Smaller and low-cost notebook personal computers with limited functions, now known as netbooks, are fast becoming a favorite among users worldwide who simply want a low-cost lightweight PC to browse the Web and handle e-mail.

With Sony Corp. releasing one this month, netbooks have now been embraced by major Japanese PC makers including Toshiba Corp., NEC Corp. and Fujitsu Ltd.

As of June, netbooks accounted for 33.1 percent of the total market share in terms of notebook computer sales, compared with 6.6 percent a year earlier when netbooks began entering the market, according to data by Tokyo-based market research firm BCN Inc.