'Smartbooks' (more than netbooks) aimed at teens

They're different, Forbes points out, though the names of the devices are very new, and "smartbooks" haven't even hit store shelves yet. The jury's out on whether teens will want the latter, but marketers have been plans for the teen market. Qualcomm and Sharp "expect at least a dozen smartbooks incorporating their chips to debut in early 2010." Here's the theoretical difference: "Smartbooks will be more affordable than netbooks, with prices as low as $199. Unlike netbooks, which resemble laptop computers with their hinged or 'clamshell' shape," smartbooks will be flat and tablet-shaped. One market went to Savannah College of Art & Design graduate students to help refine the product, Forbes reports. The design students said teens want "intuitive, trendy and powerful devices that become extensions of themselves" and help them "keep up with their hectic lives at a low price point." Sounds like good advice that, if taken, might materialize into a hybrid between laptops and cellphones that might actually become a trend, fellow parents.

A SpongeBob-approved netbook for kids

media companies. Now a "real" computer company, Dell, is coming out with one - and it even looks age-appropriately slimy. "Dell has taken one of its Inspiron Mini models – essentially, a basic netbook computer – and allied with Mr. SquarePants’s television network to create the Nickelodeon Edition," the New York Times's Gadgetwise blog reports. Apparently, the (plastic) green-slime look was SpongeBob's idea. The Times adds that the Nick-edition netbook will probably cost a little more than the basic $300 model, which goes on sale in October at Wal-Mart and Dell's online store. Online safety is a big focus for this product, Newsfactor.com reports. It says Dell's saying "it's safe for kids to send and receive email and chat with new friends. The system includes a 15-month subscription to McAfee Family Security, which provides comprehensive parental controls to carefully direct and monitor kids' online activities." Of course it will have Nickelodeon content, but there's a strong educational focus too, with Dell's partnership with Whyville.net, a virtual world for kids 8-15 that will have an animated link right on the netbook's screen. See "Dell nurtures a virtual life for youngsters" at CNET for details on how a virtual world can make learning about nutrition a lot of fun. Here's Whyville's five-minute video tour on YouTube.