NAND Flash Notebook, Asus to release its EeePC. Is it the future of mobility ?

The first A Brand company to release a NAND Flash notebook was Sony with the VGN-UX series like the UX180P model.

Other companies like Palm and Asus (just announced the EeePC, see at http://www.asus.com.tw/news_show.aspx?id=7317) are following the trend and we can expect more products to be released in the future.

The Eee PC seems to have additional benefits compared to the Palm Foleo. First of all, it is not positioned as a 'mobile phone accessory' but as a stand alone product. Second, the price range (around $200) seems to be more in line to the target audience expectation. Asus is proving that a good concept can be well executed, let's wait for the first units to be tested and evaluated and let's hope it is really up to its promises.

The reason why company are looking for NAND Flash notebook is because they want to answer the consumer needs for mobility and connectivity.

NAND Flashed computers benefits are :
- Faster bootable time
- Shock proof
- Reduced physical foot print that will allow to reduce laptop form factor
- Extended battery life time based on lower consumption
- Faster information access time

Cons :
- Size limitation compared to OS and software storage needs
- Cost for high capacity memory

In the short term two new product categories are expected to emerge :

1) NAND Flash laptops
Those products will focus on battery life, size, wireless connectivity

2) NAND Flash + HDD Laptops or Desktops
The NAND Flash will be probably used to speed up the boot time and allow a faster resume time. New laptops will as well be able to be used as a media player while they are turned off.

It is expected to see more and more products taking benefits of this new technology. However, in order to succeed, company should continue to focus on consumer needs and not the technology.