Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 Review

The Appearance
Yet another netbook it is, the S10-2 come in varying colors but the one with us today is the black version.

Processors

Intel® Atom™ Processor N280 (1.66GHz, 667MHz FSB, 512KB L2 Cache)

Operating system

Genuine Windows® XP Home

Memory

1GB DDR2 SDRAM

Hard drive

160GB SATA HDD (5400rpm)

Graphics

Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 945

Camera

Integrated 1.3 Megapixels

Sound

Integrated stereo speakers with Dolby® Headphone technology

Integrated Communications

802.1lb/g Wireless LAN Bluetooth, embedded 3G(optional)

Display type

10.1"(1024 x 600)LED backlight

Keyboard

Multi-touch Enabled Touchpad

Weigh

t1.25kg (with HDD and 6-cell battery)

Dimensions

258 x 183 x 18-25.4mm

Battery Life

Up to 6 hours (6-cell)

Expansion and Connectors

1* 4 in 1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS pro)3* USB2.0RJ45, VGA, Mic-In, Headphone (stereo)

Included Software

Lenovo Quick Start 1.0 VeriFace™ 3.0 OneKey™ Rescue System 6.0,Lenovo Energy Management Software 3.1,Norton Internet Security 2009, Adobe Reader 8.1, Windows Live Toolbar 3.0,Lenovo Social Shortcut 1.0

Colours

Available in Gothic Black, Trosted Pink, Pearl White and Moonlight Ash

The S10-2 is very similar to the hoards of other machines available. The S10-2 did manage to offer up nice battery life and performance nearer the top of the heap when it comes to netbooks, despite having the same basic hardware and features as every other machine out there.

If you are in the market for a new netbook and must have a well known brand name, the Lenovo S10-2 may be just what you want.

The main negative in the move from old to new is that the S10-2 lacks the S10's ExpressCard slot, which welcomed mobile broadband and other expansion options; instead, it catches up to competitors by offering three rather than two USB 2.0 ports. We'd rather have the ExpressCard slot, both for technology's sake and as a greater differentiator in the overcrowded, overly similar netbook arena, but Lenovo says an S10-2 configured with built-in 3G wireless will ship soon.

The only difference this time was that Lenovo had provided me a 3-cell battery unit, that halves the available computing time compared to that of a 6-cell unit. I was informed that the one on sale would be using 6-cell battery, which you can expect at least double what I’m experiencing with the 3-cell battery, which is about 2.5 – 3 hours.

Its touchpad is tiny (1.3 by 2.25 inches), with miniscule, stiff mouse buttons. The pad supports thumb-and-forefinger pinching and spreading gestures to zoom in and out of pages and images, but it doesn't give you much room to maneuver.

The nice thing in this S10-2 is it's brightly LED-backlit 10.1-inch panel with netbook-standard 1,024 by 600 resolution. Sunny even with the backlight turned down two or three notches, it provides vivid colors and crisp details.

The system interfaced well with 802.11g WiFi signals.

The rear mounted battery mean that many of the connector components are found at the side. On the right side, 2 USB port and power connector. There’s also a 4-in-1 card reader near the touchpad.

Quick Start and VeriFace are pluses, as is the IdeaPad's relatively low weight; its slightly cramped keyboard and touchpad are minuses; and its $349 price leaves us straddling the fence, as it's obviously a better deal than many $399 netbooks, but not so hot when models like Dell's Mini 10v sell for $299. A price cut would be the quickest way to earn our enthusiastic thumbs-up.