Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 reviewed – let down by keyboard & battery life
July 3, 2009 at 9:08 pm
As the name suggests the Lenovo Ideapad S10-2 is a refresh of the Ideapad S10. It improves on the S10 in a number of areas including a bigger keyboard and touchpad. It is also thinner, lighter and has a new textured lid design. Despite these improvements, it takes a backwards step by removing the Expresscard slot seen in the S10. It also has a glossy display compared to the matte display on the S10.
Laptop Mag has given the Lenovo Ideapad S10-2 netbook a thorough run through and whilst they thought it was a competent performer, it didn’t have the same appeal as some of its peers. They liked the performance, its lightweight form-factor, bright screen and the instant-on OS. However, it was let down by a poor keyboard and mediocre battery life. Overall, Laptop Mag scored it 3 stars out of 5 and preferred the Toshiba N205 and Asus Eee PC 1005HA, which offer better keyboards and longer battery lives. Check out the key review points after the break. Read more
Lenovo’s VIA Nano-powered Ideapad S12 now shipping
June 28, 2009 at 11:42 am
A few days back, Lenovo started to ship its 12.1-inch (1280 x 800) Ideapad S12 ‘netbook’. As was originally announced, several SKUs of the S12 were planned based on different processor/chipsets. The SKU currently shipping is the Intel Atom based model for $499. Now the VIA Nano powered model has also started to ship for $50 cheaper at $449.
This VIA model uses the Nano ULV 2250 processor that has a clock speed of 1.3GHz. It also uses VIA Chrome9 HC3 graphics. This compares to the 1.6GHz N270 Atom model including the 945GSE chipset and GMA950 graphics. All the other specifications remain the same.
Lenovo’s third SKU, is the one everyone is waiting for, the ION-powered S12. It is believed that this particular model has been moved back to the end of the year, maybe to coincide with the Windows 7 launch in late October.
Via Portable Monkey.
Lenovo Ideapad S12 ION delayed to Q4 2009?
June 26, 2009 at 12:04 am
The Lenovo Ideapad S12 netbook, in its vanilla Intel Atom form, was open to pre-orders just yesterday. The much anticipated ION version was not expected to hit stores until August or September, but Laptop Mag is now reporting that the release date has been put back until Fall. It is believed that the launch may have been put back to coincide with the release of Windows 7.
The ION version combines the Intel Atom N270 processor with Nvidia’s 9400M GPU. Laptop Mag had a chance to play around with the ION S12 and came back with positive impressions. They were able to play a 1080p trailer of the Dark Knight with very few dropped frames, all of this whilst transcoding another video clip in the background.
Interestingly, they claim that the ION version will cost $495, which is the same price that the Atom version is selling for now. Maybe, this means that the current SKU will fall in price by the time the S12 ION is released.
Lenovo’s non-ION Ideapad S12 netbook now shipping
June 24, 2009 at 11:45 pm
The Lenovo Ideapad S12 is now available directly from the Lenovo Store for $499.00. Before some of you get too excited, this is the Intel Atom version, rather than the ION SKU that has been creating all the waves. Disappointingly, it looks like Lenovo has upped the price from the initial announcement. The Atom SKU was meant to be $449, whilst the ION version was going to cost $50 more. This is likely to mean that the ION SKU will cost $549 when it gets released in August/September.
The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 sports a 12.1-inch (1280 x 800) display and is powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU plus 945GSE chipset and GSM950 graphics. It comes with 1GB RAM and various HDD options (160/250/320GB). Other features include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, three USB ports, card reader, ExpressCard slot, 6-cell battery and VGA out. The ION version will also come with a HDMI out. The Lenovo Store says that the S12 should ship in four weeks.
Via Engadget.
Acer, HP and Lenovo planning 12-inch multi-touch mini-notebooks?
June 19, 2009 at 10:53 am
There is no doubt that a number of manufacturers are planning to release touchscreen netbooks/notebooks in the fourth quarter, coinciding with the Windows 7 launch. From previous reports, we have heard that a number of panel manufacturers will ramp up production in the second-half of the year.
We are now hearing that Cando, which is a subsidiary of AU Optronics, has landed an order to supply 12.1-inch capacitive multi-touch panels to Acer, HP and Lenovo. According to Digitimes, these panels will start to ship in August, which could mean a year-end launch date for some of these models, although a H1 2010 release is more likely. Cando is the first touch panel manufacturer to receive certification or Windows 7 compatibility.
In related news, EETI (Egalax_empia Technology) is pushing for Windows 7 certification for 10.1-inch and 11.6-inch touch-panels. It is currently sampling touch panels based on analogue matrix resistive (AMR) and projective capacitive technology. The focus for Windows 7 netbooks and mini-notebooks will be on display sizes between 10 to 12-inch screens. It sees Windows 7 certification as a big driver to gain orders.
