The netbook market is still maturing and many new micro-niches are popping out of nowhere. We already know there is a huge demand for netbooks in the business community. But a lot folks are looking at netbooks as perfect machines for the younger generation. You can’t just buy a HP netbook and expect your kids to get the most out of it. The design challenge with kid-friendly netbooks is a bit different. You are going to need a shock-proof, tough netbook that can stand abuse. And one shouldn’t forget about the learning opportunities that netbooks can provide to your kids, which is why it’s essential for kid-friendly netbooks to come with proper learning software packages.

Archos Classmate is a shock proof netbook that can stand abuse and comes with proper learning software packages to let your kids get the most out of their netbooks. It’s not the first kid-friendly netbook, and it won’t be the last. But it’s certainly an indication for where this market is headed.