I  am recounting my mom’s first experiences with the iPhone not only for your amusement—though it was incredibly funny—but also to share with you how her wonderment and reactions triggered a set of thoughts and feelings. Perhaps being in the throes of Thanksgiving and the holiday season intensified my response, but as a technology journalist and gadget fanatic I found myself reflecting on the impressiveness of our technology today and how much I take it for granted. It surely was a change from criticizing operating systems and the maker’s of the BlackBerry!

While my mother was elated about the ease-of-use and animated features of her new phone as well as what she could now do on-the-go, I was equally excited to teach her how to use the iPhone and open this undiscovered world to her. Rarely, if ever, do I stop to think about people who stick to the simplest functions on their desktops or cellphones because they are fearful about venturing into new technology territory or those who don’t even have access to the Internet or the money to buy a computer.

One of my favorite holiday technology gifts for the past two years has been One Laptop per Child’s (OLPC) Give 1, Get 1 program. The program, which is not been continued this holiday season, offered individuals the opportunity to buy the non-profit’s XO laptop for $399, while at the same time giving a child of the developing world an XO of their own. OLPC also allowed those who wanted to just give a laptop the ability to do so by donating $199. One of the most personally rewarding experiences of my life was starting a pilot project in Mali, Africa when I worked at LAPTOP Magazine. The bright green, educational XO laptops brought incredible smiles to children’s faces that had never seen computers before and, even more importantly, put a connected and digital learning tool in their small hands. This holiday season, you can still make a donation to OLPC or to another program that helps provide computers and technology to kids in need such as LittleGeeks and GeekCorps.

Technology adds new dimensions to my life on a daily basis and enabling it to do the same for others is an incredibly rewarding experience. Teaching someone how to do more with their phone or laptop or buying a low-cost computer for someone who cannot afford one is a wonderful way to give and open the digital world we cherish so much to others that may be more timid or underprivileged. So, beyond hopping onto the next new app or buying that new gadget you are lusting for, try giving a bit of your tech  know-how to someone or make a small investment in bringing the digital to someone you don’t even know.  Believe me, you will be glad you did; and may even get a few laughs in the process.

As a true CrackBerry addict, I had opted to replace my Verizon Curve 88330 with the new Curve 8530. Yes, rather than a Droid, I went with the BlackBerry because I am a Blackberry Messenger fiend, love the speed of the e-mail and my fingers can’t live without the physical keyboards. However, within a few minutes of using the new trackpad equipped Curve, I was just downright disappointed in the Canadian smartphone pioneers.  What used to be a groundbreaking mobile operating system a couple of years ago, has been minimally updated with only new skins and a slightly improved interface.  The attempts to catch up to the Apple iPhones, Palm Pres and Motorola Droids of the world haven’t been executed correctly.

Take RIM’s shot at its own application store. Deemed Blackberry App World, the application store is not even preloaded on the brand new device! In order to get the application portal on the smartphone I had to search for it via Google, and download the application. Yep, I had to download the application to get applications. Counterintuitive, much? I’m not sure how RIM expects its customers to know this store is even available and that it contains hundreds of applications, nonetheless that it compete with application-centric phones like the iPhone and Android that have simple, preloaded application marketplaces.

Once running, the store is actually quite nice and easy to navigate but its inventory is a different story. I couldn’t find a number of applications for my phone, including TweetGenius and TwitterBerry. And don’t think it is just  a coincidence that the two missing applications  were social networking based.

Sure, Facebook makes a decent application for BlackBerry, but unlike the Palm Pre or the iPhone it lacks social skills. There is no integrated contact management with the option to fill in your current address book with different social networking information (though the Facebook app does have an option for that it isn’t integrated in the OS or within other social networking applications). Even when new and promising features like visual voicemail seem to be preloaded, they end up requiring a download and what feels like a 10-step process to configure. Unfortunately, while RIM is attempting to bring these newer features offered by its competitors and the social Web ecosystem to its own operating system, the implementation is halfhearted.

RIM, what worked a few years ago just doesn’t anymore. Although you may continue to attract enterprise customers with superior security and e-mail, to compete today in the consumer game you need products that add simplicity, engage with Internet integration and offer easy access to compelling third-party applications.  Yes, there remains a dedicated group of consumers (eh hem, me) that are still looking for the BlackBerry bread and butter – the strong email support, the speed of services like BlackBerry Messenger and good hardware – but they aren’t willing to deal with lagging features and incomplete experiences.  You don’t have to reinvent the wheel (seriously, we don’t want the scroll wheel anymore), but continuing to drop the ball isn’t going to work anymore. Please, get it rolling again.

