After receiving a fair share of negative criticism, Microsoft has announced that it will remove the three-application limit which plagued the Windows 7 Starter edition. As reported previously, the Starter edition will primarily be targeting the netbook sector. A post on the Windows Team Blog added that the company believes the changes will amplify interest in those who want a "small notebook PC" for the essentials such as checking email and web browsing.
Nevertheless, Windows 7 Starter will still lack a significant breadth of features present in the mainstream 7 editions. Among them are the Aero Glass interface, DVD playback, Windows Media Center, Remote Media Streaming, XP Mode, and even the ability to change your desktop background image or window colors. Given the rising consumption of netbooks, their prices and feature-sets are transcending the previously distinct netbook/notebook border. Among other advances, with the introduction of Nvidia Ion netbooks, 1080p playback will be possible.
The limitations shouldn't be a burden if you don't rely on your netbook in the way that most would a desktop. In retrospect, though, I have seen positive reports from users running the Release Candidate on their netbooks, so upgrading from Starter should be an option if you're feeling smothered.