by interacting with online services.
Changing expectations - Netbook vs Laptop
We are not dealing with "official" terminology here. But here is our take on variables that might differentiate a netbook and a laptop.
|
Netbook |
Laptop |
|
less expensive (<$400) |
more expensive (>$800) |
|
smaller screen and keyboard < 10 in. |
larger screen and keyboard > 12 in. |
|
less powerful - slower CPU - smaller hard drive /maybe flash storage - less RAM - no CD/DVD or at least no burner - linux or a stripped down OS |
more powerful - faster CPU - larger hard drive - more RAM - CD/DVD burner - full featured OS not linux |
ASUS Eee PC
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