Beam me a new one!

Sorry for the long absence. You know, life gets in the way... no time... yadda, yadda.

I'm tip-tapping away right now from my room at The Scarlet in Singapore after a long day at Nokia Connection 2009 (disclosure: that's my day job - public relations consulting for Nokia amongst other clients). Naturally, being surrounded by journalists, bloggers and other intelligent people from the mobile industry leads to a whole lot of discussion about mobile devices and where its all heading.

Of course, what most people were most excited about were mobile apps.


A thought struck me. Have we come a full circle? What could really be a killer app today is what was a killer app more than a decade ago - beaming!

Let me explain. In the mid-90s, when a phone was still a monochrome block that made voice calls and sent SMSes, Palm ruled the roost in a category called the PDA. I remember reading a report at one point that the Palm OS had some 300,000 applications in existence. Like today's application scene, most were pointless apps that let you read random quotes from Star Wars, display a Beer picture, and much much more.

But the beauty of the 90s scenario was this - one Palm device could easily beam across any application (as long as the developer didn't lock it) to another via infrared. Want this cool freeware game? *ZAP* its yours. Want my Yoda application? *ZAP* its yours.

Beaming made sharing and spreading applications easy peasy and fun to boot. On a macro scale, this meant popular (though often pointless) apps could spread "virally" through super-distribution.

So what if we brought beaming back today? Would it work?

Beaming would lead to piracy. Not every developer will want his application freely beamed. There's always the option to lock apps. In any case, people who really want to pirate an app would find a way to do it anyway.

There's nothing to lose to let a free app be beamed. In fact, there's massive opportunity. Developers could make money thru ads within the app and a larger distribution means more revenue. Brands could easily "viral" good marketing apps (think iBeer).

IRDA is not commonly found on phones and Bluetooth leaves me open to viruses. Leaving Bluetooth on all the time does pose a security risk and its really annoying to keep rejecting requests to receive a virus application. But wait, new technology is on the horizon like Near Field Communication (NFC) and similar technology could be the new IRDA allowing short-range transmission of apps from one device to another.

So there you have it - my argument for beaming. Now, I know there'll be differing opinions, but I'm thinking, with mobile apps coming to the forefront again, maybe it's time to bring back the ability to share fun apps we love with one another. Let's hope some manufacturers are listening.

Necessary Geek Gear: BlueTooth Headsets FTW

I'm an avid podcast listener because I like getting information as I walk around. But for the longest time, one of my biggest gripes has been about the long wires of my headphones getting stuck on "stuff" as I walk past them.

Door handles. Railings. Spiny, sticking-out, stuff. Hooks. Hangers. Get the wire snatched onto any one of the them things and you're in for something ugly.

So I had a simple mission. Get rid of the wires. And I started asking around my geek friends for some leads to the best kind of bluetooth headsets, and Erna kindly loaned me her Sony DR-BT21G (see dodgy picture below)



After 4 hours of podcast listening, I'm calling bluetooth headsets a must-have for absent-minded podcast listeners like me. However, there are some niggles with the Sony pair.

• I like the look and packaging. For starters, it's a sleek little bundle that folds up nicely when you aren't using it. The colour appeals to me and the button layout makes sense.
• The fit is snug, and while these aren't buds like that Motorola S9, I don't feel like they are about to fall off either. Also, the rounded earpieces rest very comfortably against my ear.
• Sound-quality is about average. But if you're an audiophile in the first place, you'd be wired up. For podcast listening, I find A2DP adequate and clear enough. I did experience some wierd skipping though, but only when the phone is in my pants pocket so I'm wondering if its more a function of where I put the phone. I'll need to do more extensive testing to figure out.
• There's a built-in Mic too on the Sony DR-BT21G so it can field calls no problemo which I think is a huge bonus. Plus the Mic fits in nicely with the headphones and still sounds fine (to my wife, at least) means I look like I'm just wearing a headset.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased. Now to find out what I've got to give up (hopefully not my arms of legs) to Erna in order to keep the headset. Edit: It's mine now. We worked out a deal. Muahahahahahaha!!!!! Thanks Erna!

