With all the discussions about the upcoming debut of the iPad sometime in the next year, a lot of similar devices have gone under the radar without getting the attention that they deserve. Viliv netbooks are not as large as an iPad will be, but they are tablet/netbook hybrids worth talking about. I have always wondered whether you can call a device that does not come with a physical keyboard a netbook. After all, how would you differentiate between a tablet and netbook if they look exactly the same. Tablet/netbook hybrids are a bit smaller than those old tablet computers, and they are more energy efficient. But do they have a future?

A lot of people assume that just because Apple is interested in releasing its own tablet computer, tablets are going to be all of a sudden hot a again. We have been there and seen it all before. And we are going to see it all yet again. Many companies are now trying to get a jump start on Apple and use the buzz generated by the iPad to sell more units and get a foothold in the netbook/tablet market. But current tablet solutions are not good enough to let business folks or individuals get their work done on the go. Take Viliv for example. Viliv has made some shiny netbook/tablet hybrids that are not only easy to carry around but are highly capable. But since you do not have a keyboard on this device, you are going to find it difficult to type a blog post or write an article on the go.

For tablet/netbooks to be successful, they need to enable the consumers to get the best of both words. The temptation has always been to make everything touchscreen and let people write things with a stylus or by hand. But netbooks are more than entertainment devices, and if you intend to get any business related task done on the go, you are going to need larger screens (larger than 4.8″ anyway), and a convenient way to type on the go. And the prices need to be more reasonable. Apple can always sell a product due to its premium brand, and that won’t be the case with other manufacturers. So experts have every right to be skeptical about the future of the tablet market. For now, tablets still remain a niche product.