If you opt for one of the growing range of netbooks, one of the big decisions regards the hard drive: Do you go for solid state or a traditional spinning magnetic platter? SSDs don't necessarily improve battery life, but they do weigh less. They're also rather cramped: even the 16GB available on the top-of-the-line Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is too small for modern day use.
Dell's answer? Cloud computing. Dell has teamed up with Box.net, the online storage people, to offer 2GB free online storage, expandable (for pay) to 25GB. In itself, this is insignificant -- anybody can grab the free 2GB plan; Dell just puts a link on the desktop to make it a little easier. But taken with the news that Dell has packed a secret 3G card inside the Mini and it starts to make more sense.
Netbooks are all about portability, and therefore they don't always have a connection. Cloud computing is fine at home when you are always hooked up to the internet, but the usual complaints apply as soon as you go outside. But add a 3G connection and suddenly it makes sense. That Dell is actually planning to sell the Mini 9 through cellphone carriers as a subsidized product, just like a cellphone, further adds to the appeal.
The irony here is that the phone manufacturers have long been trying to pack computing features into their handsets, with Nokia going so far as to disown the name "cellphone" for its devices. Now, though, it looks like the old computer companies are about to muscle in on their turf. Maybe we'll start to see some Nokia branded netbooks, and some simple, call-only cellphones to go with them?
Dell Partners with Box.net for New Inspiron Mini 9 Notebook [Box.net Blog]
Product page [Box.net]
