NbC: Cool Bananas Hard Cover Netbook Case Review
July 9, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Netbooks are designed with portability in mind. A growing market of netbook sleeves, cases and bags are now becoming available to protect your netbook when on-the-road. Whilst sleeves do a good job of keeping the dust out and protecting against scratches, they won’t save your netbook if dropped. However, we do have one case here that should do a good job of protecting your beloved netbook against bumps and knocks.
The Cool Bananas Hard Cover netbook case was kindly sent over by GearZap, who are a specialist retailer of netbook and laptop accessories. They have an extensive catalogue of products and deliver across Europe. Our case impressively arrived in just one day. This particular case should fit any netbook between 8.9-inches to 10.2-inches. The Cool Bananas Hard Cover Netbook Case is available in five different colours (Black, Navy Blue, Brown, Red and Pink) and costs £21.95. GearZap apply a small delivery charge on top of this depending on whether shipping is to the UK or mainland Europe. Read more
Asus Eee PC 1101HA reviewed – hindered by poor performance
July 6, 2009 at 6:18 pm
The Asus Eee PC 1101HA is the company’s first foray into 11.6-inch netbook territory. We were quite fond of the form-factor when getting hands-on a couple of weeks back. It didn’t feel significantly bigger than the 10-inch models and that space has been put to good use, including a full-sized keyboard and high resolution (1366 x 768) display. Our main concern was that the 1.33GHz Z520 Atom CPU would not do the screen justice, especially as a 1.6GHz Z530 Atom SKU is ruled out for now.
Cnet UK has posted the first review of the Eee PC 1101HA and it seems our fears were well founded. The Acer Aspire One 751 was criticised for not having enough grunt (it also used a Z520 Atom) and the same negative point has been levied at the 1101HA. Whilst Cnet liked the comfortable keyboard, high-res screen and excellent battery life, they felt it had been let down by “rubbish processing power”. They scored it 7.0 overall.
However, it sounds like they didn’t play around in the BIOS too much as we know that the 1101HA can be overclocked by as much as 32 percent. Even boosting this by 25 percent would put the performance on par with a 1.66GHz N280 Atom netbook. Obviously there will be an impact on battery life, but at least the option is there for those who want it. The key Cnet review points are after the jump. Read more
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
Gateway’s 11.6-inch LT3103u gets reviewed
June 28, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Gateway’s AMD Athlon-powered LT3103u netbook was officially launched earlier this week and it appears it has already hit retail. Scott Carmichael from Gadling spotted the 11.6-inch netbook in a BestBuy store and promptly took it home to give it a run through. The version sold included 2GB RAM and a 250GB HDD and cost a reasonable $399.
The Gateway LT3103u is powered by an AMD Athlon 1.2GHz L110 processor along with discrete graphics in the form of an ATI Radeon X1270 GPU. Carmichael found that the LT3103u had no problems in playing a 720p mkv file, although the 1080p didn’t fare too well, as expected. The 11.6-inch high-resolution (1366 x 768) LED backlit display is said to be crisp and bright. Other features include Wi-Fi (b/g), 0.3MP webcam, 3-in-1 card reader and three USB ports. Read more
Asus Eee PC 1005HA Seashell Review Roundup
June 23, 2009 at 11:38 pm
The Asus Eee PC 1005HA netbook was officially launched in the US market today. Two SKUs have been announced, the 1005HA-V and 1005HA-P. The 1005HA-V comes with the 1.6GHz N270 Atom processor, a smaller capacity 6-cell battery and no Bluetooth. The 1005HA-P has the faster 1.66GHz N280 processor, a higher capacity 6-cell battery and Bluetooth. Overall, the Eee PC 1005HA is part of the Seashell family and therefore shares the design seen in the super-thin 1008HA Seashell.
It differs mainly be having a removable battery as well as a full-sized VGA port. You won’t find any flaps covering the ports on the 1005HA either. To account for the removable battery, the 1005HA is marginally heavier and thicker than the 1008HA. A number of publications released their reviews of the 10-inch Eee PC 1005HA netbook today. Read more
Asus Eee PC 1002HAE tested
May 27, 2009 at 5:00 pm
The Asus Eee PC 1002HAE is a pretty refresh of the 1002HA, which comes with an aluminium skin, chiclet keyboard and the faster 1.66GHz N280 Atom CPU (the 1002HA has a N270 Atom). Portable Monkey has reviewed the Eee PC 1002HAE and it seems that there are other minor changes too that affects the overall proposition.
Upgradeability is made difficult as the screws on the access panels have been plugged which makes them difficult to lift without damaging the case (or at least without the right tools). The battery should last around three to four hours, acceptable but other models are now pushing battery lives double this. This battery sits at the front of the netbook, which will mean higher capacity batteries will cause it to tilt backwards. Also, there are some instances of flex on the keyboard and despite having an aluminium exterior, the weight wasn’t found to be different to the 1002HA.
