It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Microsoft is more than ready to bury Windows XP. The operating system is nearly a decade old, after all, and the company would clearly rather have users buy shiny new machines with Windows 7. Windows XP would have retired a few years ago, but Microsoft pulled it out of the vault when it became clear that there was demand for small, cheap, and low power machines like netbooks.

But Windows 7 runs almost as well on most netbook hardware as Windows XP, if not better. And while you can still pick up plenty of netbooks with XP, Microsoft will stop offering the OS to netbook makers in about a year.

But there’s a chance it will already be pretty much gone from the market much sooner than that. Perhaps as soon as early 2010. Microsoft netbook cheif Don Paterson tells The Register that while Windows XP will be available for a little while longer (when purchased with a netbook), he doesn’t think it will have much market share after the holidays.

Paterson also points out that Microsoft will be marketing Windows 7 pretty heavily, and not Windows XP. But I don’t think Microsoft ever really did much marketing for Windows XP on netbooks. The company simply made it available, and customers more familiar with Windows than Linux gravitated toward Windows XP netbooks making it the dominant OS for that market segment.

I’m sure that if PC makers stop offering Windows XP netbooks, people will move on and simply start using models with Windows 7. But while the new operating system does offer some nifty features that are absent from Windows XP, (including Windows Media Center, Aero Glass effects, and backup and restore capabilities) many of the best features of Windows 7, including all of those plus Windows XP compatibility mode, aren’t available in Windows 7 Starter Edition. And that’s the version that’s currently shipping on the vast majority of Windows 7 netbooks. You can’t even change the desktop background on Windows 7 Starter Edition, which means that you can make a good case that Windows XP netbooks are actually more capable than those running Windows 7 Starter.

Of course, you can always pick up a netbook with Windows 7 Home Premium, but those are less common and they generally cost more. And while you can upgrade from Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Home Premium, you have to pay $80 for the privilege.

In the meantime, if you’re in the market for a netbook running Windows XP, take solace in the fact that there are still plenty available for purchase. Just don’t blame me if Windows 7 takes off in popularity in a way that Windows Vista never did and developers stop writing applications that are compatible with your Windows XP netbook within the next year or two. I guess you could always just install Linux on it.

Windows XP netbooks’ days are numbered

Ever since the Asus Eee PC 701 first came on the scene, introducing the computer world to the netbook form factor for the first time, Asus has experimented with their netbooks sizes.

The first Eee PCs were 7 inch affairs, but they — like the ultra mobile notebooks that were their evolutionary predecessors — proved too small to be truly functional. Next, Asus experimented with 9 inch netbooks with the Asus Eee PC 901, but that too was too small to be comfortable. About a year ago, 10 inches was established as the lower-end of the netbook dimensional sweet spot, with 12 inches being the maximum size that a notebook could be said to be a netbook and not a laptop.

In all of Asus’ experimenting, though, they’ve never messed with an 11 inch netbook. That’s all changed, though: Asus has just released their 11.6″ Eee PC 1101HA.

Originally meant to be a Windows Vista machine, the 1101HA now ships with Windows 7 Home Premium. Given the operating system, then, it’s smart that Asus would choose to ship the 1101HA with 2GB of RAM, which is twice the RAM usually found in their netbooks.

The 1101HA also has more hard drive space than its siblings, packing a 250GB drive. Otherwise, though, this is a stock Asus Eee PC, retaining an Intel Atom Z520 processor and a GMA 500 graphic chipset. Battery life is suspiciously lower than usual: while most Asus Eee PCs pack a minimum of 9.5 hours of battery life these days. the 1101HA is only specced for 8.

The Asus EeePC 1101HA will be available in Japan later this month, with the US market soon to follow.

Asus’ latest netbook is 11.6 inches, runs Windows 7 – Computer Chips & Hardware Technology | Geek.com

Netbooks with OS X now stranded in time.

ZoomIt’s been somewhat of a micro-saga going on in the PC netbook hobbyist camp who like to run Mac OS X, but now Apple has officially fired the first shot.

