Will Atom-equipped netbooks be the catalyst for slimmer Web apps?

Cyndy Aleo-Carreira — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:31:01 -0700

Small-sized "netbooks" are the latest gotta-have-it for gadget freaks and frequent travelers. Based on Intel's Atom processor and touted as a low-power, high-performance machine, the netbooks are supposed to be the missing link between a smartphone and a full-sized laptop, allowing users a smaller, less-expensive option to a MacBook, Thinkpad, or Dell laptop.

The market for such devices is huge, claimed Intel CEO Paul S. Otellini in an interview with the Wall Street Journal:

"... the next billion consumers [to] the Internet economy [will use] devices that merge the capabilities of smart phones and small laptops."

However, the netbook "frenzy" comes with a caution from Intel: Despite describing the Atom chip as "high performance," a netbook is not the same as a low-cost notebook. Netbooks are designed to be the dumb terminals of the Internet era, not something like a standard notebook, which owners can use to edit home videos or their latest photo shoots.

There's another issue to consider with netbooks: Not all Web apps are the same. Which ones use few enough resources to run well on a netbook? Simple Web applications with mostly server-side processing are a safe bet, but casual gaming like Electronic Arts' Pogo.com may not work as well, considering that much of the processing is done client-side.

But a billion consumers is nothing to sneeze at. If the netbook starts gaining market share from its bigger, badder notebook cousins, it may very well drive Web app optimization toward a leaner, less client-processor-intensive application architecture.

Image: Lenovo IdeaPad S10

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Will Atom-equipped netbooks be the catalyst for slimmer Web apps?

Cyndy Aleo-Carreira — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:31:01 -0700

The market for such devices is huge, claimed Intel CEO Paul S. Otellini in an interview with the Wall Street Journal:

"... the next billion consumers [to] the Internet economy [will use] devices that merge the capabilities of smart phones and small laptops."

Image: Lenovo IdeaPad S10

More news, commentary, and predictions from The Industry Standard:

Prediction: Zune Phone announced by end of 2008?
Prediction: AMD becomes takeover target
Analysis: What if Google's mission extended to public records?
Industry Standard Daily Newsletter Signup
News: Intel continues the WiMAX/LTE war of words
Analysis: The future of the Web is 3D, not video
Analysis: Microsoft's struggle to innovate and lead on the 'Net

Will Atom-equipped netbooks be the catalyst for slimmer Web apps?

Cyndy Aleo-Carreira — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:31:01 -0700

The market for such devices is huge, claimed Intel CEO Paul S. Otellini in an interview with the Wall Street Journal:

"... the next billion consumers [to] the Internet economy [will use] devices that merge the capabilities of smart phones and small laptops."

Image: Lenovo IdeaPad S10

More news, commentary, and predictions from The Industry Standard:

Prediction: Zune Phone announced by end of 2008?
Prediction: AMD becomes takeover target
Analysis: What if Google's mission extended to public records?
Industry Standard Daily Newsletter Signup
News: Intel continues the WiMAX/LTE war of words
Analysis: The future of the Web is 3D, not video
Analysis: Microsoft's struggle to innovate and lead on the 'Net

Will Atom-equipped netbooks be the catalyst for slimmer Web apps?

Cyndy Aleo-Carreira — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:31:01 -0700

The market for such devices is huge, claimed Intel CEO Paul S. Otellini in an interview with the Wall Street Journal:

"... the next billion consumers [to] the Internet economy [will use] devices that merge the capabilities of smart phones and small laptops."

Image: Lenovo IdeaPad S10

More news, commentary, and predictions from The Industry Standard:

Prediction: Zune Phone announced by end of 2008?
Prediction: AMD becomes takeover target
Analysis: What if Google's mission extended to public records?
Industry Standard Daily Newsletter Signup
News: Intel continues the WiMAX/LTE war of words
Analysis: The future of the Web is 3D, not video
Analysis: Microsoft's struggle to innovate and lead on the 'Net