Its not my title, but Mike Herrity’s, but I wanted to continue the theme of his posts. There are three key factors that are driving our decision on which Netbook.
1) Cost
2) Cost only joking, battery life
3) Operating system.
Costs are falling, battery life is improving, operating system (Windows 7) promises much. If you have been considering these same factors than battery life should have been a real concern if the unit is to be used throughout the school day. We BECTA published today that researchers at MIT have discovered that materials currently used in batteries can be manufactured in a way that considerably accelerates the passage of the charge-carrying lithium ions. The new design reduces charging times by a factor of 20 to 30 (as well as the ability to discharge) and will become commercially available, the team believes, in about three years.
So by the time we replace our first units from 2009 will hope to be down to just one factor, cost.