When it comes to technology I’m an instant satisfaction type of girl, so naturally I was less than thrilled about the long wait before we start seeing new laptops with Google’s Chrome OS preloaded. (By the way, the fact that you cannot download and install the OS yourself is total BS and a subject for another column.)   But, I am resigned to accepting the product delay not only because it relates to Google geeks’ needing sufficient time to work on the back end of the OS and on other techy stuff for quality assurance, but also because other improvements and developments in mobile technology over the next year or two will make the Chrome OS worth waiting for and make it an overall better experience.

More ubiquitous wireless connectivity. Given Google’s deep roots in, you know, the Internet it makes sense that they have built an entire operating system on top of the web browser. Not only will you have the main functionality of a browser, but you will be able do more through web applications that are to be developed over the next year. Point is Google wants you to spend your time online and it is clear that there will be very little functionality (details are few and far between on this) to the OS if it isn’t connected to the Net.  With WiFi being spotty at best, I would assume that most Chrome notebooks will have some sort of 3G technology. However, beyond 3G’s kick to the wallet it is also slow.

The fourth generation of cellular wireless is beginning to be rolled out with sporadic WiMax coverage areas, but that uptake will be a lot wider over the next year or so. In addition, Verizon’s 4G LTE network which promises even faster speeds is slated to be rolled out during 2010 and into the next decade. With the evolution of 4G in the coming years, Google Chrome OS netbooks will be a lot more useful and powerful than they would be if introduced at this moment in time.

Improved netbook, notebook form factors. In the last year alone we have seen the physical evolution of the netbook. What started out as a notebook with a 7-inch screen has now evolved into almost a real size laptop. With 10 to 12 inch displays that can accommodate better ergonomics and longer usage, netbooks are not only better in terms of function, but have improved in design and style. And this is only going to get better in the 2010 with companies designing and releasing smartbooks that can accommodate different types of form factors because of the smaller and fanless processor architecture. By mid-2010 we will have even better looking and more interestingly crafted mobile computers that will have hardware, as we are told by Google, that will be optimized for the new OS.

Web applications with more functionality than ever before. Apple released its application SDK a few months before it actually rolled out its application store, giving developers time to create some of the most impressive applications around. It will be the same with Chrome OS. Similar to the way Adobe Air has provided a whole new crop of connected applications for the desktop, developers will be hard at work for the next year figuring out services and features to bring to the new platform, including many that will support hardware graphics acceleration and multithreading. I have no doubt that Google’s web applications will surprise us with their capabilities, just as Android and iPhone applications have during the last year. The more time for those to brew the better.

Chrome OS netbooks and notebooks if released today just wouldn’t be as compelling as those that will hit the market a year or two from now. (In fact, I actually think that the end of 2010 may even be too early for Chrome OS given the wireless ubiquity issue.)  As Google has said, it is working on the future of computing and, as always, we must wait for the future to arrive, just as we must wait for our operating systems to boot up.

Netbook manufacturers, including ASUS, HP and Toshiba, have chosen to put Windows 7 Starter on the newest crop of netbooks and, without a doubt, did so with a push from Microsoft. (Don’t forget about the higher profit margins on Windows 7 netbooks.)  In fact, Retrevo.com, which is similarly evidencing dissatisfaction with Win 7 Starter, reports that 23 of the 28 netbooks on sale at Amazon.com right now are preloaded with Starter edition. And it doesn’t surprise me that Retrevo’s survey on netbooks with Windows 7 Starter found that 54 percent of consumers would be unsatisfied with a new netbook equipped with Windows 7 Starter Edition because of limitations in the OS.  I am, without a doubt, in the same camp as that 54 percent.

Though Microsoft lifted the three-application limit before releasing the slimmed-down version of its operating system in October, it managed to include a number of restrictions including lack of support for DVD playback and the graphical Aero Peek interface.  My major gripes, however, lie with the following shortcomings of the OS, which are far greater than dealing with the aging Windows XP.

Locked desktop background – You cannot change the desktop background on any Windows 7 Starter system. That’s simply ridiculous. I have been changing backgrounds in Windows since my very first desktop that ran Windows 95! Can I live with a blue Windows logo on my netbook’s desktop? Sure, but why should I?  Yes, Windows 7 may be more aesthetically appealing than Windows XP, but who wants to look at a blue shaded Windows logo forever?

