Acer set to release the first Android netbook

It's like buying a car and being told you can get a special price if you agree not to drive it more than 10 km a day:

You can buy Windows for a low cost if the machine you install it on has <=160GB HDD and <=1GB RAM.

You can only buy an Atom CPU if you agree to not put a PCI-E slot on the motherboard.

These things are really annoying, and limit peoples choices.

MS is protecting their own interests. if they sold win7 for $100 on netbooks many people would get the cheaper linux version. If they sell win7 on netbooks for $40 then the customers for laptops and desktops who normally pay more than that will want it for $40.

they are limiting the netbook version to protect their earnings in other markets and not lose market share in this new market.

Much as intel is deliberately creating separation between the atom processor and their core2 lines by limiting the chipset and motherboard features so as not to cut into their higher profit parts.

financially it's probably the right decision for both companies and only competition will force them to change. If these dual core snapdragons start slapping around the atom, intel will step it up.

Hopefully Android gets lots of quality apps and market share.

Regulas, I'm beginning to sense the mordacity of your superciliousness; why so philippic invective?

MS is still playing the dictator. In order to get 7 for a cut rate price that makes a netbook stay cheap they tell them how big the screen can be, how big the HD can be, how much RAM, and so on. I also read that it still has some limitations in place too. That should be illegal, how they get away with it is beyond me. I think the vendors should unit and tell MS where to go forth and multiply.
This sounds like the man with a African birth certificate who is running Government Motors now, "I don't want to run the company, I know, I will fire CEO and replace him with one of my cronnies, after all, I am the company now." You will make this type car and do this and that.

RE:Good - Microsoft did recently announce the removal of the 3 app limit for the netbook version of Win 7. Not that you could really run more than 3 proper apps on those little things.

One thing though, this could be just what Linux needed to begin to take hold in the retail PC market. The general mums and dads will not be so challlenged by it as it says 'Google' on it (even if it doesn't actuall say google).

And when the first customers realize what UMTS with a 1 - maybe 5 - GB cap means, not to mention all the Internet services that are being blocked, they begin to hate this little gadget, instead of calling the telcos what they are.

Close relative of the netbook, smartbook might be first in the market with Android.
After all, it is not important how you call them since they all just "little notebooks".
Anyway, with smartbooks prices expected at bellow 200 USD with touchscreens, longer battery life and lighter weight should sell much better than netbooks.
I'll wait for first single chip dual CPU snapdragon @ 1.5GHz or equal smartbook.
Of course I'll wipe away Android and install "normal" flavor of Linux. Hopefully Gentoo, but might end with Debian (depends on the architecture support at that moment).

I hope it takes off. Microsoft trying to throw us a bone with lifting their 3 application limit on 7 is about a joke. It (Windcows 7) is still being crippled in a way that says we own you, do you want some cake?
At least no one can say that about OS X. It comes in 2 flavours only, user and server.
MS can take a flying leap as far as I am concerned.