With Apples reveal of the long-rumored iPad touch tablet, tech pundits and mainstream press alike shift from predictions to post-announcement reaction. Skepticism abounds regarding the need for this “third category” device.

The iPad is a perfect solution to an unknown problem. It is likely to spark the next revolution in personal computing and user interface. But it could just as easily turn out to be summarized by Moses Hadas’ famous phrase; “It fills a much needed gap.”

Tablet computers have been around for years, but have mostly been repackaged versions of the existing Microsoft Windows user experience. All have failed to capture the mass interest or imagination of the public in general. Apple’s approach brings fresh thought to the space by defining the use (some might say dictating), and refining the user experience.

Apple has a history of success in taking over existing markets with innovation in these areas. The iPod captured virtually the entire portable music player industry from successful predecessors, none of whom names come to mind. The iPhone brought smart phones to a wide consumer audience that had no interest in the devices … until they did.

Creating a new industry from scratch is another order of magnitude in difficulty and expense. But history shows that innovations in User Experience Design (UX) can open new markets, as well as create them.

John Dessauer struggled for years to build a working prototype of his plain paper copier. Without funds to manufacture and market the device, in 1956 he took it to IBM. But rather than build units or user test the never-before-seen product, they commissioned an 18-month viability study. The study conclusively proved that there was no market for a plain paper copier.

Two main issues; there was no volume market for copies, and the mimeograph process, which the study chose for comparison, was 10 times less expensive.

Mimeograph copies required the user to first “cut a stencil.” Waxed paper mounted on stiff cardboard was inserted into a with a ribbon-less typewriter. Forceful typing created the stencil holes. The resulting stencil would be affixed to an ink-filled drum which was hand cranked to turn out fuzzy purple copies; a process that Gutenberg himself would have found familiar.

Long story short: Dessaur and Chester Carlson, the inventor of electrostatic photography later called xerography, founded their own company. Changing the user experience of inexpensive printing from an ink-stained hand-cranking to push button simplicity sparked a multi-billion dollar industry.

Continuing this series on the upcoming Apple Netbook, let’s talk product name, an important area of marketing that many technology companies continue to misunderstand.

Apple puts as much effort into product naming as it does with product design, industrial design and graphic design. This effort has paid off well several times as Apple product names (iPod, Mac, etc.) become part of the 21st Century lexicon.

The Original iBook 1999

What’s in a name?

The name MacBook would be a natural to use for the upcoming Apple Netbook. Interesting to note that this product line has been whittled down a single model, a white plastic 13-incher. This model is no slouch when it comes to performance. In fact, at $999, it is the best bang-for-buck product that Apple currently offers.

If you want one of these slightly-sub $1000 wonders, you should act quickly. If Apple marketing goes this direction, it’s bye-bye to this aging plastic form factor for good.

But would Apple re-productize an existing name and established brand? Is it a good idea to bring in a different product under an existing name? There is precedent for it.

Another iName

The iMac is certainly a different product today than it was when it’s Bondi Blue ancestor saved the compnay in the late nineties. I am not suggesting repurposing the iMac brand for the netbook, but Apple has a few other lower case names waiting in the wings like anxious understudies.

The eMac 2002

Remember iBook? This brand evolved from orange toilet-seat cover to G4 powerhouse over it’s 5 year lifespan. The Apple marketing machine could easily bring this friendly sounding name back to prominence. If Apple goes to the well for a name, this would be my first choice. It is a name that snuggles right up to the word netbook, it means virtually the same thing (internetbook), and it has general good karma around it since descends from a successful product line.

More names that look odd at the beginning of a sentence

eMac would be a disastrous name to use for what is sure to be a streamlined product. The name is a clunky as was the products form factor during it short 13-month lifespan. The eMac was originally a low-cost iMac released exclusively to education market. It later became a low-cost ($1,199 in 2002 dollars) consumer product. As far a resurrecting this name, consider it buried in Apples marketing graveyard somewhere between Newton and Cube.

eMate would be an interesting name choice, not because it is a great name, but because it could be considered the netbook of it’s day. This sleek little gadget consisted of a sideways Newton message pad stuffed into a small laptop form factor, whose color and curves would not look out of place in an H. R. Geiger painting.

The Apple eMate 1997

So mini names to choose from.

The name MacBook Mini rolls right off the tongue. It’s fun to say. Try it. This moniker would be quite apropos for a diminutive laptop. But it sounds a bit silly for a product sure to be embraced by consumers and business customers. But not quite as silly as MacBook Nano.

