2009 was a busy year for netbooks. According to Display Search worldwide shipments are expected to hit 33 million units, that is a 103% jump from 2008. Even the very definition of a netbook is jumping around with each manufacturer molding the netbook in its own way. LG, for example, is differentiating itself through software: The LG X-120, one of the first netbooks to boast 3G cellular connectivity, includes Smart ON that’s powered by Splashtop. Engadget did a great review of it and ended up calling Splashtop “LG’s biggest asset” – we were proud to say the least.

Thanks to AT&T and Radio Shack (The Shack), the X-120 is now available in the U.S. for the first time for $179.99 with a 2-year contract. For those not interested in a subsidized netbook, I picked mine up today for $399 off contract.

If you want to learn more about the X-120 you can take a virtual demo of it on LG’s site.  I’ll leave you with this video I took of Splashtop booting up for the first time on the X-120.

LG X-120 booting Splashtop

I borrowed the headline from Technologizer, where Harry McCracken is running a poll to see how quickly people get online in the morning. At the time I voted and saw the results, 43% of respondents claimed to get online before they actually got up - they keep their computers or phones by the bed. For a full 78% of respondents, going online competes with or comes before getting breakfast or walking their dog. Despite millions of unhappy pooches, NY Times reports that waking up to check e-mail and Facebook or Twitter accounts is the new reality of the American morning.

As an enabler of instant-on web browsing, we love these trends. We think that everyone should be able to just turn on their PC and start browsing without waiting. And having the PC illuminating the room at night with its blinking lights is lame - it really should be completely off. With Splashtop, you can turn it on instantly any time you need it.

We also observe that browsing is no longer just one of the things you do on a computer. It is The thing that gets people up, it is the reason why the PC is by the bed, and why the dog gets less walking time. Most of the time, browsing is the only thing people do on a PC. With Splashtop, we turn the PC into an awesome browsing appliance that will be ready for you when… you are finally awake.

The singular goal of DeviceVM and the Splashtop technology is to get you to whatever you’re looking for, quickly and efficiently. We’re the inventors of this space and continually think of ways to innovate. Sometimes we innovate by solving large technical problems like getting your machine up and functional in a matter of seconds. Other times, we observe how people are using technology and attempt to make interface changes that improve the experience of using Splashtop.

Sometimes a small shift in an interface can create a revolution and open up a world of possibilities. That’s why our adding instant search to our list of features is a huge step for Splashtop. Here’s an understatement: people do a lot of searching. We all know this but we didn’t realize how many people use search as a tool for navigating the web. Many of us open a browser check our email, news and Facebook. But a lot of people put the word “Facebook” in a search box and click on the result. Are you one of those people?

Whether or not you use search as a tool for navigating the web, instant search is something we can all appreciate. Where was that restaurant? What was the name of the guy in that movie? What time does the hardware store close? Answers to these questions and more are now seconds away from your inquiring mind.

Our first partners on instant search are very exciting too! Yahoo, Baidu and Yandex have all jumped on board. When we set out to provide this feature it was important that we didn’t let one search engine be the only dominant player. We really wanted to give people a choice as search can be very regional. That’s why we picked partners who had incredible regional relevance. Splashtop users also have a choice as you can switch up the default Search Engine to whatever you prefer. Everyone wins with Instant Search!

Check out some great coverage:

BBC News - Push for ‘instant-on’ web search
CNET - Instant search comes to Splashtop
ComputerWorld - Eyeing Google, Splashtop partners with Yahoo for instant-on web search
Ubergizmo - (Yahoo) Search becomes a priority in Splashtop
VentureBeat - DeviceVM brings search to its ‘instant-on’ Splashtop software
jkOnTheRun - Splashtop Gains Instant Search on Netbooks, Notebooks — Expects User Base of 130m

In its corporate blog post, Google outlined the vision for the Google Chrome OS. This is an exciting development, and validates and reflects what we have been seeing with Splashtop - people want instant-on computing; an easy-to-use interface; and a secure environment with no worries about malware or viruses. Here is how Google explains the motivation behind Chrome OS:

We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear — computers need to get better. People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up. They want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them.

We could not have said it better! Of course, the market has been moving towards instant-on computing for a while now, and DeviceVM has already seen tremendous success in the space: tens of millions of PCs already shipped with Splashtop, and our announced and shipping customers include HP, Acer, Sony, Lenovo, ASUS, and LG. By the end of 2010,  Splashtop will be in the hands of more than 150M desktop, nettop, notebook, and netbook users.
 
Instant-on became possible because of the web. In the past, computing was all about heavy native applications. Today, most of what we do is in the browser, and “applications” are things like webmail, Twitter, listening to Pandora or watching YouTube. By focusing first on the web, unlike traditional operating systems, Splashtop gets you started in seconds. This also appears to be the direction Google is taking with Chrome OS: “For application developers, the web is the platform.”