Twitter bursts to life in Malaysia?

Did anyone else notice the sudden spike of Malaysian activity on Twitter in these past 2 months?

I've been on the service nearly more than a year and I think I must've seen double the activity on Twitter in just this very short period of time. And I don't think it's just down to Ashton Kutcher vs CNN. Or Oprah.

Last month, there was KL Tweetup [pictures -thanks bytebot / videos - thanks CarolynChan]. And in the space of the month, at least one more KL Tweetup and a couple more smaller tweetupKLs have happened. Then there was yesterday's #twtkl initiated by AvrilChan. Nineteen people showed up to an event that was organised in the space of 40 hours (more or less).

So have we reached a critical mass? The point where the numbers add up and there's enough people for us to follow, and are local enough for us to relate to and discuss locally relevant topics? As much as the preaching goes around that the world is global, there's no doubt with Social Networks local plays a bigger role.

You join a network because your closest friends are on it. That's why Friendster is / was big in Southeast Asia but not the world.

I'm finding Twitter takes on a whole new dimension when you can discuss Malaysian things with Malaysian people. I'm loving the fact that I can ask a totally Malaysian question and get 10 or so responses from Malaysians in a jiffy.

So here's the deal, if you're Malaysian and you're on Twitter, add me (at @davidlian) and I'll follow you back too, ok? Promise.*

PS. I'm also thinking of collating and setting up some sort of directory of Malaysian Tweeters. What do you think? Too invasive of privacy? We could have it as opt-in. Feedback? Edit: Thanks to @derekw. Just use WeFollow.

*Please note, above deal does not apply to people who have "success, money, business owner, network marketing, financial freedom" in their twitter profiles.

The post about Barcamp KL 2009

Spent Saturday morning at Barcamp KL 2009 and though I only spent half a day, listening to four sessions, I have to say, it was probably the most fun conference I've attended. Way better than the one I attended last year. Kudos Daniel Tan and Daniel Cerventus!

Quickly, off the top of my head, just the top things I loved about barcamp:
1. Meeting other geeks!
2. The talks - some hilarious, some insightful, some flame-worthy and all a great deal of "time well spent".
3. Breakfast! *note to organising team: The hearty breakfast was absolutely smashing!
4. Debates: Along with meeting people, the inevitable sharing of views and debating was enlightening. Truly, some of Malaysia's best tech minds attend barcamp.
5. The fact that you can be you, and everyone's a peer: I missed the dance lessons, but hey, not all conferences have to be stuffy.

For more BarcampKL 2009 coverage:

Here's an excellent video by TheBackpackr which captures the essence of Barcamp KL 2009:



If you want to catch up on all the tweets that were made at BarcampKL, click thru here.

I also guested @mikefoong's TheITChannel Podcast to share my experience at Barcamp, check that out here.

Bytebot's presentation and associated blog posting on: Behind the scenes: Advertising and PR, Bloggers and Integrity: Making Money, While Being Honest

Random videos of talks and happenings by TheChannelC on Qik.

Reports on Barcamp KL 2009 I've found:
Bernard Leong.
Demonick.
TheBackpackr.

New MALAYSIAN tech podcast for my ears...

I've confessed previously what a big fan of podcasting I am. In fact, podcasts have replaced the radio completely for me.

What I've been looking forward to though is for a truly local tech podcast to break through and set the ball rolling in Malaysia. Murmurings at KLTweetup seemed to indicate that more than one large tech personality in Malaysia was looking into it and then on Monday, I discovered TheITChannel.



Hosted by @mikefoong and @andrewkjs (and supposedly, in future episodes @thechannelc) of Twitter fame, the inaugral episode covers Earth Hour, Maxis iPhone launch and DiGi's Broadband launch - all from a really local tech-head viewpoint. It's a great listen and the hosts are suitably Malaysian (not at all pretentious with western accents). I think it'll stay on my podcast list for a while.

