Yesterday Engadget (my favorite tech blog) did a great review of LG’s netbook - the X120. As you might remember from CES, Splashtop is one of the prominent features of this awesome netbook. The review itself was a nice hands on with the LG X120 as the writer, Donald Melanson, spends some real time talking about the various aspects of the device. My favorite part:

Like any other current netbook, the X120 gets along well enough with Windows XP, but one of LG’s biggest assets is its Splashtop-based Smart-On interface, which gets its own dedicated power button to allow for quick and easy access. As you may recall from our CES coverage, the interface boots in a matter of seconds and gives you access to a few essential applications, including a web browser, a music player, a photo browser, an instant messaging app, Skype, and even a basic games application that links to some online games.

It’s awesome to be recognized as one of the devices “biggest assets.” This is a great pat on the back for everyone who works so tirelessly to provide a seamless experience for our users. In addition, it’s interesting that people are starting to recognize what we’ve been talking about on this blog for quite a while - that those essential applications are often all you need, especially on a netbook:

The choice of apps is actually quite telling, and is virtually the very definition of a netbook. No word processor or office apps (not even a calculator), no video player or editor, no dedicated email application, no time-consuming games — nothing that requires your full attention or an actual time commitment.

As I mentioned in my recent post, Life with Splashtop, Month 3, I really need only a great web browser when it comes to my netbook. All that overhead of a traditional OS is wasted on a netbook. I swear I haven’t had to boot Windows XP on my Lenovo S10 in months. This Engadget article is a great reminder that the right OS makes or breaks your computing experience. On the outside the LG is quite like a lot of other netbooks. But on the inside it is a cut above. Make sure your next Netbook has Splashtop!

When netbooks first came out, we were looking at them through the prism of the One Laptop Per Child project. They were expected to sell in developing countries, and become the first PCs for people who could not afford a regular notebook. Things turned out very differently.

Research from DigiTimes indicates that 40% of netbooks shipped in 2008 went into Western Europe, while 26% were bought in North America, and 7% in Japan. Developed countries add up to some 73% of netbook shipments. The share of netbooks sold in developed countries turns out to be greater than that of notebooks, reported at 62%.

The implications for netbook usage models are enormous. For most users in developed countries, netbooks are mobile companions purchased in addition to the owner’s primary PC – perhaps a full-size notebook they got from work, or a desktop at home with their media library. Sol, one of our own, swears by his Lenovo S10, although it is not his only PC by a long shot (read more about Sol’s netbook experiences).

Data from a research subsidiary of Yahoo Japan confirms this companion usage: 78% of netbooks purchased in Japan are a second PC for the purchaser. This companion usage, by the way, is exactly what Splashtop excels at – we are an instant-on web-centric complementary environment, rather than a general-purpose OS.

We have not seen good world-wide data on netbook usage patterns yet, but here are a few comparisons between netbook and notebook users in Japan:

• 40% use netbooks in cafes (compared to 4% for notebook users)
• 28% use netbooks while commuting (compared to 1% for notebooks). Remember, this is a country with good public transport.
• In the living room, on the other hand, 61% of notebook users do their thing, but only 43% use netbooks. Kind of makes sense – living room couches are stationary, you are not in a rush, and the power outlet is near.

Given how much of netbook usage is mobile, things like 3G connectivity are a big deal. Today we are welcoming into this world a new 3G-enabled netbook from Lenovo, the S10-2, which has Splashtop-powered Quick Start feature, and will ship worldwide. Whether one sells in Europe, the US, Asia Pacific or, perhaps, the “rest for the world”, we are happy that people will be enjoying the instant-on connected experience of Splashtop in the cafes, on public transport, and in their living rooms.