Many predict that the future of personal computing is Netbooks. Netbooks are a new breed of laptop computers primarily designed for web-browsing and email usage. They are smaller in size, well within the reach of the average consumer and can do almost anything that majority of PC users do on their desktops or laptops.

While it may still be too soon to predict the demise of the laptop PC in favor of Netbooks, the stars have aligned themselves very well to support the growing Netbook market.

The concept of netbook was made popular by Asus Eee PC which caused a whirlwind in the market since its release. The Eee PC has been a hit among the younger and well as the “on-the-go” crowds mainly due to its small, sleek, light-weight and ultra-portable nature.

The start for the netbook market has been harsh. Proprietory software, expensive hardware, low performance and design issues made it tough for netbooks to gain a wide acceptance among the crowds. Although most of these issues have been given attention by the manufacturers netbooks remain a good and viable alternative to traditional laptops for professionals who need to travel a lot.

One of the main dilemna of netbooks is that they don’t have big screens, comfortable & standard keyboards, power to run all your powerful software. But the trend is changing for the good.

The netbooks are light-weight making it very easy to carry them around. Due to their compact size they can provide longer battery backups which make it extremely convenient to use when you really need that extra hour of backup i.e. during conferences, meetings, places where electricity is hard to find. Some netbooks claim as much as 8 hours of backup!

The netbook market has become hot once again since the announcement of Google Chrome Operating System by Google a few days ago. It will be mainly targeted towards the netbook market and built upon the Linux kernel. Just like the Google Chrome web browser the Chrome OS will be fast, simple and secured which complement netbooks very well! With one of the most influential company backing up the netbooks it wouldn’t be co-incidence if we see the laptop market eaten up by netbooks. It is estimated that netbooks have already eaten up 20% laptop market share which is a pretty favorable number for the industry which is still in its infancy.

Another reason of netbooks proving to be hit is the cloud. More and more people are storing their pictures, music and documents on the web. Email, social networking, CRM and a whole lot of other services have made it big in the cloud. Want to create a document, a spreasheet or a presentation? No problem. Head to Google Docs or Zoho and you’ll be able to access it all using nothing but a web browser and internet connection. And this is the philosophy which netbooks have embraced. Because they don’t need heavy computing they can compromise on memory and drive down the costs within the reach of everyone.

All netbooks support WiFi wireless networking and many service providers provide data plans to bundle with the netbooks. A wide range of netbooks also support dialup as well as Ethernet ports to connect to the internet.

Why you should consider buying a netbook?

Netbooks have come a very long way and are almost as capable as PCs and laptops that seemed high-end a couple of years ago. 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive, around 3 pounds in weight and a 5-inch to 10-inch screen is what a typical netbook looks like. If you ask me, thats pretty good computer configuration to get started with.

It is perfect if you’re a student and don’t want to carry a lot of weight around the campus. Netbooks have upto 8 hours battery backup so you wouldn’t need to get up from the peaceful campus location you just found out!

Netbooks are also a perfect choice if you want to use your computer to check emails and weather while on business or travelling. Some netbooks have also started to include a built-in 3G modems so you can use internet even if you don’t have a Wi-Fi hotspot near you!