On the positive side, the netbook has good build quality, with relatively lightweight chassis. The display is matte, which automatically earns it brownie points. The large touch-pad allows for multi-touch gestures and the whole device runs cool and quiet. The Eee PC 1002HAE is only available in Japan for now. Click through for the key review points after the break. Read more
MSI Wind U115 Hybrid gets reviewed
May 21, 2009 at 6:55 pm
THE MSI Wind U115 Hybrid netbook has already seen a soft launch in the UK, where it is available from a few retailers. Right on cue, we’ve come across the first review of MSI’s unique netbook that comes with both SSD and HDD storage options, hence the ‘Hybrid’ name. Reg Hardware put a silver Wind U115 through its paces and came away very impressed, that is if you don’t consider its price tag.
The Wind U115 does come at a premium, but that is down to the Hybrid (HDD/SDD) storage solution and Intel’s latest Poulsbo chipset. To enhance battery times, the HDD can be disabled. The UK SKU comes with a 160GB hard-disk drive plus a 8GB solid-state drive, although 16GB SSD + 120GB HDD options are also on the way. Power efficiency is also helped by using a Z series Atom processor.
The battery tests showed that it offered the longest battery life (whether you disable the HDD or not) and good performance from the 1.6GHz Z530 Atom CPU. However, they felt it didn’t offer good value for money. At £450 it is significantly more expensive than its predecessor and placing it in the same price bracket as the luxurious Asus S101, which comes with a 32GB SSD and is much slimmer than the Wind U115. Click through for the key review points. Read more
NbC: Samsung N120 Review
May 18, 2009 at 9:32 am
In our view, two of the most important considerations when buying a netbook are the keyboard and battery life. Samsung has ticked both of these boxes with the N120; it provides one of the least compromised experiences yet found in a 10-inch netbook. The wonderful full-sized keyboard offers good tactile feedback and keys that are located in the right places. Accommodating this keyboard leads to a big (ugly) bezel around the screen, but Samsung has made the most of this by placing speakers on either side of the screen. The sound quality is some of the best seen, although that does not mean it is the loudest.
Many netbook manufacturers are now looking at battery life to provide the ‘all day computing’ experience that many consumers crave. The Samsung N120 delivers on this front and should easily last 7 -8 hours whilst web browsing or using Office. On our tests, it didn’t last quite as long as the Asus Eee PC 1000HE, but there wasn’t much in it. However, how does the Samsung N120 fare as an overall package? Read on for our detailed review where we run some comprehensive performance and battery tests as well as address some issues that are worth pointing out to potential buyers. Read more
First Asus Eee PC T91 review hits the web
May 14, 2009 at 11:26 am
TechRadar has this morning released the first review of the much anticipated Asus Eee PC T91 netbook. The 8.9-inch convertible tablet is probably one of our most eagerly awaited netbooks and judging by the review, it won’t disappoint. TechRadar says that the T91 “genuinely moves things forward” in the netbook space and the only factor that could hinder its success will be its price. They also confirmed that the T91 is expected to launch at the beginning of June.
It’s worth noting that the review was based on a pre-production sample so there may be a few differences come the final retail release. This is probably the reason that they found the Asus Easy Mode touch interface still needing a bit of polishing. Other than that, the T91 was found to have a comfortable keyboard, an excellent touchscreen display as well as a reasonable battery life of over 3 hours.
Unfortunately, it looks like the T91 is taking a leaf out of the 1008HA’s book by having a non-removable battery. The touchscreen display also means that fingerprint smudges are something you just have to get used to. The Asus Eee PC T91 is expected to hit the UK at a £449 price point. This is certainly not cheap, but the T91 is placed in a unique position with few competitors. TechRadar awarded the T91 an impressive four and a half stars. Check out the key review points after the jump. Read more
Toshiba Dynabook UX (aka NB200) netbook tested
May 10, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Toshiba Japan’s Dynabook UX, the company’s first 10-inch netbook, is also known as the NB200 in Western markets. The Dynabook follows on from the 8.9-inch NB100 netbook and according to some, could go on to become a best-seller for Toshiba. Portable Monkey has followed its initial impressions of the Dynabook with a full review.
The model they played with corresponds to the Toshiba NB200-11H SKU planned for the UK market costing £366.85, bar the 6-cell battery. This is not the top of the range SKU, that accolade goes to the Toshiba NB200-10Z (Brown) and NB200-110 (White) which both include Bluetooth for a few pounds extra.
