News is swirling this week about new forms of competition in the market for sub-notebook computers, and open source is driving change in this space--especially in terms of price competition. As I
wrote before, Linux-based laptops are going through a renaissance at the moment, especially driven by the $400 Asus Eee PC. These small, useful systems are moving from the VIA chips they were based on to Intel's Diamondville CPUs. Everex's $399 Linux-based
Cloudbook laptops are also generating buzz. Now, Hewlett-Packard has a new entrant in the space, with its diminutive
Mini-Note, aimed at shoolchildren.