Meantime, I'm also looking forward to ByteBot's podcast when that comes around. It's starting to looks like it's going to be the year Malaysian podcasting takes off.

Just common sense: your customers have brains too.

The golden rule for communications /PR/ customer service / anything related in this day and age has got to be: "Treat your customers with respect. They have brains." Simple thought, really, if you bother to think about it, but something I see lacking in many companies.

The latest in this trend has got to be AirAsia. See this post by KY. To avoid bad publicity, all AirAsia would have to do is act with a little intelligence and not let two people, who purchased their tickets together, with the same credit card (I'm told), checked in at the same time - be seated in different rows! What's worse is the cool, calm, collected "No" the customer service lady gives when asked if they could be seated together. Seating, apparently, is randomised.

Oh, there's more. For RM 25 a person, you could select "Hot Seats" and then you can sit together.


Given the facts, what do you, my dear thinking reader, make of AirAsia's intents?

Let me be very clear, AirAsia isn't the only company treating their customers this way. Too many other companies are. And it isn't one department's fault all the time either. Sometimes its a business decision. Sometimes, it's over-marketing. Sometimes, it's customer service treating you like an idiot ("Sir, could you please reset your modem?").

The truth is, customers aren't brain-dead. In fact, the most attractive customers, that fabled PEMB group that every client briefs you as the target audience, are savvy, thinking individuals.

They'll see through a thinly-veiled ploy to make more money. At the same time, they'll respect you giving them deep, honest, factual and frank answers and explanations. It's not like this is an overnight trend (well, I guess it is given education and literacy rates are much higher than 50 years back), but the big point is that today, just about every dissatisfied customer has a megaphone.

That's what social media is. Make the mistake of insulting their intelligence and they'll post on blogs. Grumble on forums. And tell all their friends on Facebook about your company's boo-boo. It just takes that one spark of influence to get the ball rolling down the hill.

In short, if you're planning on making a business decision, embark on a new marketing campaign or something of that sort today, please give a thought about what your customers might think of it. Don't delude yourself that your customers don't think (enough).

Is Facebook Notes the new blog?

Just in case you're a smart-aleck about grammar, I'm referring to "Facebook Notes" the application, it's a noun, so "is" is technically correct. Ok?

Did you get that "25 random things" meme on Facebook? Any of your friends tag you in a "Note" they wrote, but when you clicked through it read more like a blog post and your name wasn't even in the post?

If you answered "yes" and "yes", then spare a moment to think with me for a bit whether Facebook Notes is starting to replace blogging. The dynamic is different, but in essence, the content are the same.

With Notes, you're sending it to your audience (friends you know) by tagging them and giving them a little more impetus to click and read (or immediately close, when they see the wordcount) your posts.

On your blog, sometimes even your best friend doesn't read. And really, it just boils down to us wanting people to read our thoughts, doesn't it?

Based on some numbers I took the time to collate, I've been tagged about 26 times the past one month on "Notes" that didn't mention my name and were longer than 200 characters and read more like blogposts. Compared to just 8 three months ago. Small numbers, yes, but it does tell me the trend is picking up.

Of course, the differences are stark. Facebook is private, and (as far as I know) you can't search Notes using search engines. Blogs, however, are generally public.

With Facebook, you can "prompt" people you know to read your posts by "tagging" them to the story. On a blog, it's either your reader subscribes to your RSS feed or you can spam them with email.

Facebook supports mechanisms like "Liking" the article, comments etc. Blogs support comments and whatever widget you can throw at it.

I guess the big difference is that with Facebook, you're reaching out to your audience, a bunch of people you know already in some measure. With a blog, you can build an audience, but you'll never really know who else is reading your blog.

