If you look at the today’s netbook offerings, you will find three groups:

• Windows XP Home Edition
• Windows 7 Starter Edition
• Windows 7 Home Premium Edition (of which there are 32 and 64 bit flavors)

Why two different versions of Windows 7?  Price,  of course! 

To understand how this situation developed, here is a short history:

• In the beginning, all netbooks ran on Linux (which costs the manufacturer $0)
• Netbooks got really popular – Microsoft became alarmed
• Microsoft announced a special discount program for XP on netbooks, rumored to be about $25/copy
• Now, most netbooks run on Windows.
• XP’s development costs were already fully absorbed, so discounted price had no impact to Microsoft
• With Windows 7, Microsoft needs to make a profit
• Microsoft develops a crippled version of Windows 7 for netbooks – called “Starter Edition”
• Microsoft is betting that most users will buy an $80 upgrade to a non-crippled version
• Better yet, Microsoft hopes most netbook makers decide to load Windows Home Premium and pass the cost on the the consumer

What features did Microsoft remove from the Starter Edition?  Here is a partial list of some of the more significant shortcomings:

1. Aero Glass, meaning you can only use the “Windows Basic” or other opaque themes. It also means you do not get Taskbar Previews or Aero Peek.
2. Personalization features for changing desktop backgrounds, window colors, or sound schemes.
3. The ability to switch between users without having to log off.
4. Multi-monitor support.
5. DVD playback.
6. Windows Media Center for watching recorded TV or other media.
7. Remote Media Streaming for streaming your music, videos, and recorded TV from your home computer.
8. Domain support for business customers.
9. XP Mode for those that want the ability to run older Windows XP programs on Windows 7.

When Retrevo.com surveyed 1100 users  who were considering purchasing a netbook of these limitations, 56% stated they would not be happy with a netbook with Windows 7 Starter Edition.

Our recommendation is to be prepared to spend an extra $80 on the upgrade – or look seriously at netbooks configured with Windows 7 Home Premium Edition. 

For example, consider these two Acer netbooks.

The first is an Aspire One D250 in a rather standard netbook configuration loaded with Starter Edition.  Today’s best price is $334.99 (the widgets below are dynamic, so it might be different when you read this).

Acer Aspire One D250 10" N270 250GB 6-Cell Win7
	10.1" Display (1024x600), 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, 6-Cell Battery, Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition, 2.80 lbs.		Today's Best Deal Ruby Red $324.99 Go!
	Comes in: Diamond Black (AOD250-1842) - from $328.39 Ruby Red (AOD250-1383) - from $324.99 Sapphire Blue (AOD250-1197) - from $328.00 Seashell White (AOD250-1694) - from $327.95

The second is an Aspire AS1410, which could be considered a low-cost ultralight laptop.  It is packaged with Home Premium Edition.  Today’s best price is $422.99.

Acer Aspire AS1410 11.6" SU3500 250GB 6-Cell Win7
	11.6" Display (1366x768), 1.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Solo ULV SU3500 Processor, Intel GMA4500MHD, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Webcam, 802.11b/g/n, HDMI port, 6-Cell Battery, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 3.10 lbs.		Today's Best Deal Diamond Black $399.95 Go!
	Comes in: Diamond Black (AS1410-8804) - from $399.95 Sapphire Blue (AS1410-8373) - from $427.00

So, the Aspire AS1410 costs $88 more.  But if you purchase the Aspire One D250 and later upgrade the operating system, then the cost differential is only $8.

But look at all the extra features you get for the extra $8:

• bigger display
• bigger keyboard
• faster processor
• more power graphics support (HD-rated)
• extra gigabyte of RAM
• avoid the time and effort of upgrading Windows

I’d pay an extra $8 for those features any day!

For those of you who have already purchased a netbook with Windows 7 Starter Edition, I’d like to know: (a) are you happy? and (b) do you plan to upgrade?

For those of you who plan to purchase a netbook with Windows 7, I’d like to know whether you think you’ll be happy with Starter Edition.

