Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (Intel Atom N270 Processor 1.6GHz, 1GB RAM)

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By Darius Chang, CNET Asia
Nov 03, 2008

The Lenovo IdeaPad S10 is the Chinese company's first foray into the competitive Netbook market. Though this segment has received much attention this year, it is a little hard to get excited about individual models as their feature sets are a dime a dozen. The IdeaPad S10, however, pulls away from the crowd by offering a couple of features which give it an extra edge. Best of all, the entire package is also one of the most affordable among 10-inch Netbooks.

Design

The Lenovo IdeaPad S10 is built from sturdy ABS plastic and comes in three colors: Black, white and pink. Weighing a mere 1.1kg with a 250 x 183 x 27.5mm footprint, you can slot it into almost any bag and forget it's even there. The power adapter is not that large, either, and adds just over 300g to the overall weight.

From an aesthetic viewpoint, we felt Lenovo could have added more curves and taper the front of the unit a little more. The round hinge at the back is a nice touch though, and locating the ports at the sides gives the unit a clean look. There are only two buttons (excluding the power switch) on the unit, and these control the OneKey Rescue System and Wi-Fi radio, respectively.

One of our favorite parts on the IdeaPad S10 is the keyboard. With adequate pitch and travel, we never felt that typing on the S10 was a chore, though we would have liked it better if the "Shift" keys were a little larger. The trackpad, on the other hand, is a touch too small for our liking, but most users will probably plug in a USB mouse anyway.

Features

There are two main features which put the IdeaPad S10 ahead of the pack. With the exception of the HP Compaq 2133 Mini-Note (which is not a Netbook), the S10 is the only Netbook currently in the market equipped with an ExpressCard/34 slot. This opens a range of peripherals previously denied to other Netbooks.

The IdeaPad S10 comes in a range of three colors.
(Click for larger image)

The other key selling point of the S10 is its one-touch recovery application. The OneKey Rescue system allows the user to back up and recover the system should it suffer an error or crash. In the event of a catastrophic operating system failure, the IdeaPad can even be restored to factory default settings, though your data will be lost in the process.

For S$739 (US$494.55), you get a very decent system with two USB 2.0 and VGA ports. The 10.2-inch LED-backlit display has a 1,024 x 600-pixel resolution which is sufficient for most applications and Web browsing. Powered by the integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 video processor, it can handle standard-definition videos and older games as well. The stereo speakers are surprisingly loud for its size, though like most laptops the audio quality is tinny with little bass.

A 1.3-megapixel Webcam above the LCD allows for video conferencing and quick snapshots. We also like the fact that an SDHC/MMC/Memory Stick card reader is available for digital camera buffs. Wired networks are handled via the 10/100 Ethernet port, while Bluetooth and 802.11b/g radios offer wireless connectivity.

Performance And Battery Life

Under the hood lies a conventional Atom processor running at 1.6GHz. The system comes with 1GB RAM of which 512MB is soldered to the mainboard. Upgrading the system to the maximum of 1.5GB is easy. Just remove the bottom panel and replace the 512MB chip. The 2.5-inch 160GB SATA harddisk can be changed just as quickly. Since the system does not come with SSD options, you can switch it with third-party alternatives.

Performance-wise, we expected and received a competent showing from the Atom chipset. Productivity and Internet surfing are not a problem unless you insist on opening too many concurrent applications. Possibly the biggest disappointment we had with the S10 was with the battery life. The three-cell battery holds only 2,600mAh of charge, which translates to about 2 hours 10 minutes of use with the Wi-Fi on. Though there is a six-cell option, it adds significant weight to the unit, not to mention that it also increases the price of ownership. Keep near an outlet if you intend to work for long hours on the IdeaPad S10.

Service And Support

The laptop comes with a one-year regional warranty which covers Asean and China. On Lenovo's support Web site, you can register your warranty, after which the site will automatically detect your machine configuration and offer the appropriate support. A knowledge database is available for simple troubleshooting. Updated drivers, manuals and software upgrades can be downloaded as well. If the issue requires a professional assistance, a telephone helpline is available during working hours from Monday to Friday, though the unit can also be diagnosed or repaired at Lenovo's service center.