Android netbooks to strong ARM and smash Wintel Atom?

Stan Beer
Monday, 27 April 2009 15:08

Business IT - Technology

However, both machines can be described as netbooks which means that they aim to fulfill similar functions.

Probably a fairer comparison would be the Alpha 680 and the Eee PC 701 - both the Linux and Windows XP models - which has a Celeron processor.

In Australia, for less than $300 (US$215) - a similar price point to the Alpha 680 - consumers can buy a 701 running either Xandros Linux or Windows XP, with 512MB RAM, 8GB SSD, built-in webcam, mic et al.

At 905g (2 pounds), the 701 is half a pound heavier and slightly larger than the Alpha 680.

However, many users already find the Eee PC 701 a bit small, from both the keyboard and display perspective.

A question some may ask is do users really want anything smaller and even less powerful in a netbook format?

No doubt there will be plenty of hobbyists just itching to get hold of the first Android netbook models to hit the market. However, most computer users aren't hobbyists.