'Handbag laptops' for less than £100 to be sold by Next from February

'Handbag laptops' for less than £100 to be sold by Next from February

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 2:47 AM on 08th January 2009

Forget lipsticks, purses and glittery key rings. Laptops could soon be the latest must-have in every girl’s handbag.

Elonex, a small British computer maker, will start selling its £99 ‘netbooks’ - part of a new generation of small and cheap laptops from February.

The move is in an attempt to win over a new generation of female shoppers by making laptop computers that are small enough to fit into a handbag.

The screens are just seven inches wide, the keyboard is slightly smaller than a normal laptop keyboard.


Mini laptop: The Elonex netbook, small enough to fit in a handbag, will be able to tap into your home or work computer remotely

The memory is very limited, however the new net books offer internet surfing, emailing, word processing, storing photographs.

Elonex already supplies more substantial desk top and laptop computers to Next stores. The tie-up with Next to sell the smaller net books, almost as a fashion accessory, will be announced later this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Asus, the Taiwanese company has pioneer the development of small net books, which also have a lot of appeal for children and in the Third World because of their low cost. It is due to unveil a new touchscreen net book at CES, while Intel is expected to introduce a new Classmate netbook with a twistable screen and touchscreen.

However, these devices are likely to cost more than £200, which will put off many potential customers, particularly in the current financial climate. Sony is also due to enter the market with an announcement later this week. Its version is likely to sell for more than £300.

Nick Smith, the chief executive of Elonex, based in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, insists his £99 price point will put the handbag laptops to the mass market. 'This year all the big boys are clambering to get into this market, and undoubtedly it will flourish in the downturn, with people on a budget.

'Our netbooks are for people who want a better BlackBerry, with a proper screen and keypad.'

The Elonex websurfer has just 2GB of memory – not that much more than a good mobile phone – and a thirtieth of what most full-blown laptops contain.

However, the netbook will be able to tap into your home or work computer remotely, accessing all of its documents and storage. By controlling your home or work PC remotely over the internet, the netbook should be able to compete with larger, more powerful laptops.

Mr Smith said: 'Wherever you are you have full access to anything on your home computer, but if you lose it on a train or bar, you have only lost £100 worth of kit, not all your valuable photos or documents.'

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1108673/Handbag-laptops-100-sold-Next-February.html