Developer builds of the latest Mac OS X build 10.6.2 were unable to run on netbooks built on the Intel Atom processor. This was significant as many of those who have hacked Apple’s operating system to run on a PC were doing so on netbooks.

While the hackintosh community has been mostly ignored by Apple thus far (unless you’re a commercial business selling hackintoshes), this marks a proactive step for the company in stomping out unauthorized usage of its software.

Those who have taken the plunge to 10.6.2 have discovered that their systems are now unable to boot, as it just puts itself in an infinite loop of restarts.

Oddly enough, those with hackintosh computers built using other Intel processors that aren’t the Atom are not affected. This means that Psystar computers will accept the update without such an issue.

Confirmed: Apple Puts Wrench Into Hackintoshes – Tom’s Hardware

Microsoft Corp. may have ditched the three application limit on the Windows 7 Starter Edition, but other restrictions on the netbook-only version of the operating system will be an unwelcome surprise for many netbook buyers, according to a survey published Monday.

Sixty-one percent of consumers do not know that Windows 7 Starter lacks some features standard in any version of Windows XP, such as support for multiple monitors, DVD playback — even the ability to change the desktop image from the Microsoft logo, according to a survey by electronics shopping site,Retrevo.com.

Other higher-end features Windows 7 Starter lacks include the advanced Aero interface, multi-touch, Windows Media Center, and XP Mode virtualization.

Informed of these missing features, 56% of the 1,100 randomly surveyed respondents (95% likely to fall within plus or minus 6.5% of the overall population results, says Retrevo) said that they would not be satisfied with Windows 7 Starter.

The problem, according to Retrevo, is that 23 out of 28 netbooks available today on Amazon.com are installed with Windows 7 Starter.

Microsoft may be counting on upselling users to to an $80 upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium. That is done via the Anytime Upgrade program on Microsoft’s e-commerce Web site.

But it could also create ill will toward Microsoft, said Andrew Eisner, director of content for Retrevo.

"I think most users will feel angry with having to pay the $80 for an upgrade to get those features," he said.

It could also boost demand for Linux netbooks, which are expected to grab nearly one-third of the booming worldwide market this year for netbooks.

Microsoft declined to comment specifically on Retrevo’s survey. Rather, it pointed to a statement it made back in February when it announced the six versions of Windows 7.

"Small notebook PCs can run any version of Windows 7. For OEMs that build lower-cost small notebook PCs, Windows 7 Starter will now be available in developed markets," it said. "For the most enhanced, full-functioning Windows experience on small notebook PCs, however, consumers will want to go with Windows 7 Home Premium, which lets you get the most out of your digital media and easily connect with other PCs."

Missing features in Windows 7 Starter will disgruntle netbook buyers, survey says

The elusive Asus Eee PC T91MT Windows 7 touchscreen netbook is finally on sale on Amazon.com for $532.
The Asus Eee PC T91MT appeared in Germany before the Windows 7 launch, but then kind of disappeared again as it was not shipping in time for the Win7 launch.
The lightweight Eee PC T91MT is the world’s smallest and slimmest touch PC.
Features of the convertible touchscreen Asus T91MT netbook include 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 Processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM – 1 Slot – 2GB Max, 32GB Solid State Drive + 500GB Free Eee Storage, 8.9-Inch Touch LED LCD Display, Multi-Touch Functionality, Bluetooth, Windows 7 Home Premium (32 bit) Operating System and 5 Hour Battery Life.
At $532 the T91MT is about $150 more expensive than the Asus Eee PC 1005HA, but I think this premium is well worth paying for the touchscreen option and the SSD.

Asus Eee PC T91MT Windows 7 Touchscreen Netbook Finally On Sale On Amazon

To say that HTC helped pioneer the adoption of Android hardware isn’t an opinion – its fact. Up to this point, HTC has introduced the HTC Dream, HTC Magic and several variations of the HTC Hero with many more phones in the works. But could an HTC Android Netbook soon be in the fold?