Let me know what you think below.

Related posts:

1. Netbook Version of Windows 7
2. Intel Exec Speculates about Windows 7 on Netbooks
3. Is it better with Windows?

Earlier we reviewed Google Android as a netbook OS.  We also published tutorials on installing Android and Moblin on bootable USB memory sticks so that you can test these OSs without actually installing them on your hard drive.

Today I’m going to show you Moblin 2.0 Beta running on an Asus Eee PC 1008HA.

Booting Moblin

I decided to install Moblin 2.0 to the hard drive of the Asus Eee PC 1008HA to give the operating system a true run.  The boot time was about 45 seconds.  Not bad for a Linux based OS (note that I did not install the quick boot option).

Once I was booted into the Operating System I come right into the MyZone Screen.

Now you may notice that the MyZone main screen has a lot of information on it.  Once you configure your RSS feeds, Twitter Account, Etc… you will see that the right panel will display all the latest updates.

The middle pane shows all the latest media, web pages, and other similar items that you have recently viewed.  Last is the left pane which holds your calendar entries and current tasks.

MyZone gives you a quick and easy view of your mobile life right on the main screen.  This is a very nice feature of Moblin.

Exploring Moblin

Moblin is built on top of a Linux kernel. You can access the console through the Application Zone.

As you can see you will have access to all your typical Linux commands, and this will give you the capability to install any Linux-based applications as well as full capability to configure the system to your heart’s content.

You can access all of Moblin’s applications through the Application Zone.  In the picture below you will see the Zone Menu at the top of the screen.

You can navigate through all of the standard zones by moving your mouse across the tabs at the top of the screen.

Managing the Network

I found that managing your network connections was a snap in Moblin.  Clicking on the wireless icon on the top tool bar will open your network management application.

I simply clicked on my wireless network and added my WPA key.  This took seconds to connect up and start browsing the Internet.

Media

Mobin has your typical media player and picture viewer.

This beta version was missing a number of codecs.  I tried playing some divx, and wmv files and had no luck.

Moblin installed a sample video,  which played well on the Asus 1008HA (although it was a bit grainy).

Here is a picture of what the media library looks like.

Games

Now what would an Operating System be without some games to kill your free time.  Moblin has added a handful of games to make your idle time more enjoyable.  Here are a few pictures of the Frozen Bubble 2 game.

Summary

The Moblin user interface is simple and easy enough for any user to learn.  Gone are the spooky days when it took a real hacker to know how to even use Linux.

However, the Moblin OS is that is centered around the mobile user.  It does not attempt to be a comprehensive replacement for a typical laptop OS.

If you are looking for a full-blown Operating System that does everything  Windows XP or Windows 7 does then you will be disappointed.

Moblin is based around social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.  You will also find build in messengers like Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, and MSN Messenger.

Moblin is definitely aimed for your social butterflies.

The beta was noticably slow when running some applications.  The Internet Browser was also very slow when loading web pages.  I am sure that everything will be optimized before the production release.

Overall,  I’m impressed with Moblin.  I am happy to see something really different coming to the netbook world.  It will be very interesting to whether customers embrace Moblin when it is finally released.

What are your thoughts?  Will netbook buyers flock to an operating system focused on enhancing the social networking experience – or will they want their netbook to operate like a normal laptop?

Related posts:

1. Moblin v2.0 beta
2. Moblin recently updated the 2.0 Beta image for Netbooks
3. How to test Moblin from a USB stick

But the process of evaluating these new operating systems naturally leads to the fundamental question, “What do users expect from a netbook operating system?”  Or more succinctly, “What tasks will netbook users expect their OS to perform?”

I use mine as a second PC that I take with me when I travel.  At home, I have a desktop with two big flat screen monitors attached.

I use my netbook to maintain this web site, to read email, to tweet and  to post updates on my personal social networking pages.  Once in a blue moon, I may do some word processing or spreadsheet work.

