One or two of you have asked me recently about these small so-called netbook computers, these ultramobile devices that seem to be all the rage right now (they were recently featured on NPR and in the New York Times). Netbooks are essentially small laptops that run Linux or Windows operating systems and are very inexpensive, with prices ranging from $300 to $600.

Early on, they were considered second computers, best for e-mail and Web surfing (thus the netbook moniker). It would seem that they would appeal to a wide audience, from businesspeople who travel frequently, to kids and home users looking for a small laptop to carry from room to room, to book-laden students who spend long hours on campus. These would be a great option for docs on the go who are looking for inexpensive hardware.

It's easy enough to tell a netbook from other laptops, but the differences between one netbook and the next are getting fewer and fewer. They generally have 8-to-10-inch widescreens and lack built-in optical drives. They do not have full-size keyboards (they usually range from 89 percent to 93 percent of full size) so expect a more cramped typing experience than with a mainstream laptop. You will find an abundance of USB ports, a webcam, a card reader, and built-in Wi-Fi. Some even have bonus features like ExpressCard slots, Bluetooth, and options for cellular modems. Most every netbook has adopted the Intel Atom platform, made up of the Atom processor, integrated graphics, and 512MB to 1GB of RAM.

They're not just limited to Web surfing, compiling spreadsheets or word processing. You can dump your photos from a digital camera and edit them using a program like Adobe Photoshop Elements 7. With some patience, you can transcode video to another format using Windows Media Encoder 9 or edit video footage using Adobe Premiere Elements 7, or run your entire music library with iTunes. A netbook can play video from sites like YouTube or a movie from an external USB drive, unmarred by distortions and lag. Businesses are considering these pint-size laptops because you can run various e-mail clients on them, put them on a network, install a VPN client, and secure them with antivirus and anti-spyware suites.

I expect these devices will prove very popular over the next year or so. Prices may drop even further and more features will be added (for example we will very soon see touchscreen netbooks introduced to the market).

Are you using a netbook in your healthcare environment? Does it function adequately in the hospital or in your office? If so, let me know by emailing arawlinson@btmg.com.


Access stories about netbooks on the NPR Web site and in the New York Times.

Read a review of netbooks.