No multi-monitor support – Last week I discovered the hard way that the Nokia Booklet running Windows 7 Starter wouldn’t let me extend its 10-inch desktop to an external monitor. Since you can only clone the desktop in Windows 7 Starter, don’t plan on keeping an email client open on the 10-inch display and your browser open on a larger monitor.  (Yes, that’s my netbook setup and it’s too good to part with.)

Subpar battery life – According to reports from LAPTOP Magazine and Liliputing, Windows 7 Starter edition is getting an average of 40 minutes less battery life than netbooks running Windows XP. That is quite a bit of wasted juice.  Given that battery life is one of the best selling points of netbooks, I’d prefer to get some extra run time and sacrifice some of Windows 7’s features.

Don’t get me wrong; there are a number of things better about Windows 7 Starter than Windows XP, like the ability to connect to multiple networks and connect quickly. But, as I’ve  said before, I’d rather have function over form and losing the core functionality of an operating system just rubs me the wrong way. While I am aware that most of my complaints can be solved by paying $80 and upgrading to Windows 7 Home Premium, adding 80 bucks to a netbook isn’t an insignificant cost and, in some cases, that’s as much as a quarter of the cost of the system itself.

So, big deal that Windows XP looks outdated, it provides me and other netbook users with the right price along with the essentials — the ability to change the wallpaper to an image of choice, longer battery life and the  capability to extend the desktop to another monitor. Of course, word is that Microsoft could be finally pulling the life support on Windows XP before the end of the year on netbooks. Maybe the threat of Google’s Chrome OS, which is supposed to be shown in an early beta form this week, will be a viable alternative or perhaps scare Microsoft from pushing Starter onto netbooks. Until then, I am continuing to name Windows XP my netbook operating system of choice.

Aesthetically the Booklet has got the goods, but performance wise not so much.  While  using the Booklet for the last week or so I had to get used to the netbook taking at least a minute to boot up Windows 7 Starter (thanks to its slow 4,200 rpm hard drive), and  stalling at times when trying to open an application or simply loading a Flash video (thanks to its sluggish Atom Z530 processor). The Booklet 3G is like the stereotypical blonde — pretty but slow.

But Nokia isn’t the only offender of making “luxurious but laggard” notebooks; Sony, HP, ASUS and Dell are similarly guilty of creating high end notebooks (or netbooks) with shoddy internal specs. Take Sony’s new $1,300 Vaio X Series notebook. Sure, the carbon fiber clad notebook is the lightest in the world and it is pretty darn thin but its got the same slow and underpowered Atom Z530 processor as the Booklet, and it actually costs more! Apparently, Sony learned nothing from its mistakes with the P Series. It was the same story with the Dell Adamo that cost plus two grand. The notebook’s machined-aluminum chassis is incredibly svelte and thin, but it has a sluggish ultra low voltage processor with only 2GB of RAM. (Luckily, Dell seems to have tweaked a few things with the revolutionary designed Dell Adamo XPS that is due out soon).

Offering less computing power for more money is one issue, but the same happens in the ergonomics realm.  Placing form-over-function, HP mucked up the touchpad on its super attractive and made of premium materials Envy 13. The same happened with its budget Pavilion dm3 touchpad; it is basically a pocket mirror implanted on a palmrest.  In both cases, it is an understatement to say that it is frustrating to move the cursor around the desktop. At the end of the day, we use our laptops to access digital content, not to attract onlookers. Don’t get me wrong, I love attractive technology and love the feel of using premium equipment, but not when it hampers the intended purpose of the product.

Beauty, dear notebook manufacturers, isn’t skin deep. Premium notebooks and netbooks have a position in the marketplace amongst those that value quality and are willing to shell out more for nice looking and feeling products, but sacrificing performance and power — the basics of a real laptop — shouldn’t have to be part of the equation.  I’m crossing my fingers that the next column I type on a premium netbook or notebook isn’t muddled by poor performance, a slow hard drive and a sub-par version of an operating system.

Don’t tell Dell, but Apple also seems to have another mobile internet device brewing in Cupertino. That would be the rumored Apple tablet that is expected to have a larger screen than the iPhone (talk is about 10.2 inches ) and, if you think like an Apple diehard, it will completely change the way we look at the future of the tech universe.  Truth is we don’t know what the Apple tablet does or what it looks like. We don’t know a thing about its connectivity or its main purpose, but we do know that, unlike the MIDs that Dell and others are releasing, it won’t  try and compete with the iPhone or the iPod Touch, for that matter.

