TWO VERY ILLUMINATING articles in the UK Sunday Times this morning. First is a run-down on all the rumours surrounding iPhone 2009 and the second is a very fair assessment of the future for on-line media, including a view on the future of the Kindle DX. An interesting point is that Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is going to start charging for access to what has up to now been free newspaper coverage on the internet.
Engaget on the Kindle DX
MACOLDIE just loves Engaget's podcasts and listens regularly. The latest edition comes highly recommended for anyone interested in eBook readers and the new large-format Kindle DX. The detailed discussion highlights the cost of the DX and explores potential problems in the subscription model for newspapers.
In the USA, where newspaper subscription has always been a bigger segment of the market than in other parts of the world, people may be willing to shell out several hundred dollars a year to have their favourite broadsheet ported to the Kindle DX every morning. But it becomes a very expensive proposition at the moment and probably wouldn't work as well in, say, the UK where the subscription base is minimal and the majority of people buy their papers from a nearby shop or–another shrinking market–regular delivery from the same local store.
The guys at Engaget even question the future of e-ink technology because of its many shortcomings in refresh rate. We know from using the Sony ebook reader that the refresh rate is just about adequate for reading a book–the page change takes about the same time as turning over the page of a normal volume–but navigating the menus is excruciatingly slow. Most times it feels like manipulating a computer of 20 years ago.
While e-ink displays have one overwhelming advantage with their long battery life, we suspect most people would settle for a back-lit display, similar to that on the iPhone, for general book reading if they could be sure of a reasonable time between charges. As usual, the need is well ahead of the big bottleneck in all portable computer devices: battery life. Anyway, listen for yourself.
Another angle on the ebook discussion we would recommend this article on TechChrunch: How Big Can the Kindle Get?
Apple wobbles
STRANGE THING happened today. Apple stock wobbled around all over the place after a week of steady gains. According to a Financial Times chart, the upset started around the time of the launch of the new Amazon Kindle DX. If so, why? This is all very curious because at first glance the Kindle can have little relevance for Apple Inc.
Yet there is clearly something going on here. On April 29 we mentioned the name of Apple in the context of eBook readers and suggested that the company already owns the ideal name for such a device–the iBook. And there have been repeated rumours in the past three months that Apple are working on something midway between the size of the iPhone and the MacBook. Various possibilities have been discussed, including a double-size iPhone and a 10-in touch-screen tablet device. No one has mentioned the possibility of an ebook reader.
The really interesting facet of this story is something we missed completely when it was announced on April 28. On that day Amazon acquired Lexcycle, publishers of Stanza, our favourite ebook reader for the iPhone. Lexcycle distributes ebooks from rival retailers, including Fictionwise, the digital book store recently acquired by Amazon rival Barnes & Noble. This almost certainly presages a direct attack by Amazon on the iPhone reader market and could be a very strong competitor for Apple should they decide to create an ebook store.
Whatever is afoot, an Apple ebook reader without an e-ink display is almost certainly a non-starter because of the problem of battery life. While the iPhone makes a good stab at doubling as a reader, the battery drain of reading a novel is fatal. The big attraction of e-ink technology is the miserly power usage which enables a battery to last several weeks rather than a few hours. With this in mind, convergence between a tablet Mac or a giant iPhone with a really practical book reader seems unlikely.
Of course Apple may be planning two devices, one of them an ebook reader. Amazon currently have the market and there is no doubt that their marketing muscle and relationship with book publishers puts them in an almost impregnable position. There is probably only one organisation able to rival Amazon in developing a viable ebook system and that company is Apple.
The marketing success of the iTunes store, first with music, then with movies, drama and specialist video, was already impressive by the middle of 2008. Then along came the iPhone 3G and the App Store to create an even bigger success story, again using the iTunes model. It is tempting to think that the same success could be achieved with ebook marketing. Apple must be actively considering some initiative and, just maybe, that is why the launch of the Kindle DX seemed to have an unsettling effect on the stock price today.
Kindle DX launched today
SO NOW WE KNOW: The Kindle Maxi is to be known as the Kindle DX and has a screen size of 8.5 x 11.5in, a whopping 250% bigger than that of the existing Kindle 2.
The screen auto-rotates, a la iPhone from portrait to landscape view, making it ideal for displaying text books.
