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(More customer reviews)USER BACKGROUND:
I've been involved with PC's since PC's came into existence. Through the years I've owned a wide range of notebooks from luggables, desktop replacements, to travel companions (currently I own a couple of 12" touch screen tablets and two HP 20" HDX media notebooks used as desktop replacements). I was ready for a new travel notebook and started to follow the evolving "Netbook" category. As in the past, I was faced with a substantial expenditure (several thousand dollars) to get one of the current higher end travel notebooks that would meet my general laptop requirements; a light, relatively powerful, good battery life and compact design. The evolving +/- $500 Netbook category piqued my curiosity and I started to read reviews and study the new product offerings including their upgradability potential, or lack thereof.
INTENDED USE:
In my experience, most air travelers use a laptop similar to myself, web browsing, email, and light office applications (word, excel, etc); or in other words the "Netbook" categories target market.
REQUIREMENTS:
On occasion I take long trips across the country (8 to 10 hour block to block) and I wanted my new purchase to provide a single charge that would last through that day's journey; no spare batteries or AC adapter in tow. A typical trip for me begins at the departure gate and firing up the notebook for a little catch-up computing while waiting for departure. Once airborne and settled in, I pull my notebook out for some on-board work. Upon arriving at my connection stop I either head to a travel lounge or the departure gate and get on-line once again. On the last flight leg, I'll generally pull out my notebook for some additional in-air use before getting to my destination.
My target requirements:
1.Light weight & Compact foot-print
2.Long battery life
3.10" - 12" screen size, 1024x600 minimum resolution and bright
4.Reasonable processing power for intended use
5.Windows XP Pro
6.2 GB of memory and a 320 GB 7200 rpm hard drive
MY NETBOOK SELECTION:
I purchased the "Samsung NC10" and I'M VERY IMPRESSED! I pre-ordered from Amazon.com and received the unit on 11/19/08. I settled on the white version since I'm not a fan of black keyboards which the NC10's blue and black color options sport. With the modifications discussed below, this little machine exceeds my overall expectations and is everything the various reviewers have analyzed and discussed to date. Most reviewers consider the keyboard on the NC10 the best in category, but since I'm not a touch typist that wasn't one of my hot buttons, however the key board is large, solid, and pleasant to use.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
The standard NC10 came closest to my purchase specs for light weight; it's under 3 lbs, long battery life; it seems Samsung's targeted 6 - 8 hours of battery life is doable (I've hit 6+ hours using disk, WiFi and toned down screen brightness). The 10.2" screen is very bright and clear with 1024x600 resolutions; it helps to auto-hide the taskbar to buy a little more screen real estate. The unit is very compact and like most Netbooks its projected area is smaller then an 8.5"x11" sheet of paper and the closed clamshell is 1" thick. The standard unit arrives with XP Home, 1 GB memory and a 160 GB 5400 rpm drive. The NC10 feels solid, build quality (inside and out) are excellent and out of the box the unit was responsive and fairly snappy. I have two WiFi access points in my home and the NC10's WiFi card picked both up with excellent reception and through-put; I also tried my Sprint USB broadband adapter with equally satisfactory results.
THE UPGRADES:
Like most engineering types; "If its not broke, take it apart and fix it anyway". I've read the reviews and knew the memory and hard disk could be easily be upgraded (given a little bit of prior experience and some hardware finesse). I went to my preferred parts supplier, Newegg, and purchased a 2GB stick of RAM for $32 and a 7200 rpm 320 GB disk drive for $100. I also picked-up a nice Netbook carrying case by Caselogic for $12 with my Amazon order. I used Apricon's EZ Upgrade Kit to image the units' standard 160 GB disk and then put it on the shelf as the failsafe backup. It took me about 10 minutes to take the unit apart and upgrade the components. I then prepared a Windows XP Pro DVD slipstreamed with SP3, repartitioned the disk, reinstalled the operating system and all the Samsung drivers and application software. Samsung did an excellent job of putting all the NC10's drivers and application software on their technical support web page. The overall result of these upgrades makes a noticeable improvement in overall performance. I'm very pleased with the final results for this tweaked, travel ready road machine (an example: standard boot time to WiFi connection is about 90 seconds, however I use hibernation on my notebooks and the machine will boot-up to WiFi connected status in 25 seconds).