You name it

I like the idea of relaunching MacBook as Apple’s entry into the netbook category. They could just as likely have a new name ready for launch also. Lets hear your ideas on the subject. Please post your comments and opinions below.

At last weeks WWDC, Apple revamped the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines. This clears the deck for the next portable Apple product. The current rumor mill is grinding on speculations for a tablet computing device. These visions are usually a cross between an iPod Touch and a Kindle. Many picture Steve Jobs upcoming return to Apple in biblical style; descending from a summit with tablets in hand. I think not.

After much discussion with my friend Macstradamus, he and I believe this product will be the heretofore shunned-by-Apple netbook. This series of articles will explain that product, the business model, and how Apple will save face from their previous public commentary on the subject.

Nascency no more.

Last October, Steve Jobs talked netbooks in a financial conference call. Among his comments on the product category were “we’ll wait and see how that nascent category evolves, and we have got some pretty interesting ideas if it does evolve” and “We don’t know how to make a $500 computer that’s not a piece of junk, and our DNA will not let us ship that.”

The category has evolved rapidly in the last 6 months. Apple may not know how to make a non-junk $500 mac, but they know very well how to make a $999 laptop that is fantastic tech.

I am postulating that they also know how to make an amazing $850 laptop. And that they know how to twist arms cell phone CEO’s arms into subsidizing breakthrough products. This combination will create the proverbial killer app. It’s actually a combination of feature and business model. It will be a 3G enabled lightweight laptop, subsidized to affordability (or at least the illusion thereof) by a two-year data plan.

Here is a quick look at expected specs, with more detail to come in a future article:

• Low-power, bottom-of-the-line Intel CPU
• Matte 10.1 screen (non-touch)
• 3-G network
• Aluminum Unibody enclosure
• SD memory card slot
• 250 GB HD
• 3.1 lbs
• 2-year data plan

Apple clearly does not want to build a $500 laptop. But they would probably love to build an $850 laptop, and have a cell phone carrier subsidize about half of it. A scaled down, low-power, always-on-the-internet, take anywhere Apple Netbook would explode on the market at a list price of $450 or so.

3G networking will be built in. They will then partner with a wireless carrier, most likely Verizon, to sell this subsidized Apple 10″ netbook with always-on 3G connectivity.

But what will they call this new product? Find out in Part 2 of this series.

Consumer Reports is a well known source in the US and Canada for impartial and well researched product reviews and ratings. This month, they filled one of their 50+ testing labs with small, lightweight, cheap netbook computers. One of these, the ASUS Eee PC, even became the cover boy for the issue.

The magazine article is short and sweet, presenting the pros and cons of lightweight computing. It brings up good points about usability and should be helpful in deciding if a netbook will satisfy your computing needs. They conclude that netbooks are sufficient for most typical tasks with the exception of video editing and gaming. I disagree with one of these conclusions.

Despite the upfront cover honors for the ASUS, it did not walk away with the competition. It ends up as one of the three Consumer Reports Recommended units, but shows up fourth on the list of all netbooks compared. First place goes to the offical tracyevans.name netbook-of-choice, the Samsung NC-10.  Click on the image to the left for a condensed version of the comparison table, or buy the magazine for all the details.

For the most part, I agree with CR’s conclusions. They gave Sammy highest marks for screen quality and for Portability, a category based on battery life and weight. No argument there. Both ASUS, Sammy and all but one tested netbook received the lowest rating of Poor for speaker fidelity, bass response and loudness. The HP Mini 1030NR’s speakers were rated as Fair. I think the ASUS speakers are slightly less awful than Sammy’s, but Poor is a good description of both.

The ASUS and the Samsung have slugged it out before on this blog. Note that Consumer Reports rated the ASUS Eee PC 1000H, not the  1000HE, which is the one I used for my comparison. Had they rated the later model it may have appeared higher on the list. Improvements in the HE version include the very comfortable “chicklet” keyboard as well as longer battery life.

Consumer Reports is an interesting publication with a unique business model. The magazine is published monthly by  Consumers Union, an “expert, independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers” based in Yonkers, New York. The organization generates more than $200 million in yearly revenue, has a staff exceding 600, and over 50 state-of-the-art testing laboratories. They accept no advertising in the magazine and purchase all products reviewed at retail.

