netbook

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!

Introducing the latest addition to the Splashtop product family - Splashtop Remote. Now you can get to your PC and experience Windows from an iPad. Check out this video:

Splashtop Remote connects your iPad -and in the near future, other mobile devices - to your PC. So, Windows does not actually run on your mobile device. Instead, you interact with it remotely. However, all of your music, videos, and Windows applications are now within easy reach. Have you ever had a "I wish I could get to my computer..." moment? Then Splashtop Remote should be on your iPad.

Splashtop Remote is on sale in the Apple App Store. So check it out!

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. You can check out the full list of recipients here.

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.

To see lots of gorgeous runway photos and videos, make sure to visit the special site HP and Vivienne Tam put together for this 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. 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

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. While Forrester Research declared an era of the third form factor back in January, the lines between netbooks and notebooks are increasingly blurring.

The key difference, as GigaOM recently posited, is that netbooks nail a sweet spot in the market where traditional notebooks often fall short on the 3P triangle: Performance, Price and Portability.

"Currently, a notebook can excel in one or two of these areas, but not all three… Enter netbooks: They provide enough horsepower to do the majority of everyday computing tasks, tend to average around $350, and are light and small enough to carry all day long."

Recognizing this ‘holy grail’ of computing, the November print issue of Wired magazine recently dubbed a netbook, the Samsung NC20, as its “computer of the year,” citing price ($550), ‘everyday’ performance (Via vs. Atom) and portability (3.3 lbs with a 12” screen) as its key selling points. [The only critical thing missing in this package may be the instant gratification of Splashtop to make portability even more pleasurable].

But given this year’s sweeping global recession, the most critical attribute thus far may in fact be Price-- cost-conscious consumers the world over have been snapping up netbooks at an amazing clip. Even the WSJ's Walt Mossberg has taken to reviewing netbooks, which he recently referred to as the sole bright spot in an otherwise awful economic climate. To put an even finer point on it, research firm DisplaySearch forecasts 33M netbooks shipping this year—2X over 2008—while notebook shipments have remained flat Y/Y for the first time. [See table below]

So on the eve of the Windows 7 roll-out, let’s take time to reflect on the 3Ps of netbook goodness, the potential impact of a new OS and imagine what might happen to this fast-changing product category over the coming months. On the positive side, look for more performance gains – new chip sets, bigger screens, more memory – and serious portability enhancements with longer battery life, better power management and smarter networking with integrated 3G. The question mark is around price – can PC makers keep upping performance and portability while maintaining the attractive price point that lured consumers in the first place? Or are we destined to see further blurring of the line between what makes a netbook vs. a traditional notebook?

Answer: “yes, but.” The “but” in this equation really depends on Windows 7. Unlike Vista, Win7 should run well on netbooks, according to Microsoft. But will it further the current trend of increasing screen size while maintaining affordability, a luxury afforded by XP-based netbooks. That remains to be seen – several reports indicate Windows 7 Starter OEM edition will cost $45-$55 per copy, which is OK for a new $1000+ notebook, but way out-of-whack for a $300-$500 netbook. While Amazon is currently showcasing an equal number of netbooks and notebooks shipping with Windows 7 (28 of each), it seems that price points have increased over comparable XP-editions. Using the popular Lenovo S10-2 as an example, a comparably-equipped netbook shipping with XP Home lists for $329, while the Win7 Starter version costs an extra $20.

At the end of the day, we at DeviceVM are extremely bullish on the future of netbooks as a distinct new form factor that deserves new “post-notebook” thinking. Regardless of which flavor of Windows suits your fancy or budget, the experience is made even better when complimented by an instant-on, web-enabled, browser-driven environment like Splashtop. And while Splashtop is currently shipping on flagship netbooks like the Lenovo S10-2 (referenced above) and S12, the new designer HP Mini 110 by Studio Tord Boontje, and the super-slick LG X130, we also look forward to sharing details of a new generation of devices from leading PC makers shipping robust new variations of Splashtop to complement the brand new Win7 environment. How will Splashtop fair in the Win7 world? Stay tuned…many more good things to come.

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."

With the world's largest PC maker fully embracing instant-on technology, the day when all of us can browse the Web instantly is now upon us. Here is a screenshot of the new QuickWeb browser in action:

A number of publications have covered the announcement and are reviewing the products:

• Computer World
• jkOnTheRun
• Laptop Magazine 
• eWeek
• Notebook Review

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

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

This is a great device! This is, of course a growing category - that of the nettop. Nettop gets its name from Netbooks and is the Desktop equivalent. Thus, it's a great value in a convenient package. I've seen a bunch of reviewers stick this thing right on their TV. It features some amazing hardware, some hot design and, of course, Splashtop. On the AspireRevo Splashtop is called, "RevoBoot." Check it out more here.

Sony Vaio NW Series 

Sony makes beautiful notebooks. I remember my very first Sony Vaio - it was super small, thin, light and felt like a piece of science fiction. Sony has continued a great tradition of building awesome, consumer and business focused notebooks that often excel in design and functionality. Just as with Acer we're very proud that Sony has included Splashtop on a platform such as this. It's cool to think of consumers powering on Splashtop under the famous Vaio logo.

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.