What's in a name?

I've been wondering what name the industry is going to settle on for the new low-cost sub-laptop devices like the OLPC, the eeePC, the Classmate, and others. (These devices are generally smaller than a laptop, but bigger than a handheld. They often run Linux, though higher-priced versions with xp are also available. They generally run from $200-$400, making them a good fit for schools.)

HP has called theirs a mini-notebook.

The term UMPC (ultra-mobile PCs) does not apply to these devices, but rather to the very small (and very expensive) tablets that run Microsoft's Origami OS.

I've recent seen these devices called ULPCs -- ultra-low cost PCs. That's a name that makes sense to me.

Proliferation of new mobile devices

There have been several new mobile devices coming out, and now HP has one as well. The HP 2133 Mini-Notebook is $499 with Linux. (As with all of these new category devices, the price is quite a bit higher with xp.)

As the prices come down a bit (I think $300 is the sweet spot for education), these devices might be a good solution for a one-to-one computing device, falling somewhere between a handheld and a laptop. I am particularly interested in how Web 2.0 applications runs on these and what other educational programs are available.

Stay tuned for more on these new devices and their use in the classroom.