Pick your favorite metaphor because it’s time for a dance off,  showdown, deathmatch, taste test, point/counterpoint between the Samsung NC10 and the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE. Find out who gets served and who stays standing at high noon. Who will be fragged to giblets. Which PC has the richest, mountain grown flavor, and which is the ignorant slut.

These are the two leading netbooks in their class. Both contenders are decked out in similar specs regarding screen size, amount of RAM (1 GB) and hard drive space (160 GB). They have the same processor although the Samsung CPU runs at an imperceptible 0.06 GHz faster.

Round 1 – Size and weight
If thin is in, then Samsung wins on style points. The sleeker look, the chrome detailing and the front grill all add up to a more stylish approach than ASUS. The ASUS is a bit bulkier than the Samsung by fractions of inches, but it is noticeable. This makes it a tad heavier than Sammy, 3.2 lbs compared to 2.8lbs, but for these lightweights it is hard to notice a difference.

Round 2 –  Screen
The casual observer may not notice that both netbooks sport the same screen size and resolution; 10.2 inches at 1024 by 600. The ASUS screen sits a bit higher when open. This is due in part to the overall larger size, but the hinge mechanism plays a part as well. It doesn’t effect the usability. It is more of an aesthetic difference.

Samsung is the winner in this round thanks to its brightness. Both screens are fantastic with sharp, well defined images and rich color. The refresh rates seem to be the same, as both demonstrated the same amount of occasional screen tearing when playing web videos. The only difference  we could find was that Samsung can be cranked up brighter, I am estimating 15 to 20 percent brighter. It is very noticeable. Nothing comes free and I imagine this price is paid back with shorter battery life when burning brightest. But having the option to turn Sam’s screen up to 11 makes it the easy winner in this tightly contended category.

Round 3 – QWERTYing
As I researched my first netbook purchase, I spent hands-on time with almost all of the brands available at the time. It was the quality of these two keyboards that narrowed my final purchace decision down to these two models.

Typing is as good as it is different on both machines. Both keyboards are large enough for comfortable typing. Samsung claims their keyboard is 93% size of a standard keyboard, ASUS claims 92%. Neither feel cramped when typing. Some netbooks present a learning curve for skilled typists who have to somewhat relearn key positions and reaches. This is not an issue with ASUS or Samsung.

The ASUS “chicklet” keyboard solid and responsive. It also has a more modern feel than the beveled keys of the Samsung which seem a slightly old school. But don’t dis the Samsung for this esthetic shortcoming. Sam’s keys fell just as solid and offer reassuring tactile and audio feedback. The ASUS keyboard may be a tad quieter when typing which some users may prefer.

This category is a tie to be decided by personal preference. Just be reassured to know that you can’t go wrong with either choice.

Round 4 –  Build quality
Another tie. Both units are sturdily constructed. They feel solid enough to throw place into a backpack. The solid build along with the light weight and low price is what make netbooks so appealing.

Round 5 – Mousing
ASUS is the standout winner here. The larger trackpad feels huge when compared to Samsung’s. This is the main advantage of the larger form factor. The edge-on buttons are well designed and easily accessible.

I have written before about Sammy’s trackpad issues, so no need to repeat is here. Just note that ASUS does not have the edge of pad issues that the Samsung suffers from, nor does it have a clumsy recessed toggle button. ASUS’s rodent replacement takes the cheese in this category.

Round 6 – Sound
Audiophiles look elsewhere. No netbook I tested had what could be described as great sound, but under normal conditions all were adequate for typical usage. The ASUS inches ahead here with smarter speaker placement. The speakers appear louder than the Samsung because they are where they should be; pointed at the listener.

Samsung chose to place the speakers on the bottom of the unit, pointed downward. In theory, the sound should bounce off the table top back to the users ears. It does this to some degree when placed on a flat table top, but I seldom find myself using it in these ideal-for-audio circumstances. I did not have an opportunity to compare the headphone jack output, but I will have a full report on Samsungs audio quality pros and cons in Part 4 of this series.

Round 7 – Price
The most basic components, the processor, RAM, motherboard and hard drive, are identical. So all that Samsung NC10 style and design come at a cos, about about $70 more than the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE.

Conclusion – The real winer
There you have it. Both units have their strengths and weaknesses, but the real winner is … You. You just can’t go wrong with either choice. I can’t honestly recommend one over the other.

