TechTalk: Netbooks

Computer categories used to be straightforward: A desktop sits on your desk; a laptop can sit on your lap (although men might want to keep it on their desks). So what’s with this relative newcomer, the “netbook”? It’s gaining in popularity, so you’ve probably seen them in coffee shops, airports, electronic store circulars, or on this blog.

Netbooks are essentially downsized laptops. Ultra-portable, a netbook is about the size of a hardcover book and weighs only 2 to 3 pounds. They’re extremely basic, designed mainly for Internet use and light word processing, with small screens and keyboards and no built-in optical CD/DVD drive. Because they’re so simple, netbooks are inexpensive, usually not more that $400.

Netbooks have become so popular that ConsumerReports.org has just posted its first ever batch of Netbooks Ratings (available to subscribers). See how several of these super-lightweight computers tested for performance speed, portability, display, and ergonomics—a particularly important category given netbooks’ condensed size.

What's in a name? In this case, several lawsuits. The term “netbook” has generated its share of legal wrangling. The company Psion Teklogix, registered owner of the trademark “netbook” since 1996 (according to Psion) has sought to force manufacturers to re-brand their mini-laptops with a different descriptive name. The cease-and-desist letters prompted a lawsuit from Intel and Dell and, not long after, a countersuit by Psion.

Psion opponents at SaveTheNetbooks.com argue that requiring the electronics industry to find a new name for netbooks “could raise prices, cause confusion and ultimately limit consumer choice.”

What say you? Does Psion have a legitimate claim, or has it let the netbook brand slip irrevocably out of its control? (Intellectual property lawyers, this is your time to shine.) — Nick K. Mandle