Netbooks, small laptop computers with more limited memory and features, look likely to be big sellers this year as all the big manufacturers jump onto one of the only consumer electronics bandwagons still rolling.

Sony, Dell and Hewlett-Packard have watched while Acer and Asus have captured chunks of the computer notebook market. This week Acer and Asus have increased their predicted sales volumes for 2009 after experiencing strong sales of their netbook in the US in December.

Acer sold a half million Aspire one units in the US in December alone, and the company now expects to sell 12 to 13 million of the small, low-cost notebooks before the end of this year. Based in its strong sales of Eee PCs in late 2008, Asus now predicts it will ship over 7 million netbooks this year.

About one in five consumers who plan to purchase a new computer in the next year say they will spend less on their next PC in light of current economic conditions, according to November data from Forrester Research.

Much of that reduced budget may be devoted to netbooks. About 21 million netbooks may ship this year, compared with 11 million last year, says research company IDC.

British manufacturer Elonex has also said it plans to sell its notebooks in M&S next month, hoping that its cheap, 'handbag size' laptop computers will appeal to women buyers. Nick Smith, the chief executive of Elonex, said there is a gap in the lower-end of the market waiting to be exploited.

"This year all the big boys are clambering to get into this market, and undoubtedly it will flourish in the downturn, with people on a budget," he said. "Our netbooks are for people who want a better Blackberry, with a proper screen and keypad."

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week manufacturers will introduce a heap of devices of different shapes, sizes, and prices - everything from netbooks that cost less than $200, to high-end miniature machines that cost more than $1,000 and function as a phone, internet access device and media player.

At the cheap end, netbooks seem likely to get even cheaper. Mobile phone chipmaker Freescale has announced a set of semiconductors that could running sub-$200 netbooks by Christmas 2009.

Hewlett-Packard has a new netbook, the $499 HP Mini 2140, features a 10.1-inch screen and a keyboard that is 92 percent of the size of a full-size model. The 2140 weighs 2.6 pounds with a four-hour-plus battery. It will run on Intel Corp's low-power Atom processor.

HP was late to catch on to the netbook phenomenon and there is plenty of concern in the industry that netbooks will cannibalize the segment and pressure margins. HP spokesman Mike Hockey was clear that HP views the ultra-portable device as a "companion" PC, not a substitute for a larger computer.

British manufacturer Elonex has said it plans to sell its notebooks in M&S next month, hoping that its cheap, 'handbag size' laptop computers will appeal to women buyers. Nick Smith, the chief executive of Elonex, said there is a gap in the lower-end of the market waiting to be exploited.

"This year all the big boys are clambering to get into this market, and undoubtedly it will flourish in the downturn, with people on a budget," he said. "Our netbooks are for people who want a better Blackberry, with a proper screen and keypad."

The most eagerly anticipated netbook launch will be Sony's new Viao range Picturebook. But this will be aimed firmly at the higher end of the market. Reports indicate the new device will boast an impressive array of specs - 1.33GHz Atom Z520 processor, 2GB of RAM, a standard HDD with optional SSD, GPS, and a 3G card, and will launch at around £600.

Manufacturers also plan to introduce touchscreen models, creating a potential alternative to tablet PCs, which, despite numerous predictions, have never really taken off.

Intel and its manufacturing partners is set to announce its first attempt at touchscreen netbooks and Asus has just unveiled the Asus T91 netbook. Just 2lbs in weight, it features an 8.9" convertible touchscreen display and Atom processor. There are no pricing or availability details yet.

There have also been rumours that Apple is working on a touchscreen notebook, based on the success of the iPod Touch and the iPhone. But nothing is expected to launch until much later this year.

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