According information disclosed at the launch press conference, which took place at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts in New York City this morning, the Kindle DX is targeted at the text-book market.
Three three leading text-book publisher partners have been lined up. Student trials at a number of US universities will take place later this year.
In common with the original Kindle and the Kindle 2, the DX incorporates a wireless modem but is now upgraded to 3G instead of the slower EVDO of the earlier models. The deal is quite neat–you pay for your Kindle and you then get free 3G network connection with no monthly contracts or long-term commitments. It's all included in the price of the product.
Newspapers are in on the act as well, as we predicted earlier in the week. New York Times, Boston Globe and San Francisco Chronicle have been signed up by Amazon to provide subscription content. Kindle DX users will get a discount subscription and will have their newspapers downloaded automatically every morning.
For the first time, the Kindle DX offers a realistic way of reading a full-sized newspaper on a portable electronic device (other than a much heavier and less wieldy laptop). Amazon clearly hope that this is the start of a scramble away from print to their Kindle. At MacOldie we have long believed that this development is just around the corner and we hope that the Kindle DX will be a success. As we said earlier in the week, the next two years could see an accelerated move away from traditional printed newspapers and the economic implications for publishers are immense. For the three newspaper partners, the Kindle DX is a true Trojan horse.
The Kindle DX, with 3.3GB of storage and native PDF support, will cost $489. The existing Kindle 2, with its 6in display, continues at $359. Sadly the neither of the Kindles is available in Europe. However, the fact that the new model incorporates a 3G modem is a good sign that the debut may be earlier than anticipated. The previous models were not suitable for Europe, where 3G has a much stronger presence. We waiting to get our hot stickies one (or both) and will be giving our views.
Bento for iPhone launched
ONLY LAST week we were griping about Bento's insistance in storing the data file in the Applications Support folder of the user Library. We wanted it to be in Documents where most other data files are located. That complaint, though still valid, is sidelined by yesterday's announcement of the arrival of Bento for iPhone.
The new product syncs with the Mac desktop application via wifi and promises to make the award-winning database more useful and convenient. One of the neat tricks of Bento is to access and display the Mac's in-built iCal and Address programs. Not only can you see and work on your contacts, for instance, you can add more fields in Bento in order to store additional information. Address is a bit limited in this respect, and Bento allows the addition and categorisation of extra information–such as sales data relating to a contact. These additional fields remain within Bento but are permanently linked to Address or iCal.
Bento for iPhone is promising and I have already downloaded and installed the application. Syncing with Bento desktop was straightforward (the phone appears, iTunes style, in the sidebar of Bento and you can choose which of your desktop databases you wish to synchronise). Initially, the layout of the iPhone application can be a little confusing, particularly if a database contains many fields, but this may be something we will get used to.
Over the next few weeks we will give Bento for iPhone a workout, using existing databases already created for the desktop and new files designed on the phone.
Smartphone wars hot up
WE ARE NOW entering smartphone war season with anticipated announcements from the big player and one would-be big player. The Palm Pre, new kid on the block, is a big of an enigma. The technology and the OS specification has whetted appetites and has been generally lauded as a potential iPhone slayer. But Palm are keeping a very tight rein on the news flow and some commentators fear that the company might miss the announcement deadline of "the first half of 2009". We are now under two months from the half-year and we believe and delays will be bad for Palm. For Palm, once the darling of the PDA world, everything now rides on the Pre. They cannot afford any mistakes or slips.
Meanwhile, rumour has it that the big bad wolf in the apple grove will come out with a third-generation phone on June 8 in San Francisco. This would be the third upgrade since the original iPhone hit the streets two years ago. There is a great incentive for Apple to meet this deadline because contracts with AT&T for first-generation iPhone buyers will be expiring from June onwards. These people will need an incentive to stay with Apple and a new phone and slicker OS (which will also be available for existing phones) will be a powerful incentive.
Equally, Palm will be eyeing this big opportunity as AT&T subscribers are freed from their contracts and start to look around for something to replace their original iPhone. Ideally, Palm need to announce their Pre before June 8 if they are to have a real hope of winning the 2009 smartphone wars. However, lest we think it is a straight race between Apple and Palm, let's not forget that RIM's Blackberry remains the most popular smartphone and has an incredibly loyal customer base, particularly in the corporate sector. And the Android platform, spearheaded by the G1, is coming up in the outside lane. Microsoft's Windows Mobile continues to limp along and is certainly due for an upgrade.
