Before netbooks came along, ultra-portable laptops computers were the most expensive ones you could get. I don’t have any prove that the netbook hyped caused them to get cheaper, but they have. I bumped into Asus’ new UL30A model in a local store this weekend, and it was love at first sight. Here’s a machine that can do everything that bigger laptops can, but in a very sexy and slim package. I hate lugging around a big heavy laptop, so this one seemed pretty much ideal for me.
More Asus UL30A: Everything a laptop needs, just smaller

Wired recently did a great story on how and why netbooks became last year’s big tech trend. “The Netbook Effect: How Cheap Little Laptops Hit the Big Time” starts with the OLPC and ends with cloud computing. It explains why these little laptops defy every rule in the business, and why many of the big brands were late to jump on the bandwagon.

…Netbooks violate all the laws of the computer hardware business. Traditionally, development trickles down from the high end to the mass market. PC makers target early adopters with new, ultrapowerful features. Years later, those innovations spread to lower-end models.

But Jepsen’s design trickled up. In the process of creating a laptop to satisfy the needs of poor people, she revealed something about traditional PC users. They didn’t want more out of a laptop—they wanted less.

While the are a few factual errors in the article (MSI did have a laptop business prior to its first netbook), this is the best article I’ve seen on the netbook phenomenon. Recommended.

When the first Eee-PCs were introduced, it was love at first sight for me. I’d been looking for a small, portable device that would let me blog, send email and surf and this seemed to be it. The reason I never got the original 701 was because models with bigger screens were announces even before these 7″ versions actually hit the market. But when I saw the pink 701 on sale last week I couldn’t help getting one for my eldest daughter. It was dirt cheap and she loves it to death.
More Pink Eee-PC 701 + 5 year old girl = fun!

I blogged about the original Asus Eee-PC when it was first announced and, as you can probably tell from that post, I basically fell in love with the concept of a small laptop-like, lightweight portable device that could be used for casual browsing. But then the introduction price turned out to be nowhere near $199, and versions with bigger, more useable screens were announced. So I decided to wait. Until today.
More Jumping the netbook bandwagon

It’s been months, and not a single laptop has been delivered. If one would have been the blogospere would have lit up like a Christmas tree, but instead there’s been radio silence all around. That’s why I asked 2checkout.com to cancel my order of a Medison Celebrity laptop. With the Eee-PC hitting shops any day now and laptop prices dropping like bricks there’s no need to wait around for what has IMHO become a clear case of vaporware. On top of that, I don’t even really need a laptop computer right now.

Swedish company Medison has started offering a $150 laptop on their website. For the price the celebrity it’s very decently specced. It puts the OLPC and the Eee PC to shame, and looks pretty sleek as well. I’ve read predictions that laptop prices are going to drop, but this is ludicrous. Too good to be true? Will this turn out to be vaporware? Or will I be missing a unique opportunity by not clicking the ‘buy now’ button just yet?
More A $150 laptop, too good to be true? -- Updated again

A while ago I blogged about the Nokia N800. It’s been released now but I won’t be getting one. Not just because the “sub $300″ price tag turned out to be closer to €400, but because Asus just raised the bar when it comes to small, portable internet devices. Enter the Asus Eee CP 701.
More Asus Eee PC