It seems the world of tech is making a big deal out of the new trend surrounding sub $500.00 notebooks and laptops. These machines feature baseline components, low cost or no cost operating systems, and a low price point. Why is the tech industry so excited about what would otherwise be viewed as a simple redestribution of old standard technology?

The answer is in the habits of the modern user. There’s no secret that every day we are inching further and further into a life in the cloud. Our email has gone from programs like Thunderbird and Outlook to online interfaces such as Gmail and Yahoo. Our office applications are slowly making their way into services like Google Docs. Calendars and scheduling is done online now, as is financial planning, entertainment, and even storage. We’re heading into an age where our computer will not be judged so much by its sheer processing speed, as its portability and ability to access the ever-present cloud.

So will the XO and the Asus Eee PC re-define our technology in modern regions? Not quite yet, but you can expect it to be a good step for users that don’t mind living less on their hard drive and more in the web.  The technology and price point is certainly attractive, especially when considering the ideas behind the design. The one laptop per child program has resulted in several interesting innovations that I believe will improve not only the less technological areas of the world, but even the most modern.

Matt Ryan of The Daily PWN 

[tags]The Frugal Geek, Matt Ryan, Notebook, Asus Eee, XO, One Laptop[/tags]