For me, the cool stylings of the Samsung along with the brighter screen won me over. But the lower cost, louder audio and better trackpad of the ASUS are a compelling argument. My best advice is to lay hands on both and see what strikes you. When you make your decision, please write to me here and let me know what influenced you.

Previous Field Test articles in this series include Part 1 – Coffee Shop, and Part 2 – Back Yard.

This weeks Netbook Game of the Week is World of Goo, the 2008 Independent Game of the Year, from indie developer 2D Boy. WoG is an intellectually challenging physics simulator. Sound fun? Then how about this? You stick gooey balls together to build stuff and solve puzzle. Better?

Each level presents an intriguing new area and a logistical challenge to solve. You become a structural engineer as you invent and build precarious bridges and teetering tower, which the Goo Balls swarm over in their climb to safety. Remember the tower of ants in Indiana Jones 4? Kind of like that, but much cuter. Managing you resources of the number and placement of balls, balancing the and weight and sway momentum of the structure, and taking the wind and other environmental factors into account is all part of the highly enjoyable game play.

Parallels to the Amiga game Lemmings are many, and that is a high compliment. In this 1991 classic mono-skilled Lemmings (builder, blocker, exploder) would direct the single-file marching line to their goal by altering terrain with bombs, digging tunnels and parachuting of precipices with umbrellas. The World of Goo is inhabited by different species of Goo Balls that stick together and tear apart in different ways. Goo Balls are just as charming as any green-haired Lemming, and they have a language all their own. Goos must be Apple Computer fans since they often triumphantly shout “Ihnatco” upon completing a difficult task or reaching the summit of one of their Jellloish edifices.

Netbook owners can fully enjoy World of Goo since it plays smoothly on Samsung’s Atom processor. It looks and sounds just as great as it does on more powerful PCs. While the track pad works fine for early levels, you will want to switch to a mouse for the later challenges. Be sure to set your trackpad to Tap and Drag and disable those silly scrolling zones. For more info on tweaking your track pad, try Jez’s tips and tricks at SammyNetbook.com.

This game is smart, with beautiful 2D graphics, and a wonderfully cinematic score. The full soundtrack is available here as a free download. A quirky story winds through the game drawing leading you from one level to the next. Don’t let the Indie moniker fool you. This is a triple-A quality title. One would never guess that is was conceived, written, programmed, illustrated and scored by just two guys. World of Goo is a triumphant achievement in compelling game play, graphic design and music. It is well worthy of the industry praise heaped upon it.

As an independent production it will have no national ad campaign or movie tie-ins, so spread the word to your game-playing friends that this is not one to be missed. The DRM-free game is available for $20 at the 2D Boy website as well as on Steam. There is also a full first level demo available for PC, Mac and Linux.

UPDATE, March 25, 2009: World of Goo is now part of the MacHeist bundle. MacHeist is a $39 collection of Macintosh software that includes amazing apps like Kinemac,Wiretap Studio and  iSale. It is a limited time offer so bargain shoppers should hurry over to the site and check it out.

UPDATE, March 26, 2009: World of Goo took top honors yesterday for Downloaded Game of the Year at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Congrats again 2DBoy.

Today I travel to the far reaches of my back yard, braving Texas misquotes, for further Samsung NC10 field testing.

This is the first time my NC10 has ventured beyond climate-controlled conference rooms and coffee shops. Well up to the task of backpacking it in the wild, Sammy is like a cheap date that I can take places I wouldn’t consider taking a $2,000+ laptop.

The solid build quality inspires confidence, while the light weight form factor is easy to manage. The hinge feels just right with a spring indention that keeps the lid securely in position when closed, and a tight fit that holds any viewing angle.

The sun hangs low but bright in the clear afternoon sky. With it shining directly on to the Samsung’s matte screen, yet the screen is comfortably readable. In fact it looks great from about half-brightness up to full. Very impressive.

My Airport network pops up in seconds in seconds and I am automatically logged in and online. The signal strength is identified as “very good.” Even further out into the yard where the signal weakens, the Samsung has no problem picking it up.

Testing the laptop in an actual lap however requires some effort to avoid “lap topple”. The weight of the screen tends to tip the unit backwards.  This is not a problem on a solid surface like a table or desk, but my less level lap requires holding down the front of the book to stabilize the keyboard. This makes typing cumbersome and tiring. Switching from the deck chair to the patio table restores Sammy’s balance and my blazing typing speed.

