Netbook Review – Acer, Asus Netbook Review

Lenovo S10-2 Netbook Review – Top Features

• Sleek New Design – The S10-2 is slimmer and lighter by 0.44 lbs than its predeccsor. It’s smoothed surface give it a much more integrated look and the glossy cover doesn’t scratch easily. We really like the interiors as well.
• Updated Keyboard – The all new 89% keyboard is a welcome upgrade. The keys are well spaced out and there is now a larger shift key placed where we all like it; under the Enter key. The board is devoid of any flex and typing is much more enjoyable.
• Touchpad – This is a sore point with a lot of netbooks, but not the S10-2. The touchpad is smooth and the traction of our fingers wasn’t forced. The buttons responded well and there was minimal feedback.
• Above Average Performance – The S10-2 played 720p videos with only a tiny bit of intermittent hazing, and the bootup and shutdown times were exemplary.

Lenovo S10-2 Netbook Review – Drawbacks and things to keep in mind

• Jutting out battery – The large battery juts out significantly, and spoils an otherwise aesthetic design.
• Price Point – Now ordinarily we’d say the price tag of under $320 makes this a good value-for-money buy, and it is. It’s just that other netbook makers have dropped the prices of their netbooks with Acer’s AOD250 now down to under $300. That gives the S10-2 some tough competition.
• Nothing stands out – There’s nothing wrong with this netbook. But it doesn’t do anything special, and in a market that’s already congested with clone-like products we feel Lenovo may have missed a trick.

Lenovo S10-2 Netbook Review -Ratings

1. Price and Value for money – 0.75 Star. This would have have received top marks if we did this review last week, but we think the recent drops in netbook prices are here to stay.
2. Speed and Performance – 0.75 Star. The S10-2 features an Intel Atom N270 Processor and 1GB of RAM. It performs adequately but not spectacularly.
3. Screen – 0.75 Star. The 1024×600 LED display has a good range of colors, but isn’t that great with its viewing angles, both horizontally and vertically.
4. Keyboard, Touchpad, Useability – 0.75 Star. The keyboard is among the nicer ones out there and the touchpad is decent. However it lacks multi-touch functionality, a feature that we feel is close to becoming a norm.
5. Portability and Battery Life – 0.75 Star. This netbook lasts about 6 hours which is a decent runtime, and it’s quite light as well.
6. Looks and Design – 1.0 Star. Definitely one of the best looking netbooks out there.
7. Connectivity and Extensibility – 0.75 Star. Port selection is average compared to other netbooks, with three USB ports, audio jacks, LAN, VGA, and a Kensington Lock slot. Lenovo also includes a wireless on/off switch, SDHC multi-card slot, and an open internal mini-PCIe slot (probably for WWAN).

This gives the  S10-2 an overall rating of 5.5 out of 7 Stars.

Lenovo S10-2 Netbook Review – Our Recommendation

The Lenovo S10-2 is an improvement by leaps and bounds over its predecessor. It looks great and performed whatever tasks we asked of it quite comfortably. The real question here is what does it have that the ASUS 1005HA, the Acer AOD250 or the Samsung N130 doesn’t and we’re stumped here. But as is, Lenovo have put forth a worthy competitor and you won’t go wrong by buying this one.

Lenovo S10-2 Netbook Review – What have buyers on Amazon said?

Pros:

1. “It has an quick boot option that puts you on the web or skype or im in less than 30secs, this option is so handy.”
2. “Screen is bright and crisp! Battery life is awesome. Touchpad works very well.”
3. “The screen is amazing!! As a self proclaimed gadget geek, as always I research and research before purchasing a product. For the price and what you get, you won’t get a better value on a netbook.”

Cons:

1. “Keyboard is a little cramped but very usable.”
2. “The glossy black color is pretty bad with fingerprints.”

Lenovo S10-2 Netbook Review – Technical Specifications

• OS: Windows XP Home
• CPU: Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor
• RAM: 1GB DDR2 SO-DIMM RAM
• Storage Space: 160GB SATA HDD (5400rpm)
• Screen: 10.1 inch 1024×600 LED display, Intel GMA 950
• Connectivity: 3 USB ports, Ethernet jack, Headphone & microphone slot, VGA, 4-in-1 card reader, 802.11b/g WLAN
• Battery: 6 cell Li-Ion battery
• Weight: 2.6 lbs