Comments on: What Smartbooks Must Offer to Succeed

By: HereAndNow

HereAndNow — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:04:08 +0000

If these devices include all the other “typical” smartphone hardware (GPS, accelerometer, digital compass, etc.) and are running an OS like Android, you will be able to use location-based apps, make cell phone calls, send SMS, etc.

On top of that, you will have features like: always on operation, super long battery life, no fan noise, a touch-optimized UI and an app store for free/paid apps.

It all the other features that will REALLY differentiate “smartbooks” from “netbooks” (which are basically just small & cheap notebooks).

By: animatio

animatio — Sun, 31 May 2009 11:10:38 +0000

these kind of gadgets may be to sell in continental china , india or africa … see all these razor books clones. in developed countries markets the compagnion pc concept sucks nowadays as it sucked some 10 or more years ago. no matter if with or without 3g. its a freaks dream, no more.

By: Jake

Jake — Sat, 30 May 2009 21:34:08 +0000

Oh and one more thing. The idea of a small, 3G connected, web device in a small laptop form factor isn’t new. One (I can’t remember the name now) has been marketed here in the UK reasonably heavily for some time now. I don’t believe many have sold though.

By: Jake

Jake — Sat, 30 May 2009 21:29:45 +0000

I don’t think it’s just expectations though. People want a mixture of familiarity and the ability to run software that they already own.

Having said that, the expectations aspect is fascinating. Netbooks were originally designed for web access as the name implies. However as we’ve seen, most people see them as cheap ultraportables and try to run as much Windows-based software on them as they can. This then leads into the discussions about the pros and cons of the limitations imposed in Windows 7 Starter that are going on at the moment.

I can see your argument about price but I think trends in the netbook market show us how this works as well. Netbooks started off at about $300 in the US (I think) and were really only capable of accessing the internet. As demand for more powerful machines capable of running Windows with greater storage increased, the price went up and that’s when netbooks really took off. I guess I’m just saying that people would rather pay more for something they’re going to get greater value out of.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sat, 30 May 2009 21:03:19 +0000

forgot to add on that example.

“Imagine shooting 720p video on your Samsung Omnia HD, uploading it directly to distant storage station and editing it on your Smartbook or Netbook via web video editing tool like that from Maximum Throughput” AND HAVING JUST ONE 3G INTERNET BILL for those two or more devices!! I know someone will say that there is Novatel MiFi but to be honest that device sucks.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sat, 30 May 2009 20:59:08 +0000

What is really missing is “net” factor, that is the option of real unlimited flat rate internet on multiple machines bundled to one single account (something similar to Windows Mobile App store buy-once-use-on-five). Untill mobile companies don’t offer that kinds of bundles smartbooks don’t have too much incentives.

Imagine shooting 720p video on your Samsung Omnia HD, uploading it directly to distant storage station and editing it on your Smartbook or Netbook via web video editing tool like that from Maximum Throughput: http://www.max-t.com/products/maxedit_web_overview.html

Now that is a usage i could appreciate!

By: Kim

Kim — Sat, 30 May 2009 20:56:36 +0000

They can certainly sell them to ME!!!!

By: James Kendrick

James Kendrick — Sat, 30 May 2009 18:29:41 +0000

I hear what you are saying but given the low price I believe if a proper marketing campaign is done they can show consumers how useful such a Smartbook could be. If expectations are removed by marketing about Windows by showing how useful these could be I think they could sell a lot of these at $200.

By: TateJ

TateJ — Sat, 30 May 2009 18:18:00 +0000

I have to agree with Jake. I don’t believe the average person is going to think of this a companion device. They are going to think cheap laptop and then be disappointed.

I’m interested in getting one. I miss my Mobilepro 790. It was one of the most productive mobile devices I had. Vista just left it in the dust. I’m hoping this is a similar type of device.

By: Jake

Jake — Sat, 30 May 2009 17:43:09 +0000

Here’s my prediction. Consumers will ignore these because they don’t run Windows. It’s as simple as that.

People will accept a dumbed down OS in a smartphone but will expect something that looks like a laptop (no matter how small) to work like a laptop.

As we’ve already seen with Netbooks, nobody’s interested in Linux – they just want Windows.