Microsoft, in particular, face a dilemma. There has been much talk of an iPhone-rivalling Zune phone from Redmond, but they have too much invested in the Windows Mobile platform to be in a position to ditch manufacturing partners in favour of an own-brand product to rival Apple's offering.
Smartphones now represent 23 percent of the mobile phone market and this share is growing rapidly. Apple, in particular, have demonstrated the potential through the phenomenally successful App Store and increasing numbers of consumers are now demanding more from their traditional phone.
Kindle Maxi out on Wednesday
PRESSURE on the printed page is growing. Amazon have called a press conference for Wednesday (May 6) at Pace University in New York City. According to rumour sites, Pace is the HQ of the New York Times and it seems fairly certain that a new, larger wide-screen Kindle will be announced and that this will designed for a partnership with the NYT and, probably, other publishers.
It is likely that the new device will be aimed also at the magazine and text-book market where the existing book readers fall down on screen size. It looks like this new device is set to compete with upcoming newspaper readers from Plastic Logic and News Corporation.
We all know that traditional deadtree publishers are suffering and, as MacOldie has said before, we are now at the start of a revolution in reading habits. Electronic book readers are viable and are gaining in acceptance as the ordinary deadtree book comes under increasing pressure.
Newspapers are already suffering because of the success of their electronic editions. Hundreds of thousands of former daily-paper buyers now rely on newspaper and broadcaster websites for their information. Why pay for something that you could have read for free the day before?
The big problem for traditional publishers is that their revenue comes from advertising, yet few people take notice of ad panels in electronic editions. In effect, web reader are getting their fix for nothing while the bills are being paid by the people who buy traditional newsprint.
We at MacOldie seldom buy newspapers these days, unless it be for the comment and supporting stuff. Our news comes from television, radio and from a variety of newspaper websites. Most newspaper sites are now eminently browsable from a laptop screen and the advent of e-ink technology book and newspaper readers such as this new Kindle maxi can only accelerate the trend.
Our only concern is that these new maxi-readers will be too expensive for mass acceptance and will be too big to carry easily. The early adopters will push through these barriers and who knows what we will see next year? Certainly there will be a gradual reduction in price as more people adopt the technology. Already there is talk of flexible plastic readers that mimic the paper page and do not need as much handling care as the current crop of e-ink book readers.
So far, too, we have seen only electronic editions of deadtree publications. How long before we get a fully-fledged web-only newspaper? While that may not be financially viable, because of the high cost of news gathering, the broadcast media web sites (such as the BBC) are probably in the best position to take advantage of the trend. Their content is subsidised by the television and radio news departments and not by a physical deadtree publication that is losing readers by the day.
We live in exciting times, dear readers.
Free wifi in Greece
Vento Cafe, Glyfada in Athens: Booting up my MacBook Air I discovered Vento have a new, free and open wifi connection. This is new since my last visit a month ago and seems to be part of a growing trend towards free broadband in bars and cafes throughout Greece.
In Britain, free places are few and far between; and most of those cafes or pubs that claim to be free make you register so they can bombard you with emails. Sometimes you are forced to go through the rigmarole of registering every time you want to use the wifi.
The most annoying "free service" I have come across is that at the new Westfield Mall in West London. Here you are encouraged to log on to the Westfield web-site and appear to be getting free wifi. But you cannot navigate out of the site, so it remains a bit of advertising and an annoyance for anyone wishing to connect to the internet.
In Britain, too, the coffee chains, such as Starbucks, Caffe Nero and Costa, all have pay-as-you-go systems run by one or other of the major telecons. So if you are in Starbucks you need a subscription to T-Mobile. In Caffe Nero it's BT Openzone. Good news, though, is that Starbucks have now signed up with BT Openzone but I'm not sure whether this is exclusive or in addition to the T-Mobile service. This is ideal for iPhone users because BT access comes free with the O2 contract in Britain.
Yes all these various contracts can be expensive, and no one in their right minds would pay the exorbitant hourly charges if they don't have a monthly subscription. Trouble is, to ensure coverage everywhere, you need several subscriptions. It is actually cheaper to take out a monthly 3G data card contract so you are completely independent.