Of course, Apple makes the iPhone and wouldn’t want to compete with its own product but, luckily for the company, there is no need to try and compete with it. The popularity of the latest generation of smartphones, including the iPhone, Palm Pre and now the Motorola Droid, has confirmed that people prefer having a single device – a phone bred with ubiquitous Internet connectivity and applications. Consumers want to be able to get the information they need on-the-go without having to carry multiple devices. We left our PDAs back in the 90s!

As far as I am concerned, people want either a smaller phone or an accompanying device that is more versatile and can be used for the jobs their phones cannot handle. Not tweener devices. This is what netbooks have taught us.  And though we don’t know much about Apple’s tablet I am fairly certain it will follow similar thinking. Sure, it won’t be a netbook as we know it today, but it will fill a void between Apple’s iPhone (and Touch) and its Macbook line. The larger screen device will be for content consumption, including the ability to visit Websites and read content. (Rumors are that Apple is teaming up with media organizations and publishers).  It will likely run applications, whether on an iPhone OS or a full fledged version of OSX.  I suspect that will allow for light content creation and sharing, like editing pictures with multitouch gestures or typing using the virtual keyboard. But this column is about what I think about the Apple will and won’t do.

Funny enough, it has been reported that Dell and Intel were actually working on a similar tablet-like device that would also be focused on digital content and Internet connectivity. While it is too early to say what the core purpose of these tablets will be, they will fill the void between smartphones and laptops much better than the mysterious MIDs.  What I know is that Dell, you seem to be on a winning streak with the Dell Adamo XPS. Let’s not mess that up with a losing “Streak” or with a MID that’s reminiscent of the unsuccessful kinds we already have today.

After the cut: Dell Adamo XPS hands-on impressions, gallery, and video

To say the Dell Adamo XPS is thin is the understatement of the year. Both times I have seen it in person I have been equally as shocked at how freaking slender the notebook really is and just how amazing it looks. Measuring 13.4 x 10.8 x 0.4-inches and tipping the scales to 3.2 pounds, it was like carrying around a legal sized notepad in the crook of my arm. (The Macbook Air is taller at .7 inches at its thickest point, but does weigh a minuscule 0.2-pounds less). How is it that Dell accomplished creating the almost emaciated Adamo XPS, you ask? The answer lies in the notebook’s completely radical design. Its keyboard folds into the display allowing it to basically disappear when it is closed.  This is accomplished with a totally different hinge creation; the hinge is actually beneath the system which causes the keyboard to be propped up, but more on that soon. Either way, it is as crazy as it sounds!

Of course, that thinness comes with some sacrifice. The notebook only has two USB ports (one more than the Macbook Air!), a DisplayPort and a headphone jack.  An Ethernet and DVI adapter will come in the box and a good old external optical drive will be sold separately.

Clad in all aluminum there is no doubt that the futuristic system has a similar look to its long lost twin the Macbook Air, but the notebook has more pizazz or gimmicks, whichever you decide. Along the front of the lid is a “capacitive latching device” that unlocks the notebook. Seriously, the notebook will not unlock unless you rub a finger across the strip. It is totally James Bond, and is cool at first but I’m thinking it will get annoying to have to rub your finger on this strip every time you want to open your laptop (the whole process takes about 7 to 10 seconds). And don’t think it is some sort of security feature; anyone’s finger can unlock the lid.

When you finally do unlock the key to the Adamo XPS’s chastity belt you are greeted by a glossy 13.4-inch 1266 x 768 resolution display and an elevated keyboard. When I placed the notebook on a table the keyboard  was propped up, much like a desktop keyboard, and was insanely comfortable to type on. The keys themselves are coated in metal and felt really solid. Putting the laptop on my lap while sitting back on a couch wasn’t as cumbersome as I expected and it didn’t tilt as I typed on it, though I did have to adjust the screen angle ever so slightly to get everything at the right angle. As for the trackpad, it seemed pretty spacious and I think Dell may have finally have gotten it right by leaving out the multitouch failures and integrated mouse buttons.

The Adamo XPS is clearly the front runner in the best looking laptop competition, but will it also be about performance? All signs point to yes. The notebook doesn’t have a Intel Atom processor like the Sony X Series (and every other netbook on the market). Instead it has a dual-core 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processor, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB solid-state drive with Windows 7 Premium (64-bit). The notebook itself should be a decent performer, though it seems its battery life won’t be as strong as some other ULV notebooks on the market. With its included three-cell battery (which can be swapped out) it is rated for just over 2 hours of runtime.

