Dual CPU (not core) Netbooks? Really, what’s a netbook?

Engadget (http://tinyurl.com/yc9bmva) reports of what could possibly be the first ever netbook with dual CPUs. This is two physical N270 Atoms in a netbook. The term netbook now gets thrown around easily everywhere. It seems that whatever device that houses an Atom gets called a netbook or a nettop and now tablets. There is no doubt Atoms made a complete turnaround of consumer/handheld computer devices. Last couple of years has seen a true paradigm shift in the way mobility and portability are integrated in to small-scale devices due to Atom. Atom powered devices have been swarming the mobile sector recently.

And more and more, the distinction between an nettop and a laptop are fast diminishing. Nettops used to be light-weight, low-power laptops with limited processing power that is supposed to do a limited amount of work, like checking your email, browsing the internet, watching a movie clip and occasional word processing. But the tables have turned a full circle now. Intel has been beefing up the Atom at a faster pace while Nvidia put a different spin to the Atom. Nvidia came up with the ION chipset, which coupled with a Atom will give it HD capability. I have never understood the need for a nettop the ability to watch HD content. In my opinion, HD content is supposed to be watched in high-def humongous screens. Does it really matter you are watching DVD quality or BD quality on your 10 inch screen? Are you really going to connect your $400 nettop to your $2000 full-HD TV to watch a move in 1080? Either I have completely missed something or is this really necessary?

And now we see a dual-CPU netbook. This begs the question why would you want to cramp in two Atoms in to this? Why would you give that additional power of another CPU for a netbook with a 10.2 inch screen? And importantly, the claimed standby time is 2~3 hours! This is less than half of what a ‘conventional’ netbook offers? I mean there is nothing wrong with juicing up a device, but netbooks are supposed to be low-powered devices to do simple tasks. Beefing it up by doubling the power consumption and still the same small screen? I don’t know but there is something not quite right or necessary about this.

At the end of the day, what matters is that Atoms has opened up a new segment of devices which are affordable to many. The mobile device arena is getting heated up. Netbooks, PMP’s, MID’s, smartphones all getting cooked up at high pace and leaves us wondering, what is the next big thing?

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