*Mourns the death of Palm OS

Palm CEO Ed Colligan announced the death of the Palm OS last week. I couldn't help but shed a tear. The Palm OS has had a lasting impact on me. I'll never write the letter 'E' properly ever again thanks to my seven or so years using Palm's Graffiti and Graffiti 2 handwriting method.



The world's abuzz with touchscreen phones today, and it'd be a shame not to credit at least some of this to Palm's venerable OS. From the simple grid based icon layout to third-party apps, all these trends have their roots in the venerable Palm 3.x OS and every generation after that.

Third-party apps
The third-party apps thing is probably the biggest. Way before Apple had an AppStore, hundreds of thousands of crazy Palm OS users were busy adding fun but ultimately useless apps to their Palm devices. One of my favourites was Yoda - a simple app where an animated Yoda spouted tidbits of Jedi wisdom. "There is no try, do or do not."

There was also that calendaring application. The note application. The list application. That campy 3D RPG game in black and white (Dragon's Breath I think it was called). And the Gameboy emulator. Don't forget the MemManager that helped you maximise your RAM and the nifty SimCity 2000 port too!

If you ever needed an app, there were millions (number exaggerated, but you get the point) to choose from.

Accelerometer Games
Few people might know this, but one of the coolest things people did with their Palm devices was to slap an accelerometer mod on and play games with them. Yups, I remember the tricky ball game I played where you had to tilt the device to guide the ball where you wanted it to go. Just can't remember the name.

Grid Icon Layout / interface
Couple of years after Palm got the early lead out of the door, Windows CE (as it was called then) came out and introduced the taskbar to the mobile PDA. Today, every mobile computing platform is using the grid layout, even the one that's got a taskbar still. I'm so glad Palm won that battle.

So, even as we bid goodbye to our dear friend the Palm OS, I'd like to record a little thank you and say - hey, it was great to have you around.

Next post, I'll post a couple of pics and my brief history with Palm devices.

Malaysia's most avid mobile data user?

Ladies and gentlemen, I've an announcement to make... I've reached the big 10.

That's right, just 4 months after starting to use my Nokia N96, the data packet indicator has now rolled over to a whopping 10 Gigabytes of downloaded data over the course of those 4 months.

See for yourself:



Personally, I attribute all this to the huge amount of podcast listening I do, web-surfing and of course, online-gaming on N-Gage (you have to love Reset Generation). Now, I wonder if these numbers are the reason why I've been getting relatively lousy service on my 3G connection recently?

New Yahoo! CEO suspects too much

I think I may have learned a new line for those long Q&As I occassionally have to write as part of the job.

Carol Bartz when introduced as the new Yahoo! CEO today said (and I predict these words will come back to famously haunt her):

"I suspect I have the brainpower to understand media. I also suspect there are people here that can help jump-start my education."

That's right. "I suspect". Almost as good as last year's quote of the year: "looks like me, sounds like me." Somewhere between saying "I don't really know what I'm getting into" without admitting that "I'm possibly out of my league."

I've always liked Yahoo! as a company. I make it a point to search with Yahoo! almost as often as I search with Google - if only to equally contribute to both company's coffers with my eyeball. However, Ms. Bartz's reply to the journalist's question does not my confidence invoke.

Yahoo!'s not really in bad shape. It's still got a huge share of eyeballs and a couple of really top notch properties (like Flickr) and services (like Delicious). And Yahoo! Pipes is amazing too.

What the company needs is a gameplan. Something to tie everything together and make people love the company again. And I suspect that suspecting will not be good enough. It's time to deal with the facts and the reality of the situation, and get the game going, Yahoo!

Are Malaysians really all that "online"?

The New Straits Times published a survey by Nielsen that quoted impressive figures such as "85% (of Malaysians) got on their computers compared to 77% who turned on their TV".

The immediate reaction any internet-evangelist (like me) would get would be - "Wow! Internet's taking off for real."

Source: New Straits Times, 8 Jan 2009

Until you read further on down and discover that the source for the analysis and numbers is an "online survey, conducted last September."

