Cheaper the better
As the recession
bites, cutprice netbook sales are set to rise. With the price of the beasts
below $400, they are being seen as just the ticket for those who can't really
afford the full Monty and they are portable.
Last week's CES was flooded
with them. There was Taiwan-based AsusTek Computer with its Eee PC Touch which
has a 9-inch touch screen that swivels or folds over so it can be used as a
tablet-style PC. It will be sold for $499 in March and might eventually come
with a 10-inch screen.
While this is about the same price as a Dell Inspiron
1525 with a 15-inch screen and more powerful processor it is a bit more
portable. Asus flogged 5 million Eee PCs worldwide in 2008 and is expecting
the market to grow next year with the likes of Dell and HP getting in on the
netbook act.
The experience of those who use the things say they are really
good for all of about five minutes. They are better than a mobile phone for
dealing with the world wide wibble and email, but try and write your novel on one
and you start to go madder than a box of frogs.