Inexpensive “Netbook” computers are becoming very trendy, and are being bundled with wireless internet plans. As this CNN.com article shows, the distinction between a Netbook and a laptop is blurring, but a website designer should be very aware of some big differences:

• Netbooks have smaller screens. This means that important content for your site should fit into a Netbook’s viewing area. Previously, the trend has been moving toward large-screen functionality, but you may want to invest in your own Netbook to see how your site looks on a 10 inch screen.
• Netbooks have less memory and processing power. If your site is feature-rich, and uses a lot of interactive elements, it may perform differently on a Netbook. Obviously, you should configure your site for just about any user, but heavily interactive sites may perform poorly on Netbooks.
• Netbooks may offer an advantage to Software As A Service (SAAS) sites. If you can offer spreadsheets, collaborative content creation, or mail services through your own site, people with Netbooks are going to prefer sites like these because they don’t require software to be installed.

Depending on your website configuration, you may either be able to use CSS to present your site differently to Netbook users, or offer a .mobi version of your site (or a subdomain like Netbooksite.example.com) to users who come from mobile devices. Usability is a big consideration with any website, so ensuring viewership on desktops, laptops, and Netbooks may offer you an advantage that larger competitors have not considered. Given the inexpensive, compact nature of the Netbooks compared to laptop computers, it pays to be able to reach your customers no matter where they’re doing their web surfing.