NetbookTech

The folks at LaptopMag have published two new netbook reviews on their site – one for the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t and one for the Samsung N210.

The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t is a convertible netbook with the following specs:

• Intel Atom N470 processor clocked at 1.83GHz
• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• 2GB of RAM
• 250GB 5400RPM SATA HDD
• 10.1 inch 1024 x 600 resolution display
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
• Ethernet
• Headphone/Microphone
• VGA port
• 2 USB ports
• 6 in 1 media card reader

A convertible netbook seems like a wonderful idea – except when you consider the Atom-processor really isn’t up to snuff with touch-operations. Here’s the verdict from LaptopMag:

”The S10-3t does some things right. It’s fairly light for a convertible, offers accurate touch input, and it has a comfortable keyboard. And, provided you get the 8-cell battery, you’ll see 7 hours of unplugged computing time. However, this machines’ sluggish performance and weak wireless range hold it back. If you want a netbook with touch capability, the S10-3t is worth considering, but this netvertible didn’t quite live up to our expectations.”

Read more of the review here.

Meanwhile, the Samsung N210 is the latest addition to Samsung’s fine lineup of netbook systems. The N210 is a Pinetrail enabled netbook featuring a unique scratch-resistant finish and instant-on capability with a widget-based user interface. Specs to the N210 include:

• Intel Atom N450 processor
• 1 – 2 GB of RAM
• 250GB 5400RPM SATA HDD
• 10.1 inch 1024 x 600 resolution display
• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Windows 7 Starter
• Ethernet
• Headphone and microphone port
• VGA port
• 3 USB ports
• 3 in 1 media card reader

What’s the verdict?

“The Samsung N210 offers solid overall performance, close to 7 hours of battery life, and an attractive design. We also like the matte screen and loud speakers. However, this machine faces stiff competition from the ASUS Eee PC 1001P, which costs $80 less and lasts nearly 90 minutes longer on a charge. And the $399 Toshiba mini NB305 offers a better touchpad/mouse button combo and longer endurance for not much more money. The N210 is good, but it’s not the best.”

$379 is a tough sell when you consider the competition is either cheaper or offering better battery life. Come on Samsung – get back into the ballgame here. Read more of the review here.

Ah good ol LaptopMag. You can always count on them to offer the very latest in netbook and laptop reviews. Their latest set of netbook reviews offer a peak into what to expect out of Intel Atom N450-powered netbooks. The N450 is at the heart of the new Pine Trail platform which includes a new Atom processor core with integrated graphics in the core and a new chipset with reduced power requirements. In short, Pine Trail appears to promise minimal performance gains while achieving noticeable power consumption savings.

The first of two reviews from the publication was the newly announced ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-P. Similar to the extremely popular ASUS Eee PC 1005HA, the new 1005PE-P offers a larger hard drive (250GB), a better keyboard, and of course, an incredible battery life – thanks in no small part to the new Pine Trail platform. Here’s a blurb from the summary:

“While Intel’s new Atom N450 processor doesn’t really improve performance, the extra endurance it provides will certainly be welcome among netbook users. At $379, this netbook is a bargain, undercutting the Toshiba mini NB205 by $20 while lasting longer on a charge. We give the edge to the NB205 because of its more comfortable touchpad and mouse buttons, but the 1005PE is a still a stellar value.”

The second review is of the new MSI Wind U135 netbook which offers an extremely competitive price of around $329 dollars while also featuring the new Atom N450 processor. Unfortunately it appears the U135 doesn’t quite have the battery life of its competition with LaptopMag timing battery life at around 5+ hours. That’s an incredibly poor showing for an MSI netbook.

An excerpt from the verdict says it all:

“If you can swing the extra $50, we recommend the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE and its 5 extra hours of work and play time. But, if you’re really watching the bottom line, the U135 is worth a look.”

If you’re considering the new Lenovo IdeaPad S12 netbook with the NVIDIA ION platform, you’ll want to check out the new reviews of the system by PC Magazine and LaptopMag. Both publications came to similar conclusions about the S12 with ION:

• Good video and graphics performance for a netbook
• Poor battery performance
• Expensive for a netbook

Interestingly enough, PC Magazine also found the IdeaPad S12 with ION performed a bit worse than the S12 without the ION platform. As an extreme example, SYSMark 2007 dropped a whopping 25 percent between models.