The question on everyone’s mind: what the heck will it cost!? That’s a good question and though Dell is answering most of our questions with the official specs of the Adamo XPS they are still leaving the price out of the conversation. We were told the notebook will start at $1,799 (including the 128 GB SSD, three-cell battery and VGA and Ethernet dongles). Funny, that is just as much the Macbook Air with its faster processor and NVIDIA graphics. But hey, the Air doesn’t have the design of the Adamo XPS, an awesome propped up keyboard, or require a finger stroke to open it.

Let’s take AT&T’s Nokia Booklet 3G. The Booklet 3G, which is one of the nicest feeling netbooks I’ve ever gotten my hands-on, costs $599. Now that is a boatload of money to spend on even the nicest netbook (the average price is $350) which is why Nokia intended it to be subsidized by a carrier. (Get it, Booklet 3G!). Here in the U.S. it will be $299 with a two-year data contract ($60 per month) on AT&T. That sounds better than the $599, like $300 better. But when you do the math, it isn’t really cheaper at all. Not only will you pay $299 up front for the netbook, but you also have to add in a whopping $1,440 for data charges over two years. Total cost: $1,739. Woah! That is one freaking expensive netbook.

But do people really use the 3G connection on their netbooks frequently enough to justify purchasing another cell phone? Given that netbooks are generally used for no more than a few hours at a time, it’s highly doubtful. At least in the case of the Nokia 3G you can remove the SIM card associated with the 5GB per month data plan and use it in a different device, but netbooks on both Verizon and Sprint are horses of a different color. Once you buy a subsidized netbook from one of these CDMA carriers you can only use that data plan on the secondary notebook. See where I am going with this? You may end up spending $60 a month for Internet connectivity on a notebook that isn’t regularly used. It’s like buying an expensive pair of shoes you will only wear once or twice, you just don’t get your money’s worth.

My simple answer for those of us who don’t like to rely on WiFi but prefer a mobile broadband connection for our netbooks is to buy a MiFi or a mobile broadband card. This solution links the cellular plan to a portable and swappable card that can be used with multiple laptops or devices (with the MiFi up to five at the same time!)

But I do understand that a standalone device, even if bundled with a netbook, doesn’t have the same appeal as an integrated option. That’s why carriers should design netbook plans differently. Similar to the way HP netbooks are being sold in Japan, a pay-as-you-go service would hold water here in the U.S. Instead of customer contracts, the netbooks would come with SIM cards that could be refilled as needed. This would alleviate the $60-a-month data plan and you’d only pay for the minutes or mega/gigabytes that you use. How would customers monitor their usage? Just like with a pay-as-you-go cell phone plan, you would be alerted to the amount of dollars or GBs (or maybe even time) you have left to use.

Although this concept may at first appear like a hit for carriers since customers would not be locking into contracts, the possibilities for this model would become increasingly profitable as more devices become available. It also opens the door to customers who previously would not consider spending money on a 3G connection because of the fine-print contracts and the monthly cost.

So dear carriers, as you polish up those holiday lines with more shiny netbooks, please consider sprucing up the plans too. You can’t pull the merino wool over our eyes this holiday season: that $299 netbook isn’t $299 at all!

I’d argue that Best Buy is one of the worst places to buy a PC, but this isn’t an expose on Best Buy’s service or a piece to give myself props for knowing a bit about new computers. A new PC store is in town – one that may fill the void in providing real service and product knowledge for all those weary, non-online shopping computer seekers.

Coinciding with the mega Windows 7 launch last week, Microsoft opened its new retail store in Phoenix. It is the first of many that will be opening nationwide and, frankly, it is a concept that is long overdue. The store is jam packed with Microsoft’s latest consumer technology feats, including large Surface tables, walls of mega-LCD screens and Zune HDs, but the retailer provides something more valuable than just eye candy.

1. Answers. Each of the stores will be home to a Microsoft Answer Desk. Sure, it sounds like a total rip of Apple’s Genius Bar, but making a list of the things Microsoft is pulling from Apple is a book unto itself. Not only will customers be able to approach the Answers Desk for, lack of a better word, answers but they can also ask for advice in selecting the best PC to meet their specific needs. And if your aunt and uncle require some more attention after the purchase, they can even sign up for a class at the store to learn more. Yep, just like Apple’s Workshops.

Did I mention that the store will take care of repairs too? Unlike Apple and Sony who manufacture the hardware they sell in their stores, Microsoft works with its partners to bring PCs to market (Microsoft Stores will carry PCs made by HP, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, etc.). But apparently that doesn’t mean they don’t know the ins and outs of why a product may malfunction. I’ve been told that the Microsoft-certified technicians will not only be well educated on all aspects of the hardware sold in the store but will also be capable of repairing products (regardless of where it was purchased) on site.