I have some applications that I have installed on my netbook.  I have TweetDeck, GIMP (think PhotoShop for Linux), NetBeans, MySQL server, and a whole bunch of different browsers for testing (yes, even Internet Explorer 6 running on Linux).

I don’t ever listen to music on my netbook.  I use my iPod.  I do watch YouTube videos on occasion.  But I have never watched a movie on my netbook.  And I have never used the VGA port on any of my netbooks for anything.

I know that I am not the normal netbook user.

To get a better understanding of how people use their netbooks, we thought we would ask.  Please help us by completing the poll below.  You may select as many choices as you would like.

Please use the comments below to tell us about any ways that you use your netbook that we have not listed.

Related posts:

1. Netbook Market: What Is Coming Next?
2. Should I Buy Linux-Based Netbook?
3. Microsoft’s Netbook Quandry

However, there are others who would like to insert themselves into the mix and grab a portion of the market.

So, we decided to spend time this weekend exploring Moblin (initially developed by Intel), Android (from Google), Kubuntu (from Canonical) and Windows 7 (from Microsoft).  All of these are pre-production releases, so we expect some buginess.

Steve just posted an article on how to create a Live USB Stick to boot Moblin.

In this article, I do the same for Google’s Android.

Preparation

First off.  Please realize that Android was developed as a smart phone operating system.  Then some smart guys decided to load the OS on their Eee PC – and surprise, it actually worked.  Sort of.

Since then, there has been a lot of speculation that Google would expand and extend Android as a real netbook operating system.  Last month, Google suprised many people by announcing that they would be introducing a netbook operating system named Chrome OS.

Unfortunately, Chrome OS is not available to us.  But Android is – and many speculate that Chrome OS will simply be Android with some netbook extensions.  So we will take a look at Android.

The first thing we did was to make a bootable USB memory stick containing Android.  We thought you might like to experiment with Android as well, so here is how we did it.

All you need is a USB memory stick.  I used a 1 GB stick.  You can probably fit it on a 250MB stick.

Step 1.  Download the latest version from Google.

Go to the live-android download page at Google.  Download these two files:  liveandroidv0.2usb.iso.001 and liveandroidv0.2usb.iso.002.

Each of these files is about 90 MB.

Step 2. Join the two files

In Linux:

cat liveandroidv0.2usb.iso.001 liveandroidv0.2usb.iso.002 > liveandroidv0.2.iso

In Windows:

You will need to access the command line (Start Button -> Run -> CMD), then:

copy /b liveandroidv0.2.iso.001 +liveandroidv0.2.iso.002 liveandroidv0.2.iso

Step 3. Make the USB stick bootable

Whether you are using Linux or Windows, you will want to download and install UNetbootin.

Plug your USB stick in and fire up UNetbootin.

Screenshot of UNetbootin

Set the DiskImage field to the file you created in Step 2 above. Set the USB Drive to the one you just plugged in. Select OK.

Ready to Test

Now you just need to set the BIOS on your netbook so that it will boot from the USB stick and you are ready to go.

We will publish our results in a separate article once we have some time to evaluate it.

We also plan to shoot a video showing different netbooks running each of the OS’s mentioned above.  So stay tuned.

Related posts:

1. Acer to Release Android-Based Aspire One Next Quarter
2. First Android Netbook Alpha 680 priced at $250.00
3. Microsoft’s Netbook Quandry

This weekend, we are exploring Moblin (initially developed by Intel), Android (from Google), Kubuntu (from Canonical) and Windows 7 (from Microsoft).  All of these are pre-production releases, so we expect some buginess.

There has been some talk about Acer releasing a netbook with Moblin loaded on it.  So, first up is Moblin.

We wanted an easy way to test Moblin without installing it to your hard disk.  We thought you might like to know, too.  So here is how we did it.

Preparations

All you need is a 1 GB USB stick and a few minutes of your time.

There are a few things to keep in mind while testing Moblin on your netbook.