This past Thursday, HTC launched the HTC HD2 – which they said would NEVER run Android. That doesn’t mean a device with similar specs, Android and a different name isn’t in the works. And it also doesn’t mean HTC isn’t thinking about diversifying their Android portfolio to different product types altogether. Listen to what HTC CEO Peter Chou said about the prospect of an HTC Netbook:

He said HTC was “carefully looking into that category and how it can be part of that”. Chou further explained that it has not happened yet because he wants such a product from HTC to have “unique value”, and not another “me-too” Netbook that would be similar to the many models out there.

I don’t know about you… but I think Android would definitely provide a “unique value” and at this point would be anything BUT a “me-too” device. How about a Windows 7 and Android mashup netbook? No… no… wait I have it: A Chrome OS Netbook with Android mashed in. Yeah. Yeah, that’s it!

Google picked HTC as a launch partner for their first Android Phone and worked on it diligently for YEARS before it was introduced to the market. The value of working with a single party for a first launch was important – if Google wants to do the same thing with Chrome OS, wouldn’t HTC be a logical choice?

HTC may or may not make a netbook in the near future. If they do, that netbook may or may not include Android and/or Chrome OS. I’m simply speculating that its possible… but based on their reputation as an Android torch holder, it seems like an HTC Android Netbook is – at least – a decent possibility.

HTC Plotting Android, Chrome OS Netbook? | Android Phone Fans

All those rumors about a Lenovo ThinkPad netbook just got a little more credence. ThinkPadToday appears to have received confirmation from someone that the first ThinkPad netbook, which will be called the X100e, will be out January 5, 2010. The slogan for this new product is purported to be, “Entry level ultra portable, the first ThinkPad of its size”.

No details about the hardware on the X100e have been released yet, and Lenovo still has yet to confirm or deny the rumors. As of right now, it’s still entirely possible this product does not exist. However, the evidence against that is increasingly heavily stacked. Several images have leaked out, and rumors about the new netbooks continue to sprout like wildflowers.

ThinkPadToday speculates that Lenovo’s first netbook could pack the Nvidia Ion HD graphics platform. That would certainly be one way of differentiating their product from the herd. If Lenovo does have a ThinkPad netbook planned I can’t imagine they want it to be a dull, standard netbook with yet another old Atom processor. January 5 isn’t too far away, so we should know for certain very soon.

Lenovo ThinkPad Netbook: Out January 5?

Remember the HTC Shift? It was HTC’s first attempt at a super-portable laptop capable of running both Windows Vista and Windows Mobile. These days, we’d be inclined to call it a “netbook” if not for its prohibitive price tag. Despite its innovative design and features, however, the HTC Shift never gained any traction in the crowded ultra-portable laptop segment. But, don’t count HTC out of the netbook game just yet. According to HTC CEO Peter Chou, the smartphone maker is still considering an entrance into the netbook market.

At the HTC HD2 launch yesterday, Chou stated that HTC was “carefully looking into [the netbook] category and how it can be part of that.” He added that HTC doesn’t want to make another “me too” netbook that will get lost in the shuffle. Instead, HTC would be looking to launch a product with “unique value” to differentiate itself from the crowd. The HTC Shift was unique in its own right. It offered instant-on access to the Windows Mobile operating system as well as Windows Vista.

How cool would it be if HTC launched a netbook with instant-on access to Android? Or, for that matter, how about an Android-powered netbook? Speculating is fun.

HTC considering ‘unique value’ netbook

Mobile phone maker Nokia is jumping into the Netbook pool with its recently announced Booklet 3G laptop (as seen in the video). We’ve just gotten our hands on the final version of the system, and here are our initial impressions.

The Booklet 3G is easily one of the most upscale-looking Netbooks we’ve seen. It feels solid and well-built in your hands, without being too heavy. The screen hinge in particular feels pleasingly tight, while the slightly too thick keyboard tray has zero flex even when pressing down firmly on the keyboard.

Unlike the gently tapered sides of many other Netbooks, designed to create the illusion of slimness, the Booklet has sharp, angled edges. True to the name, there is a booklike squareness to it. The inside is devoid of quick launch or shortcut keys, and even the power button is relegated to the right side edge, next to a tiny hatch covering SD and SIM card slots.

Unfortunately, the keyboard itself is cramped, with tiny keys that are hard to hit accurately. Considering the strides other Netbooks have made with creating very usable keyboards, it was a letdown. The touch pad is large and easy to use, even though we had to crank up the pointer speed in the Windows 7 options.

