Entertainment & Entrepreneurship

Mercury News’ SiliconValley.com today ran a story suggesting a 65% growth in sales of netbooks this year. Frankly, had the economy been better, I would have expected sales in the 2X range from last year. Prices have fallen dramatically even as features have grown to make these new machines increasingly capable as a primary computer rather than merely a second machine.

The opinion piece by Brandon Bailey and Matt Nauman made an important connection to the potential for multiple operating systems on these machines. Of course, some ship with Windows and others with Linux, but the article speculated that HP might be exploring the potential for Google’s Android operating system. The small laptops might be an excellent place to extend these programs.

Personally, however, I’m rooting for Palm to enter this market with its Pre operating system. A package that includes a WebOS PDA phone and an 6x9 web device could redefine the market segment for Palm and for users who wish to connect these tools.

With a good book reader, automatic synchronization of files between the two devices and other features that tie the two machines together, the combination of a smart phone and its larger-screened companion might be the combination of devices that Palm has been trying to develop for years.