It is recommended that you have an Intel Atom N270 or N280 processor with the GMA950 chipset.  I’ve read that Moblin does not have support for the GMA500 chipset as of yet.

While it is possible to create a bootable CD, I would also recommend booting from USB instead.  I’ve done some testing with the Live CD an found it to be a very slow experience.

Steps to Create Live USB Stick

Here are the steps to create your own bootable USB key.  This takes about 5 minutes and you are good to go.

1. Download the latest Moblin release from Moblin.org

2. Download Win32DiskImager.exe

3. Unzip the file and extract the contents to a known directory

4. Run W32DiskImager.exe (See screenshot below)

5. Select the Moblin Image File

6. Select the drive letter that represents your USB key

7. Select the “Write” button to byte-copy the image to the USB stick.

8. Presto! You have a bootable USB stick.

9. Make sure you set your bios to boot from USB before you try and boot.

10. Boot Moblin from your USB stick and Presto!  You have Moblin available for testing.

I will make sure and post a video in the next day and share some of my experience using Moblin.

Just remember one thing while testing. This is a BETA release and does not represent the final release.

Related posts:

1. Moblin recently updated the 2.0 Beta image for Netbooks
2. Moblin v2.0 beta
3. Moblin 2.0 Review

Microsoft Logo

LinuxWorld noted that, in the 10-K just filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Microsoft acknowledges Linux as a competitor on the client side (which is a first) saying:

Client faces strong competition from well-established companies with differing approaches to the PC market. Competing commercial software products, including variants of Unix, are supplied by competitors such as Apple, Canonical, and Red Hat. Apple takes an integrated approach to the PC experience and has made inroads in share, particularly in the U.S. and in the consumer segment. The Linux operating system, which is also derived from Unix and is available without payment under a General Public License, has gained some acceptance, especially in emerging markets, as competitive pressures lead OEMs to reduce costs and new, lower-price PC form-factors gain adoption. Partners such as Hewlett-Packard and Intel have been actively working with alternative Linux-based operating systems.

Tux (Linux) Logo

And they confess that alternative platforms (specifically netbooks) are gaining in popularity and they name Google’s Android as a concern.

The Windows operating system also faces competition from alternative platforms and new devices that may reduce consumer demand for traditional PCs. Competitors such as Apple, Google, Mozilla, and Opera Software Company offer software that competes with the Internet Explorer Web browsing capabilities of Windows products. User and usage volumes on mobile devices are increasing around the world relative to the PC. OEMs have been working to make the Google Android mobile operating system more compatible with small form-factor PCs or netbooks.

Android Logo

I am really surprised.  It was just the other day that I said:

I am a big Linux advocate, however, I don’t think Google will be successful in capturing any significant market share.  Primarily, because people purchase netbooks with the intent on using them primarily as second computers.  They expect them to work and run the same applications as their primary computers do.

May be I was wrong.

Nah!  Couldn’t be…

Related posts:

1. Microsoft’s Netbook Quandry
2. Linux Exceeds 1% on Client – Woo Hoo!
3. Acer to Release Android-Based Aspire One Next Quarter

Windows 7

There is a lot of hubbub today about the Microsoft’s pricing plans for Windows 7 and the impact on the netbook market niche.

In a nutshell, Microsoft’s current plan is to have netbooks ship with a crippled version of Window 7 called the Starter Edition.  Then to charge $80 to upgrade to the Home Premium Edition.  With the typical purchase price of a netbook in the $300 – $400 range, this represent a 20% increase in the cost of a netbook.

To ensure that many netbook owners will be willing to fork over the the $80, Microsoft is crippling the Windows 7 Starter Edition by eliminating remote media streaming, changing desktop background and other “advanced” features.

Of course, netbook manufacturers can bypass all that by installing Windows 7 Home Premium at the factory.  As a result, the list prices will rise by $50 or so.

We forecasted all this back in June in our article “Netbook Market: What Is Coming Next?“, where we said:

Microsoft currently owns a near monopoly on netbook operating systems.  However, Microsoft has accomplished this by licensing Windows XP for nearly nothing for netbooks.