The world of web content and apps is diverse. Most popular services in China, for example, are quite different from those in the US (check out http://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/CN - Google.cn is in fourth place there). To that end, we have been working with a number of leading regional brands to bring more relevant web services to Splashtop users around the world. Stay tuned for more to come on that!

Updated July 9, 2009

Yesterday Engadget (my favorite tech blog) did a great review of LG’s netbook - the X120. As you might remember from CES, Splashtop is one of the prominent features of this awesome netbook. The review itself was a nice hands on with the LG X120 as the writer, Donald Melanson, spends some real time talking about the various aspects of the device. My favorite part:

Like any other current netbook, the X120 gets along well enough with Windows XP, but one of LG’s biggest assets is its Splashtop-based Smart-On interface, which gets its own dedicated power button to allow for quick and easy access. As you may recall from our CES coverage, the interface boots in a matter of seconds and gives you access to a few essential applications, including a web browser, a music player, a photo browser, an instant messaging app, Skype, and even a basic games application that links to some online games.

It’s awesome to be recognized as one of the devices “biggest assets.” This is a great pat on the back for everyone who works so tirelessly to provide a seamless experience for our users. In addition, it’s interesting that people are starting to recognize what we’ve been talking about on this blog for quite a while - that those essential applications are often all you need, especially on a netbook:

The choice of apps is actually quite telling, and is virtually the very definition of a netbook. No word processor or office apps (not even a calculator), no video player or editor, no dedicated email application, no time-consuming games — nothing that requires your full attention or an actual time commitment.

As I mentioned in my recent post, Life with Splashtop, Month 3, I really need only a great web browser when it comes to my netbook. All that overhead of a traditional OS is wasted on a netbook. I swear I haven’t had to boot Windows XP on my Lenovo S10 in months. This Engadget article is a great reminder that the right OS makes or breaks your computing experience. On the outside the LG is quite like a lot of other netbooks. But on the inside it is a cut above. Make sure your next Netbook has Splashtop!

When netbooks first came out, we were looking at them through the prism of the One Laptop Per Child project. They were expected to sell in developing countries, and become the first PCs for people who could not afford a regular notebook. Things turned out very differently.

Research from DigiTimes indicates that 40% of netbooks shipped in 2008 went into Western Europe, while 26% were bought in North America, and 7% in Japan. Developed countries add up to some 73% of netbook shipments. The share of netbooks sold in developed countries turns out to be greater than that of notebooks, reported at 62%.

The implications for netbook usage models are enormous. For most users in developed countries, netbooks are mobile companions purchased in addition to the owner’s primary PC – perhaps a full-size notebook they got from work, or a desktop at home with their media library. Sol, one of our own, swears by his Lenovo S10, although it is not his only PC by a long shot (read more about Sol’s netbook experiences).

Data from a research subsidiary of Yahoo Japan confirms this companion usage: 78% of netbooks purchased in Japan are a second PC for the purchaser. This companion usage, by the way, is exactly what Splashtop excels at – we are an instant-on web-centric complementary environment, rather than a general-purpose OS.

We have not seen good world-wide data on netbook usage patterns yet, but here are a few comparisons between netbook and notebook users in Japan:

• 40% use netbooks in cafes (compared to 4% for notebook users)
• 28% use netbooks while commuting (compared to 1% for notebooks). Remember, this is a country with good public transport.
• In the living room, on the other hand, 61% of notebook users do their thing, but only 43% use netbooks. Kind of makes sense – living room couches are stationary, you are not in a rush, and the power outlet is near.

Given how much of netbook usage is mobile, things like 3G connectivity are a big deal. Today we are welcoming into this world a new 3G-enabled netbook from Lenovo, the S10-2, which has Splashtop-powered Quick Start feature, and will ship worldwide. Whether one sells in Europe, the US, Asia Pacific or, perhaps, the “rest for the world”, we are happy that people will be enjoying the instant-on connected experience of Splashtop in the cafes, on public transport, and in their living rooms.

I have a tech job. And, like the throngs of other people in Silicon Valley we all have parents who don’t even try to understand what we do because, you know…it’s technical. “Oh he works in technology,” my Mom would say to friends and family at holidays. No other details. She never tried to understand. Well all that changed last week when NBC came into the DeviceVM office to do an interview. I’ve tried to explain a thousand times what Splashtop does because I think it’s easy enough to understand. But, my mother just says, “that sounds real nice honey.” I know she doesn’t get it.

Why is it, then, that when Scott Budman, NBC news correspondent, talks about Splashtop it suddenly makes sense? I guess that’s why he’s on TV and I write a blog. After this aired last week, my Mom called me excitedly, “Scott Budman says that Splashtop can get you online in seconds!” Thanks, Scott, for giving my Mom something to talk about at Maj Jong next week.