The 10.1-inch display has the higher 1,366×768-pixel resolution found on many high-end Netbooks, and a single sheet of glass covers the screen and much of the screen bezel, but there’s still a separate outer lip, so it’s not quite what we call edge-to-edge.

The AT&T mobile broadband service connected automatically, and the process was wonderfully transparent, especially compared with the software setup and manual log-ins required by other mobile broadband laptops. The option to manually join a local Wi-Fi network is also available. Our review unit lacked the final versions of the Nokia and Ovi networking and connectivity software, but we did fine with Windows 7’s built-in versions.

Despite an excellent design and well-integrated mobile broadband, the Booklet 3G hits a rough patch as as an actual Netbook. Using the slower Z530 version of Intel’s Atom CPU (instead of the more common N270 or N280 versions) means that performance was generally sluggish, especially with only 1GB of RAM.

Opening windows and navigating around the Windows 7 environment led to some stuttering and slowdown. Even something as simple as running multiple Web browser windows and a Microsoft Office doc at the same time slowed the system in our anecdotal hands-on testing.

With a two-year AT&T contract, the Booklet3G costs $299, and its excellent design and build quality puts it miles ahead of other $299 Netbooks. But keep in mind that you’re then tied to a monthly fee–usually around $60–for data. The Booklet is also available sans contract for $599, but that’s both largely pointless and way overpriced.

Hands-on with the Nokia Booklet 3G | Crave – CNET

ABI Research is projecting that in 2009 Linux will represent 32 percent of netbook sales, far higher than the seven percent figure claimed by Microsoft, says a report. ABI estimates that Linux will overtake Windows on netbooks by 2013, largely due to sales in less-developed countries.
In its most recent report based on its UMDs (Ultra-mobile Devices) study, which covers netbooks, MIDs, and UMPCs, ABI Research says that almost 35 million netbooks will be shipped by manufacturers in 2009. ABI did not publicly break out sales by specific segment or operating system, but a ComputerWorld story by Eric Lai quotes ABI analyst Jeff Orr as saying that the study shows that 32 percent (about 11 million netbooks) of this year’s netbook shipments will be used with a Linux-based operating system. Since Apple has yet to release a netbook, the remaining 68 percent belongs to Microsoft Windows, projects ABI.
As Lai points out, despite the two to one edge for Windows, this is a far cry from the 96 percent advantage Microsoft claimed to have enjoyed in April. Microsoft has now updated its projection by telling Lai that "over 93 percent of worldwide small notebook PCs run Windows today." This would suggest that even Microsoft agrees that Linux netbook sales have rebounded, at least slightly.

Dell’s Linux-ready Mini 10v

According to the story, Orr says that while Windows enjoys a higher percentage of U.S. sales, the picture is different overseas. "Just because you live in the United States, don’t assume that everything is on Windows," Orr was quoted as saying. Non-U.S. consumers have less experience with Windows, and therefore don’t have to overcome the fear of switching to something new, Orr was said to have told Lai. According to ABI, the largest share of netbook sales belongs to the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
Beyond that, Orr did not mention other Linux netbook trends except to say that "Ubuntu is a popular choice on netbooks." He did tell Lai, however, that going forward Moblin, Android, and Google’s Chrome OS will also lead the way on Linux netbook distributions.
Although Orr doesn’t note where these distros stack up for 2009, Android and Moblin are only just now appearing on netbooks, with Moblin being repackaged and combined with desktop brands like Ubuntu and OpenSUSE, so they are not likely to rate more than a blip in the 2009 numbers. Chrome OS, meanwhile, is not due out until next year.
Orr was also said to have predicted that increasing sales of ARM-based netbooks will continue to push up Linux netbook share, especially in less developed countries where overall netbook growth will increase at the highest rate. As a result, ABI projects that Linux will overtake Windows on netbooks by 2013. To address the ARM challenge, Orr told Lai that Microsoft should do what it did with Windows XP on netbooks, and slash prices on its ARM-ready Windows CE or Windows Mobile.

