I was just thinking about it - and maybe Linux just can't do it, what I'm suggesting here. Maybe it is beyond the scope and reach of Linux - it might even be directly related to the decentralized, non-traditional corporate model of Linux distros.
And maybe getting behind Android is the solution. I read an article on a different site where someone was responding to the iPad saying that Linux netbooks *would* be the "Next Big Thing", and he was putting his money behind Moblin. All you have to do is read the Moblin wiki to realize, "meh". That is the problem. Moblin, Ubuntu, Moblin based on Ubuntu, Android... they're not going to compete with big players, they're going to compete with each other - well, except for Android. Android is the first thing to "get out of the gate" and compete with the big boys. The others aren't even in the race.
But to be successful in this platform, there are a few things that a platform and the platform apps should do well - and we can see those things by looking at the major players.
I'd love to see Android/Google Voice search on my Ubuntu, as a core part of the platform that integrates with other core apps in a universal way. Voice Search works with Google Maps, works with the browser... voice recognition works with dialing. I was using my Eee PC this morning and I was standing, holding it, and using my thumbs to type - and the thought occured to me - "the smallest netbook keyboards may be small and cramped, but they beat a virtual keyboard for thumb typing". So, if you approach it like that - adding as many features that make typing unnecessary is a no brainer. That is what Google has done with Android - and once you get used to the idea, you just open up a voice search and say "tech republic.com" and Google search finds it for you and then you click on the link. Forget trying to type the URL in. Why bother? You can talk to the device. This is underutilized by a lot of Android device owners, but it works great.
Along those lines, a decent free, turn-by-turn GPS app would be a huge boon. I think this one is more difficult unless you're a large corporation like Google that can give away a free GPS app and make money on increasing ad revenue. But there is no doubt that Linux is lacking on this. It can't rely on WiFi to pull down maps, of course - so there are technical challenges with delivering a solution like this. It would sure be nice, though.
Now, a lot of the other big apps for smart devices do not make as much sense for a netbook - especially the social networking apps. I'm not sure you need a Facebook or Twitter app when you've got a full fledged, very usuable web browser - but maybe I'm wrong here. Maybe dedicated social networking apps could be a more pleasant interface for netbook computing than going into the web browser. I suppose these already exist. I guess I'll look into them.
But it isn't just that the apps exist, it is that they are delivered with a core competency that is equal to or superior to the same experience as you would find it on other portable devices (iPhone, Android, etc.) while leveraging the unique abilities of a Netbook.
I think Jason Heiner's complaints about Netbooks result from the fact that a lot of us have been using netbooks in a way that isn't really where their core competency lies. When I think about my positive experience with netbooks, I've mostly been using my netbook... well, like Apple would have you use an iPad.
I take it camping with me, and I tether it to my phone, and I access Facebook - but with a richer, easier to navigate, and easier to interact with interface than a mobile phone can provide. I check e-mail. I'll read tweets. I play some occasional games (mostly emulators of retro titles).
I use it around the house to surf, do the things above, and check out TV listings or to browse in bed before going to sleep for the night without disturbing my wife.
And my favorite netbook is my Lenovo S10 running Win 7... because, well, the S10 has enough power, real estate, and features to run Win 7 well, and Win 7 offers a lot of more polished and refined apps compared to Ubuntu. The core OS itself seems more polished, tidy and organized.
But even Win 7 is lacking because it simply tries to present the full desktop/laptop experience on a netbook.
To be clear, I'm not talking about introducing a crippled "cloud enabled" OS like the one that ships with the Eee PC. They tried that and failed. And I'm not talking about something like the Ubuntu Netbook Remix.
I'm really talking about the APPS. There needs to be a suite of apps, maybe a separate repository, that caters JUST to apps designed for mobile devices, specifically Netbooks. And those apps need to deliver quality and performance equal to or superior to what is available on smartphones and devices like the iPad.
I took a business class when I was a younger man, and the instructor said, "If you're opening a coffee shop, open it RIGHT across from Starbucks - and figure out how to make your store more attractive. Starbucks is going to bring the customers to the block, all you have to do is get them to open your door instead of theirs".
Let Apple and Google bring people to this market, but let the Linux community open up a storefront on the same block. If you manage to steal away just a slice of their businiess, you're probably going to have a pretty lucrative thing going. But you're going to have to offer some value add to draw those customers in. Making your place look and feel a lot like THEIR place is a great place to start - and it is an area where Linux could deliver, if the Linux community got behind the idea.