Unfortunately many businesses, including hotels, see internet access as a means of earning money instead of a way of attracting customers. They are happy to subcontract to the likes of T-Mobile and take their cut. So it is very encouraging that the trend in Greece seems to be to allowing free broadband access if you buy a coffee or drink. This is as it should be, and as it will be soon everywhere.
PUMA segways in
HOT ON THE WHEELS of the Segway comes the PUMA, a new two-wheeled rickshaw which uses Segway balancing technology and can reach 35 mph. Apparently it is a collaborative effort between Segway and General Motors.
This confection is billed as another revolution in urban transport and I am grateful to the guys at Engaget (again) for their initial impressions. Apparently, it is quite fun to ride but is let down by the lack of infrastructure–that is, somewhere to ride it. It is unlikely to be allowed to mix it with road traffic, it is too big (and too fast) to use the footways and certainly too dangerous to be allowed into cycle lanes. Apparently GM believe towns and cities will be redesigned around the PUMA.
I tend to agree with other commentators that mass acceptance of electric-powered transport will not happen until we can repackaged something approximating to a real car and endow it with real-world performance, safety and range. Something like a Fiat 500 or Toyota Yaris with 100 mph, a range of up to 200 miles and a recharge time of under five minutes would fit the bill. Until that happens, and it depends largely on power-storage technology, the revolution ain't going to happen.
MacOldie is launching a competition to define the new verb "to puma".
Bento file location gripe
LISTENING to Leo Laporte's Tech Guy netcast today, I was reminded of a long-standing gripe when applications save data to places other than the Documents folder. Leo was talking about Windows at the time and he mentioned that there were still some badly behaved programs which save data to the Program folder. In Macspeak this would be the Applications folder and I have not come across any apps which insist on doing this.
But I have come across a number of applications which save their datafile to an Application Support folder inside the user Library folder. I don't like this and I prefer to have all my data stored somewhere easily accessible, usually in the Documents folder. Apart from other considerations, this also helps with backup since it is quick and easy to copy the Documents folder. The Library folder tends to be quite large and contains a lot of stuff that doesn't change daily.
Fortunately, in most cases you can simply move the datafile to a location of choice and it will be found there next time you load the program. Recently, I've taken to storing regularly accessed data in my Drobox folder on the desktop so it is accessible on any of my computers.
I do have one application, Bento from Filemaker, that does not allow a change of database location. Data is automatically saved to the Application Support folder and cannot be moved (at least, not without Bento refusing to find it afterwards).
In the early days of Bento, which is otherwise an excellent simplified database program, I took this up in the Filemaker forum. The problem was recognised but no solution was promised. So I was disappointed to find that the updated Bento 2 still insists on choosing a data location with no option for change.
As a result of this I am using Bento less and less and am gradually changing over my records to spreadsheet format in Numbers so that I can store the data in Dropbox. I've improved my efficiency as a result because I can view and adjust the data from any computer. I am still mystified why Bento, probably alone, stick to this unusual restriction.
Apple eBook reader
AT THE END of my earlier post on eBook readers I mentioned the trademark "iBook". This, of course, resides in Cupertino. Surely a 2010 iBook could eclipse the generic eBook and turn Apple into a major electronic book vendor? Sadly, there appear to be no rumours or hints that Apple are considering such a product.
In the meantime, though, the iPhone and iPod Touch offer a very reasonable ebook reading experience that is often overlooked. They are both much smaller devices, of course, but the difference in page size is not as great as you might imagine when you strip away all the buttons and paraphernalia of the Kindle or even on the Sony. On the iPhone (using the free Stanza reader for iPhone), the type area of a page is 37 sq cm compared with 66 on the Sony. So the iPhone reader gives 56% of the area of the Sony despite being well under half the overall size.
After trying several readers for the iPhone, I settled on Stanza which, I think, gives the best experience and usability. Using Stanza, reading a book is enjoyable and problem-free. The backlit iPhone screen offers good visibility in all light conditions (unlike the Sony and Kindle which rely on natural light, just the same as a paper book) and the page-turn is easier and more intuitive than using the buttons on the dedicated readers. Making use of the iPhone touch screen, the page turn on Stanza is accomplished by a simple swipe across the screen.
