Hewlett-Packard Co., the No. 1 seller of personal computers worldwide, said Tuesday it’s throwing its weight behind a new class of miniaturized laptops, a fledgling market already populated with products from Intel Corp., the world’s largest semiconductor company, and Asustek Computers Inc., the world’s largest maker of computer motherboards

The machines are so new the industry hasn’t settled on a name for low-cost and scaled-down laptops used primarily for surfing the Internet and performing other basic functions like word processing.

Intel has labeled them “netbooks,” and it expects more than 50 million netbooks to be in circulation by 2011.

Planning a party for Super Bowl Weekend? Here are some simple ideas and tips that might make your get-together more fun (and easier on you as well):

1. Invest in a few foam “bad-call bricks” or foam footballs to throw at the TV so your guests can express their feelings about the refs — without doing damage to your house.

2. If you’re going to have guests who are rooting for different teams, consider establishing an imaginary line (or for fun, “draw” one with masking tape) down the center of the room. Decorate each side in one team’s colors or other team paraphernalia.