In any event, here’s the bottom line from PC Magazine for the system:

“The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 (Ion), Lenovo’s Ion netbook, finally ships with full support for 1080p, though battery life and speed take a hit.”

And here’s the conclusion from LaptopMag:

“There’s certainly a lot to like about the Lenovo IdeaPad S12-29595GU, including Ion graphics, a relatively large keyboard, ample RAM, OneKey backup, and lots of storage. However, the $649 asking price for this netbook on steroids is considerably higher than the similarly configured $574 HP Mini 311, which offers an hour of additional battery life. The HP Mini 311 offers the most bang for the buck, but the S12 with Ion is worth a look if you want a better keyboard/touchpad combo and instant-on functionality.”

A spacious keyboard, larger display, and better graphics just doesn’t seem compelling enough to warrant spending over $600 dollars for this system

There was so much promise with the ASUS Eee PC T91. Come on – what wasn’t there to like? A convertible netbook design with a touch-screen enabled display for under $500 dollars? Great idea right? Well yes.. idea was great – execution appears to have been poor unfortunately.

In the latest review of the T91, LaptopMag had this to say about the pokey T91:

“We give credit to ASUS for innovating; the touch features on the ASUS Eee PC T91 definitely break the netbook mold. However, its underpowered processor results in an underwhelming experience; screens take too long to open, and the lack of palm rejection is frustrating. Also, at $499, the Eee PC T91 is $100 more expensive than other netbooks that, while lacking a touchscreen, have larger 10-inch displays, and have batteries that last twice as long. Yes, the T91 is worth a look, but it’s not worth the wait.”

A closer look at the specs and you’ll quickly realize why the T91 is hobbled. First – there’s the processor. In an effort to save on power – ASUS used the Intel Atom Z520 processor clocked at 1.33GHz instead of the typical N270 or N280. Result? Poor performance. Then there’s the 8.9 inch form factor which leads to a small keyboard – not good. Finally, there’s no palm rejection – which means you’ll have to hold your hand a bit higher when writing on the display. Annoying.

On the flip side – we’re sure ASUS (and others) are hard at work at creating the next touch-screen netbook system so the T91’s failures are sure to be short-lived.

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The new Lenovo IdeaPad S12 is off to a rocking start with both PC Magazine and LaptopMag giving the new 12 inch netbook their “Editor’s Choice” award. Here’s what PC Mag has to say about the system:

“With the IdeaPad S12, Lenovo produces its best 12-inch netbook yet, but there’s a price premium above your average netbook.”

and LaptopMag’s comments:

“This 12-inch netbook has an excellent keyboard, very good speakers, and lasts just short of 6 hours on a charge.”

Of course the current iteration of the S12 lacks the NVIDIA ION platform so don’t expect anything stellar on the graphics front – but if you need a 12 inch display and a full sized keyboard, the S12 certainly is something to  look at.

Do we have a new king of 10 inch netbook systems in the Toshiba mini NB205? Based on this review of the netbook over at LaptopMag, it certainly appears so. The mini NB205, although late to the netbook party, appears to trump other netbooks in two key areas – battery life (8.5 hours according to LaptopMag), and keyboard size (nearly full sized).

A comfortable keyboard in the 10 inch form factor is very important for many users out there who don’t want to move to the larger 11.6 or 12 inch form factor just to get a more comfortable keyboard. But to get 8+ hours of power on top of that?? That’s just pure sweetness.

Here’s the verdict from LaptopMag (which gave the netbook its Editor’s Choice award):

“In creating its first netbook for the U.S., Toshiba has learned from the mistakes and successes of its rivals, and one-upped them all. Its mini NB205 has everything we’d recommend in a netbook: an attractive chassis, comfortable keyboard and touchpad, and more than eight hours of battery life for an affordable price. While Samsung’s N110 and ASUS’ Eee PC 1000HE continue to be good choices, Toshiba’s $399 mini NB205 provides an all-around solid package, and longer endurance than the competition.”