Here’s a link to the article.

Here’s the video…

netbook image courtesy of Wired

One of my friends (and co-workers) Sergei, alerted me to an article in Wired about netbooks and how their popularity points to a truth in computing - we don’t do all that much with our computers.

The article first talks about the evolution of the netbook starting with the OLPC project, whereby in order to make an ultra cheap $100 laptop for children in developing nations many of the bigger, better, faster features that we had gotten used to in a new PC had to be eliminated. After the OLPC was released there was actual, sincere consumer interest in a cheap, light but sturdy laptop. The following quote refers to Mary Lou Jepsen, the designer of the first OLPC.

But Jepsen’s design trickled up. In the process of creating a laptop to satisfy the needs of poor people, she revealed something about traditional PC users. They didn’t want more out of a laptop—they wanted less.

Consumers wanted less. This is an interesting take on netbooks and human behavior in general. Here in the US we’re always told to want “more.” More features, more power, more! I think this argument falls a little short as most people I know who have a netbook use it as a second machine, “a coffee shop laptop.” Maybe this is a trend in the US? I don’t have scientific data to prove this but my gut tells me that netbooks are a second machine for most owners. This weekend I was at our local Costco where they were selling the Acer Aspire One (a nice looking machine). I asked a few people standing around if they were considering replacing their machine with a netbook? The overwhelming response was “no.” The price point was low enough to purchase a second machine.

I digress a bit, however, because ultimately I agree with the statement the author makes - consumers want less. I might write the statement a little differently, though.

Consumers want simplicity.

I say this because, well, it’s obvious, but also because netbooks are a study in how a simple value proposition can change an industry. The netbook value proposition is: surf the web on a small, sturdy machine that doesn’t cost very much. Focused simplicity wrapped in an economical package. That’s the netbook in a nutshell.

Splashtop is the same way - which is why it’s changing the industry. Here’s another quote from that Wired article:

It turns out that about 95 percent of what I do on a computer can now be accomplished through a browser. I use it for updating Twitter and Facebook and for blogging. Meebo.com lets me log into several instant-messaging accounts simultaneously. Last.fm gives me tunes, and webmail does the email. I use Google Docs for word processing, and if I need to record video, I can do it directly from webcam to YouTube. Come to think of it, because none of my documents reside on the netbook, I’m not sure I even need the trash can.

We’ve made no apologies for keeping to our core competencies. Splashtop is there to provide the fastest, most efficient web browsing-focused operating environment. 95% of what an average consumer does is through a web browser. We think that you shouldn’t have to wait several minutes to get to what you’re looking for (the internet). In a traditional operating system, the consumer pays for the overhead of all that computing power with wasted, frustrated time. Like the netbook we cut that away and give you simplicity.

The combination of the two (netbooks and Splashtop) are incredible. Check us out on the Lenovo S10 as well as the LG X120.

CES allowed us to continue to demonstrate the power of our fast booting, web-centric operating environment. There were a couple videos that we wanted to share with you. The first is Sergei’s incredible appearance on “Into Tomorrow” with Dave Graveline. Check it out…

Next, we have a “Death Match” between a bunch of Splashtop enabled machines hosted by GottaBeMobile, who stopped by our booth. As you’ll see every Splashtop device runs very quickly. The difference is often the components used in the machines. You might expect a less expensive netbook to run a bit slower than a super high end, more expensive device. In my opinion, the real “death match” occurs between Splashtop and a traditional OS (check out the video on this NY Times article to see what I’m talking about). Here’s a link to the full GottaBeMobile article.

You should consider unplugging that new plasma TV, at least when you are not watching it. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a plasma TV sucks down $165 of electricity a year in standby mode.

“Stop Your Electronics’ Vampire Power Waste,” an article by JR Raphael at PC World, goes on to list other top culprits in your home. A desktop PC is near the top of the list at $6.20 wasted while in standby. This number hides a bigger problem - many desktop PCs are ‘on’ 247. Frustrated with slow boot times, people simply never turn off their computers. It is one of the problems we are addressing with Splashtop. And a big problem it is. Lets do a quick calculation.

A well designed desktop that is ‘off’ or in standby consumes less than 1 Watt of energy. An idling ‘on’ desktop can easily consume 50 Watts of energy. Which means that it will contribute some $300 to your annual electricity bill.

If your desktop has a Splashtop-powered motherboard, like one of many excellent motherboards from ASUS (who calls the feature “Express Gate”), you can turn it on or off nearly instantly. You no longer need to keep your PC running all the time. The annual savings should be enough for you to buy a sweet new Lenovo S10 netbook with Splashtop - or whatever is the hottest gizmo a year from now.