Lenovo Ideapad S12 ION hands-on impressions
June 18, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Lenovo’s upcoming ION-powered Ideapad S12 netbook is one of our most anticipated netbooks. It’s still unclear whether or not the S12 ION will arrive in Europe, but either way, it is likely to be a landmark launch for Nvidia’s chipset.
PC Pro has managed to get a first look at the S12 ION and they were left were positive impressions. The Ideapad S12 ION partners a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU with the Nvidia 9400M GPU. This boosts its performance over the normal Intel integrated chipset used (945GSE). The results speak for themselves. Encoding a 1080p movie trailer took just four minutes with the S12 compared to an equivalent Atom netbook that took 15 minutes.
Specs-wise, the 12-inch (1280 x 800) S12 includes 2GB RAM, rather than the 1GB normally bundled with netbooks. It also has a 320GB HDD and the version that PC Pro played with also came with HSDPA. The case felt very sturdy with the palm rest showing no flex. The display was also not prone to bending. The keyboard was comfortable to use and the touchpad was responsive. Hopefully, we look forward to more benchmark results on the S12 ION soon.
Lenovo Ideapad S10-2 gets unboxed
June 12, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Lenovo’s 10-inch Ideapad S10-2 is a refresh of the current Ideapad S10. It improves the S10 in a number of subtle areas including a bigger keyboard and touchpad, a new textured lid design as well as making the S10-2 both thinner and lighter. It also has optional 3G. The new model does lack an Expresscard slot which is disappointing.
The first unboxing pictures have been spotted over at the Netbook Philippines Forums. I really like the fancy new lid design that differentiates itself from the swathe of netbooks out there. The 6-cell battery does stick out unattractively, however Lenovo looks like they’ve made upgradeability a cinch.
There are two separate panel covers one of the RAM and one for the HDD/WI-FI and 3G modules. An empty PCI-E slot can be used to install a Mini PCI-E 3G modem, if you wish. The screen is glossy unfortunately, but apart from that it looks pretty good. Check out the unboxing pictures over at Netbook Philippines Forums.
Via Liliputing.
Lenovo Ideapad S12 ION to appear in Europe after all?
June 10, 2009 at 6:36 pm
We had previously reported that Lenovo’s Ideapad S12 will not see the ION version coming to Europe. However, it looks like Lenovo may have reversed that decision. Notebook Italia has had confirmation from Lenovo Italy that both the Atom and ION versions will be available at launch next month. The Atom version will start at €379, as we previously reported, but there is no price for the ION version for now. Let’s hope this arrives in the UK too, as it’s one of the models I’m most excited about.
In related news, for those wondering how ION performs on a Linux system, click over to phoronix who have a detailed performance test on an ION-powered ZaReason nettop.
In our last bit of ION news, JKKMobile got a chance to get hands-on with some ION-powered netbooks at Computex last week. He attempted to put Call of Duty IV through its paces, although he is not really a gamer so couldn’t give us an idea of resolution, settings, frame rate etc. However, from looking at the video you can tell it plays quite smoothly at what look like quite low settings. Check out the video below. Read more
New Nvidia ION products shown off at Computex
June 2, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Nvidia has announced 21 new ION-based products at the Computex Taipei show, including netbooks, nettops, desktop PCs and motherboards. From what we can tell, there seem to be very few netbooks being shown off incorporating the ION platform.
Ion is capable of not only 1080p video but 7.1 surround sound audio, DirectX 10 graphics and video acceleration and transcoding with NVIDIA’s own CUDA technology.
Apart from the previously announced Lenovo Ideapad S12, there is the Telecast TL-1000N and Weibu N10A. The latter two are ODM names that will likely be branded by some more familiar names, if they decide to sell these. However, Fudzilla found the build quality of these netbooks to be of “budget quality” and said they would be surprised if they turned up outside of Asia. You can check out a short video of these ION-powered netbooks after the break. Read more
Lenovo Ideapad S10-2 US orders now open
May 28, 2009 at 10:46 am
Whilst much of the recent Lenovo limelight has been focused on the ION-based Ideapad S12, for those wanting to stick with a 10-inch form factor, then the Lenovo Ideapad S10-2 might be right up your street. It’s a refresh of the existing Ideapad S10 that is thinner and lighter than the original and comes with a larger touchpad and keyboard, a fancy new lid design and optional integrated 3G.
Specs for the 10.1-inch (1024×600) netbook include a 1.6GHz N270 Intel Atom CPU, a 160GB HDD preloaded with Windows XP, Wi-Fi and a six-cell battery.