Here are the specs to the NB205:

• 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 processor
• 1GB of RAM upgradeable to 2GB
• 160GB 5400RPM SATA HDD
• 10.1 inch 1024 x 600 resolution display
• Intel GMA 950
• 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Ethernet, Headphone, Kensington Lock, Microphone, VGA
• 3 in 1 media card reader
• Measures 10.4 x 7.6 x 1.3 inches and weighs 2.8 pounds

And yes.. if you’re looking for the system right now, you probably can’t find it. The Toshiba website here mentions that the mini NB200 series will be available starting on June 23rd. You can sign-up for email reminders on their website.

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If the funky look of the Samsung N310 doesn’t appeal to you then perhaps the full size keyboard on the Samsung N120 will. I’ve been contemplating the N120 as a replacement for the NC10 for some time now although I must admit that the new Lenovo S12 is making me think twice about upgrading to the N120. In any case, those of you who are contemplating the N120 should check out LaptopMag’s new review here on their website. Here’s what they had to say:

“The Samsung N120 is one of the best netbooks we’ve tested this year, thanks to its roomy keyboard, long battery life, and loud speakers. With an MSRP of $439 (and a street price of $410), the N120 has a higher price than the MSI Wind U123, which gets more than 40 minutes of additional battery life for $60 less. The Samsung also costs about $20 more than the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE, which offers a stylish design and nearly as much endurance. Nevertheless, if such creature comforts as a large keyboard matter most to you, the N120 is a compelling choice.”

Before I forget – the specs to the N120 include your typical Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM (upgradeable to 2GB), 160GB HDD, 10.1 inch 1024 x 600 resolution display, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, Ethernet port, VGA port, 3 in 1 media card reader, and Windows XP Home Edition.

You can read more about the netbook here.

The folks at LaptopMag have published a new review of the Samsung N310 netbook here on their website. This is actually the first time we’ve heard of the N310 which is best described as Samsung’s first attempt at manufacturing a cool and stylish netbook. On the inside, you’ll find standard netbook components but on the outside, you’ll get smooth edges and rounded corners. According to LaptopMag, the entire design is basically “modeled after a pebble.” Inside, the specs include:

• Intel Atom N270 processor
• 1GB/2GB RAM
• 160GB 5400RPM HDD
• Intel GMA 950 graphics
• 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

So far so good… yet unfortunately the N310 has two things going against it – the price and the lowly 4 cell battery. Here’s the verdict from LaptopMag:

“.. its $479 price gives us pause. For $10 less you can snatch up the Editor’s Choice-winning Samsung N110, which provides double the battery life, though in a less appealing chassis. And for $70 more you can pick up the Samsung NC20, which provides a larger 12-inch display in addition to more endurance. But if style is at the top of your mobile computing list, the Samsung N310 is worth a look.”

It is important to note that Samsung DOES plan on offering a high capacity six cell battery for the N310.

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Missed this one ENTIRELY a few weeks back (chalk up to my lil vacation away from blogging). Following up on their successful NC10, Samsung has two additional netbooks on the horizon that are sure to dazzle – the NC110 and the NC120. Both netbooks offer better battery life than the NC10 while retaining the same processor – the Intel Atom N270. According to Samsung, the NC110 will have a battery life of around 9+ hours (though LaptopMag found it to be around 7+ hours) while the NC120 is expected to last around 10+ hours (maybe subtract 2 from this value?). 

Aside from the battery life changes, you’ll surely love the keyboards on the new netbooks. The NC110 features a 93 percent keyboard while the NC120 will feature a FULL SIZED keyboard. Yes.. you heard me right – a full sized keyboard for a netbook. There is a God.

Of course the NC10 already had an excellent keyboard so all of this is icing on the cake folks.

Additional specs on both new systems include an LED backlit display, a weight of around 2.8+ pounds, a 1.3 megapixel camera, memory card readers, three USB 2.0 ports, and Windows XP Home Edition.

Wondering what these netbooks will be like? Well if LaptopMag’s recent review of the NC110 is any indication, we expect these systems to be winners! The publication had this to say about the NC110 in their March 23rd review:

“Samsung’s updated 10-inch netbook continues to beat the competition with an improved touchpad and more than 7 hours of battery life.”

Good stuff.

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