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(Credit: Dan Ackerman/CNET)

While it may not have the same buzz as a new iPhone, Google's announcement of a new computer operating system based on its Chrome Web browser, has certainly set tongues wagging across the Interwebs. It certainly has many of the hallmarks of a hot news story--the bitter fight between Microsoft and Google; the rise of low-cost, low-power computing in Netbooks; free vs. paid software.

But while we're always in favor of more consumer choice and potentially lower prices, it's not quite time for Microsoft to worry about losing its firm hold on the Netbook market.

Microsoft's Windows XP is currently on 96 percent of Netbooks sold in the U.S. by some estimates (up from less than 10 percent in early 2008). When the similar idea of Netbooks running Google's Android operating system was discussed back in April, we said:

The very first Netbooks ran Linux operating systems, usually with a custom front-end to give users easy access to a Web browser and other frequently used apps. But as well-intentioned as that plan was, it wasn't until PC makers added the already archaic Windows XP operating system that the Netbook craze took off.

It wasn't that XP was the perfect solution for small screens and low-power CPUs--it's that consumers searching for a simple, low-cost second or travel laptop value ease of use over almost anything else. XP benefits from looking and feeling familiar to most users.

What we said then is just as true now, even if the OS is called Chrome and built specifically for PCs, rather than the smartphone-based Android. ... Read more

It feels like we just rounded up all the latest Netbooks a couple of months ago, but there are already enough new models out to do it all over again. This time around, we're seeing some new players in the market (Toshiba, Fujitsu), as well as some new takes on the genre from old hands (Asus, HP).

Trends we're seeing include thinner systems, bigger keyboards, and a push in toward lower prices. The HP Mini 110 and Acer Aspire One are $329 and $299, respectively, while the average price of a similar Netbook was around $499 late last year, falling to $399 in the past six months.

Later in 2009, we expect to see a new generation of Netbooks that will attempt to add some lift to falling prices by adding features such as high-resolution screens and dedicated graphics processors.

Click through to see a half-dozen of the newest Netbooks for Summer 2009. ... Read more

With no sign of abatement in sight, recession-addled consumers continue to flock towards the small, low-cost, low-power laptops called Netbooks. According to IDC, Netbooks went from essentially zero to a full 8 percent of the portable computing market in 2008, making this a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy economy for PC makers.

Typically, a Netbook means a 10-inch display, Intel's Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, Windows XP, and a 160GB hard drive--but those lines are clearly beginning to blur. Some of the Netbooks in this roundup include new CPUs from AMD and Via, or larger displays (that some would say disqualifies them from being Netbooks at all--a position we can't say we fully disagree with).

And beyond these current models, we have several potentially interesting new Netbooks on the horizon, including Dell's Mini 10v, which intends to bludgeon the competition with a $299 starting price; and Asus' Eee PC 1008HA, which reinvents that popular line with a slim, upscale design.

See our reviews of all the latest Netbooks after the break.

Archos, a popular maker of Portable Media Players and Mobile Internet Devices, is joining the Netbook fray by releasing one of its own.

Earlier this week, the company announced the availability of its new 10-inch Netbook on its online store. The Netbook was originally slated for release in April, but because it was announced at CES in January, I guess the company felt ready for prime time. Finally, Archos is said to be working on several new versions based on Intel's Moorestown platform, which will replace Intel's current Netbook and MID platform sometime in 2010.

(Credit: Archos)

For now, let's take a quick look at the specs of the Archos 10, which will sound awfully familiar, especially to those people who've either purchased a Netbook or done some research on getting one.

• Microsoft Windows XP Home edition
• Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz Processor
• 160 GB hard drive
• 1GB DDR2 RAM
• Multi-card reader slot, Wi-Fi, and 3G USB ready
• 3 USB ports
• 10.2-inch WXGA screen at 1024x600 resolution

The Archos 10-inch Netbook is now available for purchase for $399 with the standard three-cell battery, or for $449 with the extended six-cell battery.

Economy in shambles? Cutting back on expenses? Then a Netbook might be just the thing you need to round out that holiday shopping list. After all, for around $500 (or less), you can give someone the gift of Internet access, e-mail, word processing, music playback, and even online video streaming -- Netbooks do all of these things fairly well.

