Popularity of tiny 'netbooks' set to rise in 2009

LAS VEGAS -- Last year so-called "netbooks" crept into stores — computers that often cost less than $400, with small screens and keyboards that made them look Lilliputian next to laptops that seemed perfectly portable just months earlier.

These little computers introduced consumers to the idea that extreme portability could be combined with a low price, as long as people were willing to use the computer for getting on the Internet and not much more. Netbooks won't include a DVD drive, the fastest microprocessor or enough storage space to house endless amounts of photos and videos.

This year, because of the dismal economy and laptop buyers' increasing comfort with these miniature computers, more netbooks are headed to store shelves. Some netbooks will keep their lower-than-a-cheap-PC price, but others will cost what bigger laptops do, and include features like touch screens and metal casings as companies look to keep the category's momentum going.

At the International Consumer Electronics Show last week, Taiwan-based AsusTek Computer Inc. — which launched its $269-to-$699 Eee PC netbooks in 2007 — introduced a new one called the Eee PC Touch. It sports a nearly 9-inch touch screen that swivels or folds over so it can be used as a tablet-style PC. Asus expects the Touch to be available in March for $499 and plans to release a version with a 10-inch screen.

That size and price aren't far from a regular laptop. A Dell Inspiron 1525 with a 15-inch screen and more powerful processor starts at $479 through the Round Rock, Texas-based company's website.

Jackie Hsu, Asus' president of the Americas, said his company sold 5 million Eee PCs worldwide in 2008. He expects the market to grow this year because there are more product choices.

Indeed, larger computer makers like Dell Inc., MSI Computer, Lenovo Group Ltd., Acer Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. are betting on netbooks as well. Several of them introduced upcoming models at CES.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP, the world's No. 1 computer maker, showed an addition to its Mini netbook line, the Mini 2140, which is expected to be available in January for $499. Unlike the company's $329 Mini 1000, the 2140 includes features like an aluminum case, keyboards coated to resist wear and an accelerometer that can tell when the device is dropped and will instruct the hard drive to shut down.