People love taking things on-the-go. And they love smaller versions of the real thing. One of the first real instances of this was the portable CD player. When they arrived, we no longer wanted to listen to music at home or in the car, because now we could listen to it in the grocery store. Yeah, thats right, the grocery store (Sounds strange, but I know a woman whos done that). Or how about popcorn chicken, or Pop Tarts, or iPods? All of these are examples of things we as humans have created to suffice our need to take things with us.
And up next, the mini notebook ” a smaller, lighter notebook (sometimes called a netbook) which leans more toward the wireless internet side of laptop usage rather than its program capability. This new craze is sweeping the nation. And rightfully so. These new notebooks are lighter, cheaper, and much faster than anyone had anticipated years ago. With the coolest sounding processor in recent memory, the Intel Atom has created a new way of thinking about computers with its high speed on such a low-cost/small-sized device.
The Network Computer The idea for the netbook can be traced back to the Network Computer of the 1990s. Oracle developed a desktop computer that relied solely on its programming. That is, it had no external drives or disk inputs. This was an idea that was simply a decade ahead of its time. Not only were desktop computers becoming more and more as essential to a home as a microwave, but the fastest Internet speed at the time only ran at 28.8 kb/s, much too slow for the Network Computer to be of any use. Of course, this idea was scrapped.
One Laptop Per Child In 2005, the One Laptop Per Child organization was founded. Their goal was to create cheap laptops to educate children in developing countries. After a couple years, they achieved their goal, and by Christmas, 2007, the XO-1 laptop was available. It sold for 188 dollars per unit, when purchased by thousand. They were extremely durable and have a long battery life. This new laptop made great strides for the mini notebook, and many more were to follow.
Eee PC Around that time, ASUS delivered what became the standard in mini notebooks, the Eee PC. It weighed about 2 pounds with a 10 inch screen and a keyboard about 85% normal size. Shortly after, Everex, MSI, Dell, and HP all developed their own mini notebooks and by late 2008, mini notebooks were starting to take money away from normal laptop sales.
Though this craze is just beginning, we know that laptops will simply get smaller and smaller. And since we live on the cutting edge of technology, we know they will get faster. There is much more to come.