In this video, we check out the pluses and minuses of the most important Netbooks to arrive since our last Netbook roundup, including the Dell Inspiron Mini 9, the Lenovo S10, the Samsung NC10, the HP Mini 1000, and the Asus N10J.

(Credit: Michelle Thatcher)

After months of rumors, Samsung has finally made it official: The company will be bringing its NC10 Netbook to the United States.

The 2.8-pound minilaptop's white case toes the design line established by the Asus Eee PC, Acer Aspire One, and others. So it's no surprise that the NC10's configuration is fairly typical as well, with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of 800MHz RAM (upgradeable to 2GB), and Windows XP, plus a large, 160GB hard drive. (With computers as with apartments, a lot of storage is always welcome.) The 10.2-inch screen features the expected 1,024x600-pixel resolution. Connection options include 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and integrated Bluetooth. Around the case there are a 1.3-megapixel Webcam, VGA-out, Ethernet, three USB 2.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks, and a 3-in-1 memory card reader.

Of particular interest is the NC10's six-cell battery, which we'd expect to last 5 hours or more (according to the company, it will provide up to 8 hours of battery life). We're also curious to spend more time with the Netbook's keyboard, which is 89 percent of full size. On most Netbooks, the keyboard feels cramped at first but eventually seems workable for pounding out a few e-mails at the coffee shop.

At $499, the Samsung NC10 is priced on the high end for a Netbook, though not quite as costly as the similarly configured Lenovo IdeaPad S10. The Samsung NC10 will be available by mid-November at such online retailers as NewEgg, Buy.com, CDW, and Amazon.

Sigh. We were growing weary of all this little-laptop news as early as March. Little did we know that the Eee PC, Classmate PC, and HTC Shift were only the tip of the iceberg. This week's headlines were dominated by news from the show floor at Computex 2008 in Taipei.

Asus introduced its 8.9-inch Eee PC 901 and 10-inch Eee PC 1000. Acer launched its low-cost mini-laptop, the Aspire One; our awesome colleagues at CNET UK paid the little guy a visit and shared a series of Aspire One photos. The $399 MSI Wind got a platform (Intel Atom) and a ship date (June 16).

First International Computer, parent company to U.S.-based Everex, announced a new mini-notebook that can be ordered with either an Intel Atom or a Via C7-M processor. And Qualcomm introduced a 3G Linux mini-laptop. Even Sony is rumored to be eyeing the little-laptop space: apparently the company is planning to build a model based on Via's OpenBook Mini-Note reference design.

If the thought of reading all those posts is too overwhelming, take a look at our photos of Intel's Atom chips and several Netbook models that were on display at Computex.

What's going inside of all those tiny cases? Well, Intel's pushing out Atom CPUs to meet the new and growing demand, prompting AMD to point out that there are already a raft of Netbook-like products in the market using AMD chips. Also, WiMax is coming to at least one small fry: rumors of a WiMax-equipped Eee PC were confirmed when Asus officially shared its WiMax plans.

The sudden onslaught of low-priced mini-notebooks has at least one blogger wondering why ultraportable laptops have traditionally been so expensive.

In (ahem) bigger news, AMD/ATI showed off the new Mobility Radeon HD 3800 laptop graphics, while competitor Nvidia broke out its mobile GeForce 9M Series GPUs. Intel showed off an Asus laptop built on its delayed Centrino 2 platform. Asus, for its part, unveiled the G70 gaming laptop and showcased a prototype laptop with a swiveling projector where the Webcam would have been.

Also worth reading: we may soon be seeing laptops with 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch displays; PC Magazine debates the merits of low-cost laptops; we drooled over some ultra-luxury laptops from Singulum; and we found a way to make our MacBook Air a little uglier (thank goodness).

Finally, the MacBook Air is proving to be a foodie's dream computer: Rahul Sood, now the chief technology officer of HP's Global Gaming Business, celebrated his birthday by cutting a cake--using a MacBook Air as a knife.

(Credit: Acer)

At Computex 2008 in Taipei, the biggest buzz is about the developing new market for mini-laptops, sub-notebooks, "netbooks"
--whatever you want to call them. They're smaller than traditional laptops but larger than PDAs. Tech hearts are also going "buh-boom" over the revolutionary new chips running these tiny PCs of joy. To see what's being shown off at the international trade show, click here.