It looks like mini-laptops are going to be the next ‘big’ thing. Since the introduction of the “tiny” and low-cost ASUS Eee PC 700 series last year which many thought were cute little wonders, 2008 looks like the year these little ‘uns are coming of age.

ASUS themselves have recently launched a second generation of mini-laptops or now popularly known as netbooks that are more in tune with the need for performance, usability and mobility.

Not to be outdone, other major players such as Dell, HP, Acer, MSI and others are jumping on the mini-laptop bandwagon, too.

Thanks to the release of the Atom processor by Intel which is designed specifically for such laptops, the floodgate is open to inundate the mini-laptop market segment.

MSI jumped into the fray in August with the Wind U100, being the first to incorporate the new Intel chip. Weighing in at 1.18kg, it’s a delightful little machine that your girlfriend can drop into her handbag while she’s on the move.

The Wind U100 comes with a 10″ Super-TFT screen and with a good-size keyboard you’ll be quite at home with your fingers. Running on Windows XP with a state-of-the-art Intel Atom N270 processor @ 1.6GHz, along with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Ethernet, and an 80GB hard disk to boot, this little wonder may not be a powerhouse portable, but for basic computing, it’s a great deal.

A buddy of mine, who likes to hang out at some cafes to do his surfing and writing, bought one — a black 9″ screen version — recently. It goes without saying that he was pleased with the Wind netbook. So far, no complaint.

Right now, I’m using a fairly new Acer Aspire 4530 that comes with a 14″ screen, but I’d think I may want to get an MSI netbook, too, with a 10″ screen which I can lugged about wherever I go. I like the “weightless” feel of it.

However, there is one snag at the moment. I was told MSI are only bringing in the white-coloured version when I checked at my favourite computer store. I’d rather prefer a black one. So I have to wait.

Enter the ultra-portable Lenovo

Now, the good news is that Lenovo are moving into the mini-laptop segment, too. They have just made available in Malaysia the IdeaPad S10 netbook which is priced at RM1,999.

This is a 10-inch netbook running the 1.6GHz Intel Atom chipset, same as the MSI Wind or ASUS Eee PC 1000H and it is preloaded with Microsoft Windows XP.

Guess I’m having some ‘evil’ thoughts about ditching the idea of getting a Wind and, instead, go for the Lenovo IdeaPad S10. It comes in three colours – white, black and red (or pink?).

Here’s the press release info on the IdeaPad S10:

• Integrated 1.3M Camera
• 2 stereo speakers
• Multi-touch Pad & near full size Keyboard (85% full size)
• Integrated Wireless 802.11 b/g,10/100 Ethernet, Bluetooth
• Express card slot for WWAN expansion
• Up to 2-GB Memory
• 4in1 Multi-card Reader
• Form factor: 250.2 x 183 x 22-27.5mm, lightest configuration of 1.1 kg
• Large Panel 10.2” wide, LED backlight 1024×600 WSVGA
• Intel Integrated Graphics GMA 950
• Intel N270 CPU 1.6 GHz & Intel 945GSE Chipset
• Large HDD capacity 160G 9.5mm 2.5” SATA HDD (5400 rpm)
• Battery up to 3 hours with 3-cell battery, and up to 6 hours with 6-cell battery

And enjoy these two video takes about the S10: