Laptop magazine reviews general portable technology, including netbooks, and the supposed “devaluing” of the word “laptop,” which I think “netbook” just defines a subset of, would have nothing to do with their article.

I agree with your comment that “netbook” is a word with an ambiguous definition, as I was thinking of getting an acer 1410 telling myself “it’s just a netbook that’s almost as powerful as a regular laptop”, but I really don’t think there exists a conspiracy theory like you think it does, aside from the policy of writing intentionally provocative stories, which I think is unfortunately common to journalism.

I think you make a good point about graphics, but personally I would prefer the additional processing power, and its better multitasking, than the ability to play a game on the go; I’m a programmer and writer, and my programming and writing friends would, I think, agree with me

Seriously though, man, don’t brew so much kool-aid, it’s no better than drinking someone else’s

a) people like Kevin and the netbook owners here who need a secondary computing device for light tasks and truly value the Price-Performance-Portability balance that netbooks provide. These are “pure” netbook users.

b) the price sensitive customer who doesn’t really need the Portability and can make do with the low Performance.

c) the user who skews less on portability than type A, but actually needs to carry a laptop around a lot. With a bigger budget they’d be looking at a Thinkpad T or X series. This might not be their only computer, but its their *only* laptop.

The Acer Aspire 1410 will lure type B and C away from netbooks. A bigger screen is actually a plus for them and better performance and maybe an optical drive are nice bonuses. And in that light, netbooks in their current avatar might stop being the best-selling item that they are and become a niche product that will nevertheless figure in every manufacturer’s lineup.

I paid more for my Asus 901 last year than some budget laptops cost, especially after upping the RAM and purchasing an external DVD drive.

I wanted something that was small and light and had good battery life, primarily for travel purposes, and it mostly fits my needs.

However, I see no compelling reason to purchase another. The only feature available now that I didn’t have an option for is a hard drive (versus 20G SSD total). However, a faster CPU and higher resolution 9″ or 10″ display without reducing battery life would surely entice me towards a new system.

I also agree with Hal’s comment about matte versus glossy screen. I will not buy a glossy screen anything (laptop, monitor, TV, etc.), as I find the reflections severely distracting.

Roy

1. One of the benefits of the netbooks like the Samsung NC-10 is the matte screen! A small, portable computer is also for using outside the house and you don’t want to look at a mirror. I’ve used the NC-10 in direct sunshine often. When turned up on max it was usable. No way I would be able to do that on a glare screen.

2. Why let the atom run away with the best graphics? Why force customers to choose between min. decent graphics (ion) and a powerful enough cpu (culv)? We want both!

Until Acer & Co. figures (especially #1) out, they don’t get my money! I would gladly pay extra for a matte screen. Why not at least make it an option? And $50-100 on the price and make a dual core culv, ion + matte screen and I would run to the store.

I would buy a phone instead for a smartbook.

Price? It really all comes down to graphics and gaming as the game breaker. ION with Atom likely (don’t forget about ION 2) would completely trash any CULV at the same price point. So, the real war and winner will come down to graphical capabilities. Don’t forget, I’ve seen the Acer netbook for $0, when you sign up for a wireless plan. Add Chrome OS and Android netbooks coming, which will keep the cost spread even greater. I could go on, but I will stop.

Remember folks, the source of this article is full of wishful thinking. People lose sleep when their empire is losing ground. When it comes to the internet, a word losing value can be very costly.