Further publicly revealed findings in ABI’s UMD study include the projection that UMDs, including netbooks, MIDs, and UMPCs, will top 124 million systems shipped in 2011. Meanwhile, the separate "mobile consumer electronics" category, which includes personal navigation devices (PNDs) and eBook readers. is expected to move from two million device shipments this year to 50 million in 2014.
As for netbooks, the research firm noted that while in 2008, 74 percent of netbook shipments came from Acer, Asus, and Samsung, the 2009 market is far more diverse. Major PC vendors selling Linux-ready netbooks include Dell and HP, which offers models such as the Linux-ready HP Mini 110, pictured above, at left.
Revisiting the Linux netbook question
The lack of reliable figures on OS share has led to considerable speculation about the respective netbook shares of Windows XP vs. Linux, where the former appears to have dominated over the last year after a fast 2008 start by Linux. Signs of trouble in the Linux netbook world emerged last fall after a promising start in which some analysts figured that Linux had captured as much as 30 percent of the market, compared to one percent in the desktop market in general. Much of the growth came with the groundbreaking Asus Eee PC (pictured below, at right) and subsequent Acer Aspire.

An MSI executive then claimed that returns of its Linux-based MSI Wind netbooks were more than four times higher than those of Windows XP netbooks. In early April, a Microsoft executive announced that an NPD Retail Tracking Service study showed that Microsoft owned 96 percent of the netbook market, and he agreed with MSI Wind that Linux netbook returns were four times higher than with Windows. A Canonical (Ubuntu) executive disputed the MSI and Microsoft claims, while others noted that the NPD story only looked at brick-and-mortar retail instead of online sales, and did not cover international sales.
Yet, a study by Ovum did indeed suggest a slippage in Linux netbook market share. Ovum did not publicly report percentages, but said that the Linux netbook share had dropped considerably in late 2008 and early 2009. Many believe the major cause for the gap has been Microsoft dropping the price of Windows XP and applying other channel and vendor pressures.
This summer, the issue resurfaced when Microsoft’s COO Kevin Turner gave a speech claiming that Linux netbook returns were four or five times higher than with Windows. In August, a Dell executive reportedly answered this by saying that his company’s Linux netbook returns were roughly equivalent to those for Windows-based netbooks.
Lenovo gung-ho on Windows 7 netbooks
While some may question ABI’s 32 percent claim, others believe that Windows 7 will halt any possible swing back to Linux on netbooks. An EETimes story by Rick Merritt quotes Howard Locker, director of new technology for Lenovo, as saying that Windows 7 will make it less likely that notebook makers will adopt Linux-based netbooks.
Locker was quoted as saying, "Our S9 and S10 model netbooks had Linux loads, but they didn’t do well so we stopped selling them." Here, Locker was referring to systems launched in October 2008 for the education market, according to the story. Since then it’s been pretty much all Windows on Lenovo netbooks, however.
One problem that Lenovo’s customers have had with Linux is its lack of support for Apple’s iTunes, Locker was said to have noted. Meanwhile, Windows 7 improvements such as a claimed ten second boot time and one second resume, will fend off Linux-based alternatives, Locker told Merritt. Other touted Windows 7 features include a better suspend mode, lower power consumption, and UI enhancements like multi-touch support.
Despite its upbeat take on Windows 7, the notebook giant is evaluating alternatives, including Google’s Linux-based Chrome OS, Locker was said to have noted, although he added, "It’s too early to tell because they don’t even have alpha code to test."
Locker also had some interesting things to say about wireless technologies, calling ultra-wideband (UWB) "a DOA dead technology," and predicting that Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G networks would someday supplant WiFi.
Availability
ABI Research’s “Netbooks, MIDs and Mobile CE Market Data” study is said to include forecasts for all Ultra-mobile Devices (UMDs), including UMPCs, netbooks, mobile Internet devices (MIDs), and mobile consumer electronics (CE) devices. Shipments and revenue for these devices are broken down by UMD type, region, platform, operating system, connectivity, and navigation attach rates, says the research firm. More information and a table of contents may be found here.

Linux owns 32 percent of netbook market, says study