By Joyce Kam
For the price of a new mobile phone, you could have a simple, lightweight laptop no bigger than a book, and which allows you to surf the Web wirelessly as you sip an espresso in a coffee shop. No wonder the netbook (a relatively new breed) is creating a buzz among computer users and the industry.

Also known as an ultraportable, and mini laptop, it belongs to a category of diminutive, cheaper, light weight notebooks optimized for internet access and basic computing functions such as word processing.

"It's a whole new market," says Ken Wong Kin-hang, Lenovo's vice president and general manager for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. "It's not like it's cannibalizing the notebook market. There is a new demand for small and cheap notebooks purely for leisure purposes."

Taiwan's Asus launched the latest Eee PC series in April this year for between HK$3,998 and HK$4,788, followed by Acer Aspire One in July for between HK$2,988 and HK$3,988. Lenovo's Ideapad Lite S9/S10 will be available this month for prices ranging from HK$2,899 to HK$4,799.

Asus Eee PC is the smallest with the longest battery life of 7.8 hours, while Lenovo's Ideapad has the biggest hard disk of 160 gigabytes. Most netbooks use low voltage microprocessors such as Intel's Atom, the chipmaker's smallest processor built for mobile devices.

Lenovo's Wong believes buyers see the netbook, as if it were a mobile phone. "Since it's so affordable, a lot of customers are buying them out of impulse."

He asserts tha
t Lenovo's after sales service is far-reaching. Having acquired IBM's comptuer division in 2005, Lenovo offers an international warranty, with service centers in 90 countries. "We guarantee to fix a your laptop in two hours, which implies enormous back-up support."

He adds that if a buyer were to lose a netbook within a year of purchase, Lenovo would offer a replacement for HK$1,000. "We want to offer a total ownership experience. We trust that no one will deliberately take advantage of our service as Hong Kong is a mature market," says Wong.

While Lenovo emphasizes after- sales service, Asus focuses on developing computers that customers want. "We listen to users' complaints and desires before developing new computers," says Hektor Tung, general manager of Asus Technology (Hong Kong). "This company culture is very important for maintaining our competitive edge."

The Taiwanese company is one of the pioneers in the netbook market. It first launched Eee PC in Taiwan last year, and the netbook became a hit. In October last year in Hong Kong, 500 Eee PC 701 netbooks (its first model), sold out in Hong Kong in 10 minutes.

Tung says the Eee PC was originally developed to target the younger and older customers, but business people were drawn to it as well.

The three Es in its name mean: Easy to learn, work, play; excellent internet experience and excellent on the go.

"Eee PC would be a series that we wish to expand," he says, adding that Asus is integrating more entertainment features such as built-in speakers to the netbook, and it is expected to be priced 20 percent more.

Tung estimates that more than 70,000 Eee PCs have been sold in Hong Kong, adding that sales could surpass 100,000 by the end of the year. "We hope to come up with the perfect netbook that is light, with long battery life, attractive outlook and easy-to-use interface."

Acer meanwhile, has upped the ante. Product manager Stephen Wong says that its latest netbook, Aspire One , targets high school students and office women and available at a competitive price. "Demand for netbooks is on the rise because of outdoor work and activities. Specially for students who just have enough pocket money to buy a netbook for outdoor use like searching information in a library."

He believes the exterior and "crystal brite" screen differentiate the netbook from its competitors. "We have four colors for users to choose from, allowing users to express their different lifestyle," he says.

Lenovo's Ideapad, however, is available in five colors.

Research firm International Data Corporation, predicts that the netbook category could grow from fewer than 500,000 last year to nine million in 2012, while Microsoft is offering Windows XP for netbook makers, although it discontinued the operating system this year.

SMALL WONDERS

Asus Eee PC series HK$3,998 to HK$4,788

Acer Aspire One HK$2,988 to HK$3,988

Lenovo Ideapad Lite S9/S10 HK$2,899 to HK$4,799
[Source]

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