Lenovo has now opened up orders for the netbook on its US portal with prices starting from $439. Shipping is not expected for another 16 days but a pre-order may be worth it as using the code USPTS10SAVE gets you 10 percent off, dropping the price to $395 (with free shipping). The unit is available in black, grey, white and pink. There are no signs of UK pre-orders opening up right now, but the unit is expected to go on sale for £299 when they do.
Via Portable Monkey.
ION-based Lenovo Ideapad S12 NOT hitting Europe
May 25, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Okay, I know this is the fourth post today regarding the Lenovo Ideapad S12, but I see this launch as quite important given that it will be the first netbook to come with the ION-platform. However, I have some very disappointing news for us Europeans. The ION-based Ideapad S12 SKU will NOT be coming to Europe.
This has been confirmed to us by Adrian Horne, who deals with Lenovo’s media relations across the EMEA region. I find this news quite perplexing. A lot of the buzz today has surrounded the emergence of ION inside a netbook and the (hopefully) genuine improvement we’ll see over the typical Intel Atom platform. I’m sure there are a number of people that are genuinely excited by this release and will associate the S12 as the ‘ION netbook’. When it does launch here it may cause a lot of confusion with people expecting ION under the hood. Read more
Video: Lenovo Ideapad S12 hands-on roundup
May 25, 2009 at 3:51 pm
A few publications have already managed to preview the Ideapad S12 netbook that was announced today. We have attached some hands-on videos of the S12 below from Laptop Mag and GottaBeMobile (GBM). Some of the new things we learnt while watching the videos is that it will come with a glossy display which may put off some. Given the size of the chassis, it will come with some physical buttons that you don’t normally see on netbooks. This includes a wireless on/off switch, as well as a quick-start button for Splashtop (instant-on OS) and a one-touch button for backups.
The 100 percent keyboard was found to be very comfortable and the touchpad will come with multi-touch gestures. Upgradeability will also be no problem as there are separate access panels for both the HDD and RAM. We have also included a couple of extra videos from GBM which shows the ION versus Atom when it comes to HD video content and a comparison as to how Call of Duty IV fares too. Check out the videos after the break. Read more
Lenovo Ideapad S12 gets official – full specs & price revealed
May 25, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Following our earlier report, Lenovo has made the Ideapad S12 official. Our earlier article talked about netbook manufacturers moving to larger screens. Whilst it can be debateable whether a 12-inch device is a netbook or notebook, Lenovo picks no bones as to where it sees this device sitting. The press release refers to the S12 as the “company’s first 12-inch netbook”.
As we speculated this morning, the S12 will be available in three different chipset configurations. You will be able to buy it with the Atom (N270 + 945GSE) platform, ION platform or VIA Nano processor. The S12 will come with a 12.1-inch (1280 x 800) LED backlit display, 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD. Other features include wireless draft-N, Bluetooth, three USB ports, 4-in-1 card reader. The Atom and VIA versions will come with an Expresscard slot whilst the ION version will come with a HDMI video out. Read more
Lenovo Ideapad S12 is first ION-based netbook
May 25, 2009 at 9:33 am
A number of ION-based netbooks are expected to make an appearance at Computex Taipei on June 2nd, however it looks like Lenovo is pre-empting those announcements. According to PC Perspective, Lenovo will launch a new 12-inch netbook, called the Ideapad S12 that will be the first netbook to come with Nvidia’s ION platform. The Ideapad S12 will be powered by the ION platform, which comprises a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU and 9400M GPU.
Given the size, you won’t be surprised to see it supporting a full sized keyboard. The Ideapad S12 will come with three USB ports, VGA, a pair of audio jacks, Ethernet port, Kensington lock, card reader, webcam as well as an HDMI out. Read more
Lenovo Ideapad S10-2 will have HD screen option
May 19, 2009 at 8:51 am
High resolution screens are starting to appear in more and more netbooks. Whilst you won’t find this a standard feature in a 10-inch netbook, manufacturers such as Dell and HP offer this as an option in their Mini 10 and Mini 2140 netbooks respectively. Lenovo will also be doing the same with their Ideapad S10-2 that was announced last week.
Whilst the standard display has a screen resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, Lenovo plans an optional upgrade to a high-def resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. This resolution is slightly different to the 1366 x 768 resolution offered by Dell and HP. Some users have suggested that the higher-res displays found in the Dell Mini 10 and HP Mini 2140 may be a bit too small to read text easily. Lenovo’s choice of resolution may make it a bit easier in this regard, given its lower resolution.
Other options planned for the German market include an optional 32GB SSD drive and possibly, the faster 1.66GHz N280 CPU. It is unknown whether these options are planned for other markets.
Via NetbookNews.de.
Recent Comments