I kind of resent the idea that devices like the N800 aren't selling as much because they don't have Windows on them. To a user there's really no difference between Linux and Windows on these handhelds. The problem with them is that they aren't that useful -- the only really functional tool of this sort is the Blackberry or similar smartphone. (The N800 is built for a minority market -- right-handed 20-something year old gadget freaks. I predict it will morph into something like the EEPc, its just a little small for many users but its a really nice device with a lot of possibilties.)
Those micro laptops are just the job for a myriad of uses -- home users who just read mail, visit websites and maybe listen to the radio, educational users who need a Ti-83 update or other classroom hardware or vertical market developers. Microsoft has realized that if it doesn't get on the band waggon then its going to get caught out so its going to need something that's got the Windows brand even if it is just knock-off of FreeBSD or something like that. Such a product would be useful even for the legacy desktop/laptop market (because, lets face it, clunky over sized, over powered and underused machines are definitely last year's technology).
What we're seeing is the next generation of personal computing appearing in front of our eyes. The 'one size fits all' general purpose PC is a nuisance, its had its day, the key to the future is true portability and connectivity. I can't wait -- I've seen the future and its definitely not Vista.
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Working Windows?
I kind of resent the idea that devices like the N800 aren't selling as much because they don't have Windows on them. To a user there's really no difference between Linux and Windows on these handhelds. The problem with them is that they aren't that useful -- the only really functional tool of this sort is the Blackberry or similar smartphone. (The N800 is built for a minority market -- right-handed 20-something year old gadget freaks. I predict it will morph into something like the EEPc, its just a little small for many users but its a really nice device with a lot of possibilties.)
Those micro laptops are just the job for a myriad of uses -- home users who just read mail, visit websites and maybe listen to the radio, educational users who need a Ti-83 update or other classroom hardware or vertical market developers. Microsoft has realized that if it doesn't get on the band waggon then its going to get caught out so its going to need something that's got the Windows brand even if it is just knock-off of FreeBSD or something like that. Such a product would be useful even for the legacy desktop/laptop market (because, lets face it, clunky over sized, over powered and underused machines are definitely last year's technology).
What we're seeing is the next generation of personal computing appearing in front of our eyes. The 'one size fits all' general purpose PC is a nuisance, its had its day, the key to the future is true portability and connectivity. I can't wait -- I've seen the future and its definitely not Vista.