Acer Review, Asus Review – Netbook 10

The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 is a thinner, lighter update to the 10″, Lenovo IdeaPad S10 netbook with a “nice”-looking chassis and marginally better performance. At $349, it’s a fairly decent choice. Let’s see how it compares to the S10 and to other netbooks out in the market.

[Rating:4.5/7]

Features
* Great performance – It’s fast, functional, reliable, and can do anything (mostly) that you want a netbook to do. If there’s anything that can sell the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2, it’s how this baby can out-perform a lot of its competitors on netbook tests when it comes to speed and performance.

* Smaller, thinner, lighter – Maybe the “2″ added to the moniker isn’t just because it came second. Relative to the Lenovo IdeaPad S10, the S10-2, is a slimmed down version, with 0.2 pounds and 0.2 inches (at its thinnest point) shaved off the dimensions of the original S10.

* Larger Keyboard and Touchpad – Again, relative to the Lenovo IdeaPad S10, the S10-2 has a bigger keyboard with larger keys, 89% to the S10′s 85%. The keys are much larger which makes typing much more comfy. The touchpad supports multi-touch gestures and can zoom in and out of web pages and pics by pinching.

* Better Screen – The 10.1″ screen of the Lenovo S10-2 can compete with other netbooks, with it’s 1024 x 600 resolution, with bright images. The screen is glossy though, but not too glossy you’d see yourself reflected.

* Decent battery life – Decent battery life is decent battery life. With continuous WiFi on, the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 can last for about five hours. Still not the 6 hours promised, but not a bad performance at all.

Drawbacks
* The Look - It looks slick and different, but many thinks that the S10-2 chassis is a big step backwards for Lenovo. Personally, I don’t get the design. It reminds me of a gift box I bought one Christmas that was all shiny and tinsel-y. The lid is made from glossy plastic with psychedelic circle-patterned design and the hinge looks unreliable.

* The Bulk of the Batt – While the thinness is an attractive feature in any netbook, the S10-2 designers seemed to have forgotten that the netbook would need batteries to run. A 6-cell batt at the back of the netbook looks absolutely out of place, making the netbook look like an hunchback.

* The Lack of an ExpressCard 34 Slot – Many netbooks, including the original S10 has one, so isn’t it a wonder why the updated version doesn’t? It also does not have Bluetooth capabilities.

* Keyboard is not large enough – While it’s a plus when compared to the original S10, it’s a drawback when placed side by side with competitors. What’s an 89% keyboard sized compared to let’s say, an Asus Eee PC1005HA (our review of which you can read here) and it’s 92% keyboard. The touchpad, while better than the S10, is also still smaller than most and isn’t very responsive. You have to have a firm and for it to register a gesture.

* The Quick Start software – It’s a Lenovo-branded Instant-On software that’s easy and attractive if I say so myself, but I consider it a drawback since it’s a pre-boot software, and for an add-on and apps junkie, I couldn’t add any. Embedded apps include a web browser, photo viewer, Skype, and music player, but I wouldn’t be able to add any add-on or plug-in to the web browser.

Rating – 4.5/7

Value for Money – 0.5
Speed and Performance – 1
Screen – 1
Keyboard – 0
Portability & Battery Life – 1
Looks and Design – 0.5
Extensibility & connectivity – 0.5

Technical Specs

CPU: Intel Atom N270 1.6-GHz
RAM Included: 1GB (Upgradable to 2GB)
Hard Drive Size: 160GB (5,400rpm)
Display: 10.1″ (1024×600 res)
Graphics Card: Intel 945GSE
Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g
Operating System: MS Windows XP Home
Ports: Audio-out; Ethernet; Microphone; VGA; 3X USB
Card Slots / Readers: 4-1 card reader
Size: 10.2 x 7.6 x 0.7 inches
Weight: 2.65 Pounds

The Bottom Line
While the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 is a good choice for your money, there are better netbooks in the market that costs only a few bucks more than the S10-2. Our advice is consider all your options first before settling. For the same price, you can stumble upon a netbook with a better battery performance, better keyboard and better design.

Related posts:

1. Lenovo S10 10.2″ Ideapad Netbook Review
2. Lenovo IdeaPad S12 Sans NVIDIA Now Available
3. NVIDIA’s ION makes its debut netbook appearance in the Lenovo IdeaPad S12
4. Asus Eee PC 1005HA Review : Better than the 1008HA
5. Acer D250 Review

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