NETBOOKS FUTURE:
I agree with many of the industry and media experts who have editorialized on the Netbook phenomena. Netbooks will continue to be a significant new growth segment in the overall notebook category. The manufactures have an interesting dilemma however; Netbooks will also continue to cut into sales of the higher margin, costlier tier of their notebook offerings. Feature creep is probably going to be the manufactures biggest marketing challenge; the temptation to seek product differentiation by adding larger screens, faster processors (central & graphics), more IO, etc., all tending to increase price, size, weight, and cut into battery life. If you examine your real world use and expectations you may have the same epiphany I have had; these little Netbooks are excellent solutions vs. the more expensive traditional notebook offerings. With a couple of easy inexpensive tweaks, the "Samsung NC10" is a home run!
Click Here to see more reviews about: Samsung NC10-14GBK 10.2-Inch Black Netbook - 6 Cell Battery
Small and incredibly functional, the Samsung NC10-14GBK netbook is a stylish alternative larger laptops when you want to stay connected and keep working but need to travel light. Weighing only 2.8 pounds, the NC10 netbook gives you the freedom to do that and more wherever you are. It incorporates a stunning 10.2-inch WSVGA SuperBright anti-glare screen and normal-size, ergonomic notebook-style keyboard that makes it easy to compose long documents on the go. And the NC10's ultra-durable Protect-o-Edge casing can easily withstand the stresses and strains of everyday life, making this netbook the ideal companion for a mobile lifestyle.
Designed especially for mobile devices, the 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 processor uses a brand new design structure new hafnium-infused circuitry, which reduces electrical current leakage in transistors to conserve energy and gives you more time away from the wall outlet--up to 6 hours with the included 6-cell battery.
It boasts a range of advanced communications technologies, including an Atheros 54g wireless LAN (802.11b/g) for fast Internet access, a 10/100 Ethernet wired LAN and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR for connecting to peripherals such as your cell phone. It also includes an integrated digital motion camera, so it's easy to stay in touch using video-conferencing or live messaging. Other features include 1 GB or RAM, a 3-in-1 memory card reader, VGA output for external monitors, and three USB ports.
It comes preinstalled with the Microsoft Windows XP Home operating system, which offers more experienced users an enhanced and innovative experience that incorporates Windows Live features like Windows Live Messenger for instant messaging and Windows Live Mail for consolidated email accounts on your desktop.
Processor The Intel Atom processor uses a brand new design structure that packs in 47 million transistors into a single chip sized at just 22mm (0.87 inches), and it uses just 2.5 watts of power--less than 1/10 of the 35 watts used by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor--for excellent battery management. This 1.6 GHz Atom N270 processor also includes a power-optimized front side bus of 533 MHz for faster data transfer on demanding mobile applications and a 512 KB L2 cache (which temporarily stores data).
Storage This version of the Samsung NC10 comes with a 160 GB hard disk drive (5400 RPM), which offers enough to room to hold a an extra-large digital audio library of and still have room left over for movies, games, and a large collection of software. This Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to Firewire and USB 2.0.
Memory The 1 GB of installed RAM can be expanded to a maximum of 2 GB of RAM,
Input You won't have to make compromises to stay productive with the NC10 netbook. The 93-percent full-size keyboard makes it easy to type no matter where you are.
Screen, Video and Audio The 10.2-inch screen has a WSVGA resolution (1024 x 600) and has a 220nit brightness rating. It also has an anti-glare finish for great viewing angles in all lighting conditions. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 945, which uses shared video memory with the main memory.
This notebook includes an integrated audio card with Microsoft DirectSound compatibility, and it includes two stereo speakers (1.5 watts apiece for a total of 3 watts of power).
Connectivity This Samsung NC10 notebook has an integrated 54g wireless LAN (Atheros) that's compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g networks--great for surfing at home on the couch or connecting to the Internet at hotspots around town. The Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.0 + EDR) enables you to communicate and synchronize with Bluetooth-enabled peripherals such as PDAs and cell phones. It has a multi-in-one card reader that's compatible with three different types of memory cards--Secure Digital (SD), Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC), and MultiMediaCard (MMC)--for maximum flexibility. Here's the full list of ports and external connections:
3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
Multi-in-one card reader supports SD, SDHC, MMC
1 VGA monitor port
1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack
RJ-45 port for 10/100 Fast Ethernet connection
DVD/CD Drive Because of its size, the Samsung NC10 does not come with an integrated optical drive, but optional CD/DVD read/write drives can be connected to the laptop via one of the three USB ports, enabling you to create your music mixes, burn movies to DVD, and more.
What's in the Box This package contains the Samsung NC10 netbook PC, rechargeable 6-cell lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a limited warranty for parts and labor for one year from date of purchase.
Click here for more information about Samsung NC10-14GBK 10.2-Inch Black Netbook - 6 Cell Battery
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