As we have seen with recent previews, build quality was above par compared to other netbooks. The chiclet keyboard was found to be very good, although not quite as good as the one seen on the Asus Eee PC 1000HE. The touchpad was nice and large with the mouse buttons having good responsiveness. Battery life on the 3-cell lasted a commendable 3.5 hours. One of the main negative points was a very low sound volume from the speakers. Check out the key points after the break. Read more
Samsung N110 netbook reviewed – worthy successor to NC10
May 8, 2009 at 9:33 am
Whilst there is still little sign of the Samsung N110 making on appearance on UK shores, TrustedReviews managed to take one for a spin. The Samsung N110 is effectively a light refresh over the best-selling NC10 netbook. Its improvements include an expanded touchpad and a higher capacity 6-cell 5900mAh battery (versus 5200mAh in the NC10) that should give 9.5 hours of continuous use according to Samsung.
The design is also slightly different with a glossy lid and red trim. The other main change is that the N110 will come with a glossy display as opposed to the matte one found in the NC10. Other than that, its specs are fairly similar. The N110 is powered by a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU and 1GB RAM. It also has a 160GB (5,400 rpm) hard-disk drive. It also comes with Wi-Fi (b/g), Bluetooth and Windows XP Home SP3.
TrustedReviews found that the Samsung N110 to be one of the best netbooks money can buy, offering a good keyboard, strong build quality, excellent battery life and attractive styling. Whilst current NC10 owners may not have anything to compel them to upgrade, those currently in the market will have a lot to find here. Overall they scored they the N110 9/10, if you head over to the site they also have a video review up. Click through for the key points of the review. Read more
Samsung N310 reviewed – hindered by price & battery life
May 7, 2009 at 11:14 pm
What Laptop has come out with the first review of Samsung’s N310 netbook. Whilst they lauded the netbooks unique design, they felt it didn’t quite sit right when looking at its price/performance ratio. At 1.2kg, portability was distinctly average, but what really hindered the overall proposition was a battery life lasting just 2 hours and 28 minutes.
Given the emphasis on battery life by most manufacturers nowadays this just doesn’t cut the mustard. Judging by today’s earlier Asus Eee PC 10008HA reviews, performance doesn’t have to be sacrificed for a sexy design. The review doesn’t state what conditions this battery life was achieved so we’ll reserve judgement until we get a chance to test the 4-cell 4400mAh lithium ion battery ourselves.
On the more positive side, they loved the pebble (chiclet) keyboard, with decent spacing between keys and a comfortable typing experience. Overall they rated the Samsung N310 7/10. Check out a summary of the review after the jump. Read more
Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell review roundup
May 7, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Whilst Asus’ Eee PC 1008HA Seashell netbook is not set to hit UK retail until May 15, two reviews have already popped up, from TrustedReviews and What Laptop. The general theme across both reviews was positive with What Laptop viewing the Seashell as a “compelling proposition” which offers excellent mobility with the main negative point being the lack of ports.
TrustedReviews believes that the 1008HA Seashell is a very refined and classy netbook that offers excellent battery life. The non-replaceable battery may hinder some, but for others, the 1008HA may be worth the premium due to the fact that Asus has created a slim and light netbook without sacrificing functionality. TrustedReviews awarded it 9/10. We hope to be receiving a review sample at some point soon. Click through for a full summary of both reviews. Read more
Acer Aspire One 751 reviewed – beauty only skin deep
May 6, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Pocket-Lint has posted the first English review of Acer’s 11.6-inch Aspire One 751 netbook. Now whether one classifies an 11.6-inch device as a netbook rather than notebook is debateable. However, considering that Acer has bunched the 751 with the Aspire One family and Asus will be doing tagging their rumoured 11.6-inch device to its Eee line, it’s a definition that consumers should get used to.
Overall, whilst they loved the design decisions made by Acer, which includes striking angles in a skinny form-factor, they felt it was let down by a poor keyboard and weak performance. Whilst they welcomed the higher resolution not normally seen in netbooks at 1366 x 768 pixels, they felt it was underpowered, limiting the ability to watch HD content. They awarded the 751 a 6/10 and felt that “it looks great out and about, but has so many issues, it is a nightmare to live with“. Check out the key points of the review after the jump. Read more
NbC: Asus Eee PC 1000HE Review
April 28, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Let’s cut to the chase, the Asus Eee PC 1000HE is one of the best netbooks that money can buy today. The 1000HE improves on its predecessor, the 1000H, in several ways. It comes with a chiclet style keyboard, enhanced battery life as well as a faster processor. The sheer number of features that the 1000HE offers at a very competitive price point is what sets it apart. This combined with a superb battery life makes it well worth your consideration.
However, it is not all roses. Whilst as an overall package, we feel that the 1000HE is one of the better netbooks on the market, it is by no means perfect. There are a number of issues we have with the 1000HE, however most are minor niggles and do not detract from our overall positive impressions. Read on for our full, detailed review including some comprehensive performance and battery tests. Read more
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