Companion devices like the iPad are increasingly replacing laptops in our backpacks and briefcases. Next year, you can expect up to 50 million iPads to be in the market, joined by tablets running other operating systems. If you are wondering what a Windows 7 tablet might feel like... there is now a way for you to try it on your iPad!

Splashtop has been named a winner of the 2010 Mobility Awards - Technology Innovation and we could not be more excited. Especially, when some our awesome partners like Acer, HP, and Lenovo which ship Splashtop on their netbooks and notebooks, are also recipients of awards too. Thanks Mobiletrax for the honor.

HP has introduced the new Mini 210 Vivienne Tam special edition netbook. We are happy to be contributing to the QuickWeb software of such a beautiful product. Here is how QuickWeb looks on the Mini 210 Vivienne Tam edition:

Notice the Mirror app in the application dock - a must for a true fashion product.

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.

It is no secret that Netbooks – the small, ultra-portable and arguably underpowered cousins of larger, more powerful PC notebooks – have turned the PC industry on its head. Since Asus first ushered in the EeePC a few short years ago, the market has been flooded with a slew of netbooks. Today’s models are sporting larger screens, bigger keyboards, more memory and typically feature Windows XP as the de facto standard operating system.

HP has just announced their new lineup of netbooks and notebooks. We at DeviceVM are excited to point out that a number of new systems feature HP QuickWeb functionality, powered by Splashtop. As HP explains:

"QuickWeb allows users to access the web in seconds when the notebook is shut down. The application resides outside the notebook’s operating system, so there is no need to wait for the computer to boot up."

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:

It's hard to keep up with all the great new devices out there by OEMs who are doing truly innovative things to make the consumer experience better and better. Every day I drool at all the shiny new devices featured on my favorite gadget blogs. It's nice to see Splashtop showing up on more and more of them. We're excited to announce a couple of new OEMs using Splashtop to bring instant internet to millions more consumers out there. This week we get to debut two! One by Acer and another by Sony.

The AspireRevo by Acer

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.