Speaking of the Samsung’s keyboard, it is one of the best I have tested to date. Before buying the NC10, I tried almost every netbook keyboard on the market. Most felt “wrong”, cramped and uncomfortable. The standout was the ASUS, which had a nice springy feel and well spaced keys. The Samsung keys feel just as good, but with a better layout.

The combination of great keyboard, bright readable screen and superior design style swayed me toward the Samsung, but the ASUS is a quality unit as well. In the next field report, I will comprare these two netbooks head to head. Stay tuned.

You might not immediately think of netbooks as a game platform. When comes to pure horsepower they are more ponies than thoroughbreds. Netbooks are however full featured PCs capable of a myriad of computing tasks, including running most PC games.

Obviously netbooks are computers, but should uber-power users like you and I consider them “real” computers? Do these diminutive devices qualify as “enough” computer to meet ones daily needs? It took me a while, but I recently reached the point of understanding that for my “real” needs, they are just “enough”.

It’s understandable that animators, video editors and motion graphics artists are always pushing the power curve on computing. In a production environment processor speed can have direct effects on creativity, profitability and frustration level. PhotoShop may take a few seconds to apply a complex filter or a favorite set of actions. Final Cut may take a minute or more for an incremental render. But use that filter fifty times a day, or render that timeline a few dozen times, and processor speed becomes a serious consideration worthy of a significant financial investment.

But when selecting personal personal computing equipment this ”need for speed” attitude may not be the best selection criteria. I did this for years, always justifying a power purchase with a “just in case” excuse. Sure I mostly do email, web, Word, Excel and Peggle on my laptop, but one never knows when one may need to edit a 100-layer PhotoShop file, or render a ray-traced mirror balls over checkerboard floor scene, on an airplane, right? Only recently did I realize that the key word in that sentence is “never”.

My first netbook – the iPhone

My first realization of this came with the purchase of an iPhone. I was there on release day, but managed to avoid long lines and camping out. I happen to be vacationing in Tennessee that day, and there were no lines at the Pigeon Forge ATT store.

Soon I found myself using my MacBook Pro less and less. On some business trips it would only come out of its case at airport security checks. Was my $2,500 laptop being replace by a phone?

For quite some time it did. I was able to handle most of my traveling business tasks on the iPhone, and find work-arounds for others. One could make the argument that the iPhone is Apples netbook, but the lack of a full size keyboard however kept me limited to mostly basic communication tasks (if you can call that a limitation for a phone).

As I contemplated my recent netbook purchase, I was finally able to fully shed my computer speed obsession. By analyzing the tasks I was most likely to do on the machine, I was able to fully let go of those just in case scenarios and focus on my real computing needs; Peggle, email, Peggle, web and of course Peggle.

The Caps Lock key predates the electronic marvels we type on today by about 100 years. Talk about your legacy hardware.

Originally called “Shift Lock” on mechanical typewriters, it was quite useful back when the shift key actually shifted something; a lever that physically raised the typing bar. The weight of the typing bar was difficult to hold for very long with only a pinky finger. Pressing the “Lock” key flipped a hook mechanism over the shift lever allowing you to type a series of capital letters without excessive digit fatigue.

I seldom use Caps Lock key intentionally. Usually I discover having pressed it by accident by noticing that ALL MY TYPING LOOKS LIKE SHOUTING. In an era of effortless key presses and compressed netbook keyboards, we have outgrown Caps Lock usefulness and it has overstayed its welcome.

Ruffling the Registry

John Haller mercifully provides us with a Windows system-level method to change evil Mr. Lock into more friendly Mr. Shift. You may prefer to change to a different key or disable it entirely. Visit the Disable Cap Lock web page at John’s blog to download a Windows .reg file that will bring the era of accidental Cap Lock to an end.

The Mac Attack

Lets not leave out my Mac friends. They can go to System Preferences, click on Mouse & Keyboard, click on the Keyboard tab, then click the Modifier Keys… button and finally select No Action from the Caps Lock drop down menu. Five clicks and your done.

A Window of Warning

As John warns on his web site: “Incorrect changes to the registry may damage Windows or other installed software. Be sure you know what a given .REG file contains before merging it into the registry.” I have used these files successfully on my Samsung’s XP install with no adverse effects, but this doesn’t mean you can come crying to me if they break your computer. DO NOT INSTALL ANY REGISTRY PATCHES WITOUT FIRST UNDERSTANDING WHAT THEY DO. (I typed that with my pinky.)