I would be totally happy with Stanza on the iPhone if it were not for one snag. The backlit screen means shorter battery life. And with the iPhone being used for email, Safari and a dozen other must-have applications, the battery life is becoming a major problem. In contrast, the Sony lasts weeks on one charge. This is because there is no power use when reading or displaying a page.
The only drain on the battery comes from changing pages. For this reason alone, it is difficult to imagine any handheld with backlit screen providing a real challenge to the likes of Kindle or the Sony reader. Equally, I cannot envisage an iPhone with an e-ink screen because of the (current) slowness and lack of backlighting.
So the rumoured Apple "netbook" is unlikely to provide a complete answer and encourage me to turn away from the Sony. Instead, the only course open to Apple would be to produce a dedicated book reader with e-ink technology for long battery life. I still think this is a strong possibility within the next two years. At the moment Apple must surely be monitoring the growth of the eBook market and will see the advantages of combining their own dedicated reader with an iTunes book store.
With increasing emphasis on convergence–using one device for all purposes–I can foresee a time when a slightly larger version of the iPod Touch could answer the need for a device which would combine web-browsing, applications, games, mail and all the iPhone stuff with a really handy book reader.
Sony eBook Reader update
MACOLDIE has now survived six whole months without opening a single book. By book I mean dead-tree book with old-fashioned paper pages. I never thought I would be able to say that, but I have to admit that I have been delighted with my Sony eBook Reader. It's a simple beast with few bells and whistles but it does what it is supposed to do: provide an easy, enjoyable and reliable reading experience.
Despite my reservations (posted earlier under the eBook Readers tag) about the British Waterstone's book store linked to the Sony, I have managed to find enough reading material to keep me interested and out of physical book stores. Incidentally, I have browsed the US Sony book site and it looks much easier to use. For one thing, unlike the Waterstones' site, it is devoted solely to eBooks and you don't get sent down cul-de-sacs populated with real books.
I equipped the reader with a flexible rubber cover and the Sony has proved remarkable strong and resilient. I throw it in my bag wherever I go. It weighs less than a paperback and is much thinner, so it is easier to pack and carry around. It has reduced my airline bag weight considerably because, previously, I had a stock of books in the case, plus one to read on the flight. And, of course, if you are near the end of a book, you need a second one in your carry-on case to avoid being left without reading material. With an eBook reader you have just one book-sized unit and simply press a button to find another book to read.
eBook readers are still in their infancy and we can expect to see more developments over the next twelve months. I am now a firm believer in the future of the eBook and I dare to predict that the printed (dead-tree) book, particularly for novels, will gradually go the way of the CD. Record shops throughout the world are at the moment under threat from MP3 downloads and I believe we will soon begin to see the same effect in the book world. I have not bought a CD for maybe four years and I also now download all my video media.
A year ago an eBook reader was seen as geeky and with only a niche future. People no longer snigger and I find my Sony gets approving glance wherever I go. On airlines, in restaurants and cafes, I have lost count of the number of people who have come up to ask what it is that I am staring at. Invariably they are impressed and say they would like one. Here in Greece I have never seen anyone else with an eBook, so I am constantly asked about the Sony.
What the eBook world needs is an iPod revolution. The Amazon Kindle has a big following in the USA but it is not yet available in Europe. Perhaps the Kindle is the iPod of the book world, but it is too early to say. It is certainly bigger and less pocketable than the Sony and I would find this a disadvantage. But a world-beating eBook reader needs the same sort of marketing innovation that Apple has shown with the iPod and iTunes. Who do we know who owns the trademark iBook?
MacBook: the natural choice
ALTHOUGH I chose my uni-body MacBook Pro for specific reasons, I have to say I admire the new uni-body MacBook mightily. It is now being seen around in increasing numbers and I have to say I am always a little envious. I used to love the old white and black MacBooks, but the new model is in a league of its own: neat, tidy and absolutely gorgeous. It looks like a proper, small notebook while the much-lauded Air is thin to the point of anorexia and, in my view, isn't quite as pretty.
For most people, the new MacBook is all the computer they would ever need and it is the sensible main-stream choice. The few compromises, in particular the lack of a FireWire 800 port, are just not of that much importance to most people. The MacBook Air, while excellent in its own way, is more expensive and makes many more compromises. That single USB port is a constant annoyance.