I feel a little cheated by the headline and nifty graphics now. We've not turned the curve of technology and web-savviness. With a broadband penetration of just 18% (same article) how representative is this 500 people who went online and clicked through the survey? I'm willing to wager that we still have way more TV watchers than netizens. Anyone wanna run that survey?

Random things about 2009

Let me tell you the truth - I started writing this post about three days ago and over the past three days, it's morphed from "top ten tech things in 2009" to "10 things I want in 2009" to "[insert random topic here] in 2009."

Yes, I've lined myself up right behind the 2009 post bandwagon. But not fully. I'm going to keep my list random with no set topic and no set numbers. How's that?

1. Expanding ministries and new responsibilities
It's a really exciting time for me personally at PetraYouthProductions. It's been 15 years since I grew up in this youth work and now, at my age, I'm seeing youths coming through the programme just like me. I like this year's theme: IGNITE, simply because it tells us that we're on the cusp of something awesome. The moment. And I think there'll be more than once that I'll look at the verse we chose this year: "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13.

2. A brand new timekeeper.
My Swatch died on me ironically 5 minutes to midnight on New Year's Eve and for two days, I was looking at my wrist blankly. The replacement: a Tissot PR50. It's a pretty cheap watch too.

This is my first man watch. Yes, I'll admit, Swatch is kiddy, despite my ardent arguments the other way in year's past. Wearing this new timekeeper makes me feel all grown up. Is the new year really making me grow up?



3. Exciting times this year in the job
The PR industry is going to change big time this year. You might read some pretty good opinions here, here and here. The great thing, reading this as someone who's not based in the US, is that a lot of these sentiments reflect what's going on in the US but not necessarily Asia. Take Malaysia for example, we're looking at a media scene that's fast embracing online media, urban youth embracing social media, but at the same time, facing a big disconnect between the rural and the urban where rural people don't have internet access (nor do they want it).

That's a communications challenge. And the fact that only 15% of Malaysians have internet connections (and much fewer on broadband) points to the fact that social media will develop in a much different way than in the more matured western markets.

But I've got another point to make. This low internet connection rate has not stopped Malaysia from being one of the biggest blogging nations in this region. And I'll be one of the first to tell you that we do have a very active blogosphere that's worth communicating with. But I'll also tell you that the rules in our blogospheres are different from the ones in other markets.

Imported wisdom will only go so far, and I'd like to think there's still a lot of moulding that will take place in the Malaysian blogosphere before communications gets formalised in this space. The expectations you had working in the US, might not ring true in this local arena.

4. Stable internet, please.
You might have read my public whining on the NST this past Monday. I did not overstate it. I've simply felt that in 2008, both wireless (3G) and wired (Streamyx) internet connections have been a let down in Malaysia. If there's one tech wish I have it'll just be to get good, stable internet and better speeds.

We were promised Fibre-to-the-Home roll-outs in 2008 but that did not materialise. Well, try again this year, please.

5. Move into my new home?
Some of you might have heard of my home-building woes. I had intended to move in sometime in 2008. That didn't happen. I'm hoping it'll happen in 2009. Oh, and the early part of 2009. Please.

So there you have it. A random list of random things that matter to me in 2009. Happy New Year.

PS. Oh yeah, Robb, I want to watch 'The Rise of the Lycans starts Jan 09' can?

Want to buy my 'used' MP3s?

You don't know it yet, but here's a possible game-changing story you should read.

Years ago, I remember following a friend into a local used CD store. I remember looking carefully to see if the CDs had any fine scratches or little chips. I made sure I would only choose those CDs that had album covers and inserts intact and in good condition.

Now I'm wondering how closely people will look at my used MP3s when I decide to sell them. Or can I even (legally)? I mean, if you can sell a book or a CD second-hand, you can sell an MP3 right?

More than turning a profit, I think this is really what Bopaboo is trying to explore. "Let's push the law and see how far we'll go" seems to be the mentality.