Google Chrome OS Logo

Microsoft wants to retire XP and move netbooks to the soon-to-be-introduced Windows 7.  They are still trying to develop a scheme to increase licensing fees for netbooks.  It appears that they will offer a somewhat crippled version of Windows 7 for netbooks – and entice netbook purchasers to upgrade.

Microsoft’s other strategy will be to severely limit the hardware on which the Netbook version of Windows 7 can be licensed.  This will force netbook makers to ship new models with more expensive versions of Windows 7.

While they are still making a boatload of money, Microsoft’s financial performance has been waning recently, and there is a lot of pressure for them to remedy the situation.

The wild card in all this is you and I!  How much will we be willing to pay?  Will we simply roll over and pay the new Microsoft tax?  Will we stop buying netbooks because the price is too high?

I expect that Google will take advantage of the situation by introducing an OS for netbooks.  Whether that is called Android or Chrome OS is irrelevant.  Google benefits if they can distract Microsoft and minimize their margins.

iPhone Applications

Both of these Google OS’s are built on Linux.  Netbook buyers have already voted (with their dollars) against Linux-based netbooks.  The real key is the inability to run Windows applications on Linux.  Google will attempt to circumvent that problem by copying the iPhone App Store concept.  They already have one for the Android OS called Android Market, but the applications here are better suited for cell phones.  I expect we will see a Chrome OS App Store offering netbook applications soon.

I am a big Linux advocate, however, I don’t think Google will be successful in capturing any significant market share.  Primarily, because people purchase netbooks with the intent on using them primarily as second computers.  They expect them to work and run the same applications as their primary computers do.

On the other hand, I think Google already knows this.  Success for them may be measured in whether they can force Microsoft to alter their plans and settle for lower Windows 7 revenue.  In that case, the end users (you and I) win as well.

Related posts:

1. How To Run Android On Your Netbook
2. Microsoft Blames Linux Netbooks for Revenue Miss
3. Android As A Netbook Operating System

You can download the new Mobin2.0 beta image for netbooks here. If you need help with how to use the image, Moblin has put a nice page together to help you load the live image from CD or USB.

I recommend USB, because it gives you a much faster experience compared to booting from a CD. This will give you a preview of the OS without actually having to install it to your hard drive.

I would be interested in hearing from you on what your thoughts are? Feel free to send us an email or comment back.

Related posts:

1. Moblin v2.0 beta
2. How to test Moblin from a USB stick
3. Moblin 2.0 Review

This week the developers behind Moblin have announced plans to enable Google Android applications to run on Moblin.

Giving Google Android applications the ability to run on Moblin will open up the Android app store to netbooks.  This will allow netbook users the ability to download and purchase Android Applications.

With the growing interest in Moblin and Android, it will be interesting to see how much of the netbook market is taken away from Microsoft.

Related posts:

1. Moblin v2.0 beta
2. How to test Moblin from a USB stick
3. Moblin recently updated the 2.0 Beta image for Netbooks

NVIDIA claims that the Tegra can play 25 days audio, 10 hours of 1080p video on a single charge.  This blows away the current netbook. 

The OS for the Tegra systems will be Android or Windows CE.  NVIDIA claims you can also dual boot the system if you like.   The Tegra 600 and Tegra 650 will come with Firefox as your browser.

The Tegra 600 will be able to play H.264 video at 720p and the Tegra 650 will be able to play 1080p.  

RAM will be limited on the systems with standard being 512MB and going as low as 256MB.  The best part about the Tegra 600 and 650 is they will be priced at under $200.00.

Check out the video below and check out the Tegra 600 and 650 for yourself.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QJ-ETt3kMk

Related posts:

1. Nvidia’s Netbook Vision
2. Asus Eee PC 1101HA gets unboxed
3. Psion/Intel Reportedly Settle Netbook Trademark Lawsuit