I went with the MacBook Pro because I use it as a desktop machine and I spend extended periods abroad. I don't need to carry it around with me all the time and, basically, the Pro gets lugged from one country to the next and then sits on a desk. As a desktop computer, the Pro is more usable, particularly because of the larger screen and higher specifications available. But it's a close-run thing. Even though I own both a Pro and a MacBook Air, I still lust after the MacBook when I see one in the wild.
Apple have come up with a winner with the new MacBook and it has seriously narrowed the gap which previously existed between the MB and MB Pro. It's a model I now unreservedly recommend to anyone contemplating a new laptop.
Capturing those butterfly thoughts
LIST KEEPING has always been one of my passions and I have become a great believer in David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) philosophy. But before you can organise, you need to marshal your thoughts and your tasks and be able to view them in a form which encourages you to get down to work. I've blogged before on GTD systems (such as the excellent Mac/iPhone OmniFocus which I used daily) and there are many excellent ways of categorising your data once you've recorded it.
I'm forever indebted to the industrious Andrew Mason of DidIgethtingsdone? who is absolutely dedicated to the GTD concept and his blog contains a wealth of information to help anyone who believes in good management and organisation.
The very first step in any GTD system is capturing your thoughts. We all have these flashes of "must do that or must do this" and within seconds the thought has fluttered off like a butterfly. As you get older, the butterflies get faster and more adept at evading the memory. These thoughts, which you know you ought to record, keep coming back time and again and are usually forgotten if you don't do something about it. So a quick-and-easy method of jotting down thoughts and ideas is essential. You need your own personal and portable inbox.
Some swear by a voice note, either on a dedicated recorder or on the iPhone (check out the wonderful reQall for iPhone if you want an easy-to-use voice jotter) or on bits of paper. For quick computer or iPhone entry, OmniFocus takes some beating. The latest version of OmniFocus for iPhone is much improved and the inbox icon comes up almost instantaneously so you can get that thought entered while the program is loading. Excellent stuff, Omni. However, paper, in the form of a small notebook, still wins over electronic methods in my opinion, although it is a narrow victory because of the many new ideas coming up thick and fast.
And pre-eminent among notebooks is the Moleskine range, now available in stationers and bookshops worldwide. Like Andrew and many others, I'm addicted to Moleskines and I always have one in my pocket, clipped with a thin plastic golf pencil (another of Andrew's discoveries).
Now I can whip out the Moleskine and record my thoughts before the butterflies have moved on. When I have a moment I transcribe my notes into OmniFocus, either on the iPhone or the Mac. I hope I never need to forget anything ever again. Probably wishful thinking but…
Things might be getting interesting. This week Engaget launched a quest for the best thought-capturing device and we can all look forward to the results. Maybe something new will come up. Must make a note to check next week.
Apple: “No, but…….” to netbooks
THIS MORNING'S financial results from Apple show first-quarter revenues of $8.16bn and net profit of $2.1bn thanks, largely, to iPhone and iPod Touch sales. Not such positive news for the prospects of a Mac netbook, according to the statement by Apple COO, Tim Cook. Despite the fevered rumours in the Mac world, he says that current netbooks, with their small keyboards and small screens, do not cut the mustard. The size format would not provide the expected Mac experience, he believes. Nevertheless, Jason Snell of MacWorld sees method in this play-down by Apple. Says Snell:
"If you follow Apple regularly, you’ll know that the company often runs down its competitors in a category before introducing its own game-changing product in that category. Cook’s past statements lead me to believe that Apple is indeed planning its own answer to the netbook—and his statements during Wednesday’s conference call did nothing to dissuade me from that opinion."
The smart money is on Apple announcing something this summer, something between the iPhone and the MacBook Air. Apple's current position, that the MacBook Air represents the ideal portable computer for keeping in your bag at most times, falls down because it does have the disadvantage of being just that bit too big–identical to the MacBook but thinner and lighter. I would trade off thinness for a slightly smaller format, perhaps with a 10in or 11in screen and a tad less space on the keyboard. I would prefer this machine to run full OS X rather than the iPhone OS. And I'd like built-in 3G, please Mr. Apple.
At the moment I am delighted with my first-generation MacBook Air and intend to keep it in my bag until Apple do decide what to do about the netbook phenomenon. I do not believe they can totally ignore the new genre because people do seem to love the smaller footprint and lightness of the netbooks.