And I'm all for it. I mean, eventually "digital property" will need to be defined, and right of first-sale is one of those issues that's getting fuzzier with every MP3 track released. So while I'm probably not going to count thru my MP3 collection and put them up for sale at Bopaboo, I'll be watching closely for the (non) action in court to see how this case pans out.

You are your DNS

A story on Jon Udell's blog interested me a couple weeks back. It was about the concept of having your personal information stored on DNS (Domain Name System - e.g. "google.com")

The base idea is that your DNS like "davidlian.com" for example, can be the repository for your contact information. So, instead of dialing my mobile number, you can input "davidlian.com" and press call.

This doesn't change your contact information. My mobile number is still my mobile number. My email is still my email. But the DNS centralises all these pieces of contact information.

Taking this a step further, what I'd like to see is context aware applications and data-entry fields that can detect what you're trying to do. So if I key in "davidlian.com" on my mobile number, it will dial me on my mobile. If I key in "davidlian.com" in an email field, it will send me an email. If I enter "davidlian.com" on my web browser, it brings me to my webpage.

So to get in touch with me, all you'd have to do is remember "davidlian.com".

Of course, as simple and intuitive as it sounds, I think there will be challenges to privacy and security. Arguably, you can already find almost anyone connected to the internet via Google or Yahoo; but the ease of just entering someone's DNS and instantly reaching them reveals a whole new level of privacy and security concerns.

Still, I like the sound of this concept and I think if worked on, it could well be something for the future.

So I had to blog about the Nokia N97...

This may not be the most un-biased opinion ever, but can I just say this is the mobile device I am most looking forward to in 2009? As always, disclosure: I do PR work for Nokia but nothing I post on this is related to work. Just personal opinions.

Specs are, officially, 

• 3.5 inch nHD screen]
  
• 32GB internal memory, expandable to 48 GB
• Touch Screen, with Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
• 5 Megapixel Carl Zeiss camera
• 3.5G, HSPA, EDGE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios
• Built in GPS and accelerometer
• N-Gage compatible

What I think was more important was the interface design and functionality of the device. The ability to add feeds and widgets is not something totally new (yes, I've seen it on those Windows Mobile devices) but the functionality seems design of the interface seems much more integrated. Still, the best of the Nokia N97 only comes out when the device is connected to the internet all the time. I see Malaysians getting there (using internet on their mobiles) but I don't think 2009 is the break through year.

So, what do you think?

Links to friends who had thoughts:

RovinGeek

No, we do not need a blogging code of ethics

So over the weekend, our Home Minister Datuk  Seri Syed Hamid Albar started the conversation going again: Do we need a blogging code of ethics?

The feeling I get is "here we go again." We've been talking about ethics, policing of the blogosphere and freedom of speech for years.

Personally, I'm all for ethical blogging. Bloggers need to be responsible for what they write - and most responsible bloggers should be. However, I also think that to just bundle everyone with a blog up into a group that needs to be governed by a "code of ethics" (and we don't yet know which institution will be setup to enforce this) is plain narrow-minded.

Firstly, we need to differentiate between a "code of ethics" and a legal mechanism. You can still sue a blogger that posts something libelous as long as you have the grounds within the laws of Malaysia today. You don't need a code of ethics to do that.

The code of ethics come into play when an institution (National Institution of Blogging?) is set up to tell bloggers how to behave online. I have an issue with this on two levels. Firstly, who is anyone to tell me what I can or cannot or even, should, do with my blog (unless its illegal - then send the police after me).  Having an institution puts a committee ahead of the individual when it comes to determining content anyone can produce - even if its individual, personal content.

Secondly, the idea of having an institution (whether its the government or an body setup by bloggers) simply mis-implicates blogging as a profession rather than as a technology platform for personal expression. Not all blogs are mass media. Not all blogs aspire to be. Some blogs are. Most blogs are just some single individual's thoughts and online journal. So, do I need to subscribe to a blogging code of ethics if I'd like to blog about dogs? Do I need to register with a Department of Blogging and sign my agreement to the National Code of Blogging Ethics?