2. Understanding of the Microsoft ecosystem. Sometimes I even forget that Microsoft makes a lot more than computer software, including some pretty popular consumer electronics devices like that Zune and Xbox. One of the most interesting parts of Windows 7, though not so obvious, is the fairly seamless support for peripherals in Device Stage. With demos of Xbox streaming and Zune and Windows phone syncing, the retail store aims to aid end users in understanding how all that technology can work together. Hell will have to freeze over before a Palm Pre, Apple iPod or any of the Google Android phones are demoed with a PC in the store, but it is a start to simplifying and explaining processes for users.

3. Oh, and crapware free PCs. Windows PCs at the retail stores have been purged of crapware, or the third party applications that are typically preinstalled by manufacturers. Can I get a Hallelujah!? Regardless of the brand, the so called Signature PCs that are sold from Microsoft won’t include any unnecessary third-party software that clogs up the system tray and clutters the desktop. Again, what is achieved is a simpler and less confusing initial setup for the PC user and less perplexed faces when it takes two minutes to boot the computer.

It is a no-brainer to compare certain aspects of the store to what Apple provides in its retail locations. Many of the first Phoenix Microsoft store goers claim the general atmosphere feels the same as Apple’s as well. And who cares? I’m really not sure why it has taken Microsoft this long to figure out what Apple did years ago –face-to-face service and interaction with someone on the floor who is really knowledgeable about the software and hardware choices. Let’s face it, if we knew exactly what we wanted to purchase we could just go online and save ourselves considerable hassle. Fingers crossed that Microsoft can live up to its promises in its retail shops and that I can spend more of my time drooling over products rather than people watching.

And if only words could kill. Last week at the launch of Windows 7, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer spoke about the dreams of the new operating system and showed off a group of new notebooks that ran the improved Windows, but none were netbooks. He remarked that many have been disappointed in the poor performance and graphics of the mini laptops, echoing almost exactly what Michael Dell had to say a week earlier. The CEO of the corporation that has a complete line of Inspiron Mini netbooks indicated that users are dissatisfied with the small screen sizes and limited power of them after 36 hours of usage. Bottom line: users would rather use a larger sized notebook, according to Dell. (Funny, I’ve been using the same netbook during travel and couch surfing for the past 18 months and I get far more mileage out of my netbook than that, Mr. Dell.)

Clearly, Dell along with Intel and Microsoft want to promote the sales of more profitable machines with full priced operating systems (not a cheap, eight-year-old version of Windows) and a higher powered processor and chipset. And can you really blame them, especially when we heard last week that Apple’s high-priced MacBook line is selling better than ever? When consumers choose a netbook over a more expensive notebook with a higher-priced processor and full $100 version of an operating system, the manufacturer takes a hit and makes little to no moolah.

The phenomenon isn’t new, however. Author of Disrupting Class Clayton Christensen refers to it as over servicing the customer base or “disruptive innovation.” If the vast majority of consumers simply do not need or use the amount of computer power in a typical notebook, then the innovation of the netbook appeals to them, thus fundamentally disrupting industry. And that is exactly what has been happening according to DisplaySearch’s latest numbers. The revenue of notebook sales has gone way down, while netbooks are up by over 200 percent.

But will Michael Dell and the other would-be netbook killers really destroy their own invention? Will they take the knife to the throat of the 10-inch, Intel Atom powered, Windows XP netbook knowing full well that customers are craving the product? They are trying to by releasing, with the help of Intel, a new crop of notebooks with larger sized screens that still maintain the long battery life of netbooks yet pump out more performance. Powered by Intel’s ultra low voltage processors the new products are about $200 to $400 more expensive than a netbook.

No doubt, consumers will buy these new thin and light laptops. The $800 13-inch ASUS UL30 has been getting rave reviews for its mix of battery life and portability. But those 10-inch netbooks will be hard to kill off. They line the shelves of Best Buy and continue to be the bestselling consumer electronics item on Amazon. And believe me, this upcoming holiday season that won’t be changing. People like the attractive price point and when they are living in the Cloud and enjoying the portable form factor it doesn’t seem to be a big issue that they are only useful for only a few hours at a time.
Netbooks struck a cord, which is why the Frankenbook will still be haunting Mr. Ballmer and Mr. Dell come next Halloween.