Are we on the verge of dictating conditions under which people can use this very useful technology?

I'll wear your T-shirt. For some moo-lah.

I'm fascinated by the idea behind girlinyourshirt.com. The idea that a girl can put on a shirt, shoot some videos and convince a couple of companies to pay her for is pure Web 2.0 power.

The beauty is for a very low investment (yourself, an internet connection and a cheap camcorder to shoot videos with), you could start a business. I wonder if this is what makes Technopreneurs so addicted to the scene. Anyway, check out her pitch below.

Now, I'm wondering if companies will pay for a slightly geeky (but cool) chinese dude to wear their T-Shirt and shoot some videos and do personal ads for them as US$ 75 a pop. Any takers?

Nokia Friend View 'experiment' up!

In the beginning, you had blogs. Then you had micro-blogs (like Twitter). Then you had facebook updates linked to your micro-blogs (which is why everyone replies me on Facebook, but I check only two weeks later.)

Now, Nokia's experimenting on tying your micro-blogging together with geo-location. The new experimental service, simply called Friend View looks pretty good and it's got me excited (and I'm not paid to get excited).

The cool thing is that in addition to the desktop / web access, there's also a cool app that allows you to access Friend View on your Symbian S60 device.

So what are you waiting for? Go sign up and add me: davidlian. :)

Disclosure: I do PR consulting for Nokia Malaysia. This post is in no way represents Nokia's opinion, only my own, in my personal capacity as a consumer.

Facebook wants you to translate it into BM

It seems localisation efforts for Facebook are already underway, and in times of economic crisis, who do you turn to? Why, your fans of course - for cheap labour.

So the latest cool Web 2.0 mechanism Facebook is letting you "participate" in is to help it translate the network into bahasa Malaysia. Want to contribute some of your free time, just click on here.

Personally, I'll be watching. I think its too much to ask of your average Facebooker. But who knows? Perhaps there'll be a hundred Facebookers who are more than willing to do this? Perhaps it'll just be the one?

Either way, this will be an interesting case to test the boundaries of "Web 2.0 participation." Yes, we know people want to participate. But how much? And in what manner?

Translating English to BM is just not my cup of coffee.

No more 9" Eee PCs? What are they thinking?

Someone's got to draw the line here.

I'm really starting to get worried that the netbook phenomenon we've seen creeping into the mainstream might start bloating and turning into nothing more than overpriced sub-notebooks.

For starters, Asus just announced that it's stopping production of Eee PCs below the 10 inch form factor. WHAT? Now, I know most of you guys probably think this is a sensible thing to do: it only adds about 200 g to the weight, larger screen, larger keys and more space for a bigger battery / larger capacity hard drive. Probably worth it.

Well, I have a two points to make against this trend:

1. I own a Eee 900 and I love the fact I can get 1024 X 600 resolution on a very compact machine. One extra inch of screen size isn't that big a difference, but an extra 1.5 inches of width to accomodate that screen is. I want my netbookto be as small as possible.

2. Most 10 inchers add another 200g to the weight of the sub-1 kg 9 inchers. that's 20% extra weight and for you guys who say it's not a lot, well, 1 kg is the thresh-hold for me.

Now, I'm not saying 10 inchers are bad. Not at all. What I'm saying is I'd like to see the option for a 9 inch netbook simply because to me, this is the sweetspot between size (portability) and power (screen resolution etc.). What's disturbing me is that companies are talking about 11 incher and 12 incher netbooks with higher prices like that's the next great thing, and I starting to get the sense that pretty soon "netbooks" will no longer be that cheap, supplementary surf-the-net computer.

They'll be bloated, underperforming notebooks with small screens. Please, don't destroy this beloved category.

Disclosure: I do PR work for Lenovo who make the excellent Lenovo S10 (a 10 incher by the way). This post has nothing to do with them.