BenQ Joybook Lite U101 is the first product from the company to join the netbook market. Laptop Magazine has recently made a review for this netbook, and the result is just average (rated 2.5 out of 5).One special characteristic for this netbook, is the lid design which comes with a cute emoticon. Other than that, the features of the BenQ Joybook Lite U101 is pretty standard.
We have seen the review for Asus Eee PC 1002HA from Laptop Magazine.. an here's another review done by PC Magazine. The Asus Eee PC 1002HA is rated as 4 out of 5 stars from this review. Basically, PC Magazine gives almost the same feedback as Laptop Magazine, which is cool design with metallic finish, great keyboard layout and performance, but lacks of six-cell battery being the biggest drawback.
Bottom line:
"Its metallic finish makes the ASUS EeePC 1002HA the most attractive netbook to date, and its performance doesn't disappoint. However, this netbook could use some help in the features department."
Both Asus Eee PC 1000HA and Asus Eee PC 1002HA are available on Amazon for 399.99 and 498.79 respectively.
Asus Eee PC 1002HA has been reviewed on Laptop Magazine recently. Overall, this machine which is said to be the combination of Eee PC S101 and 1000HA, score a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars from the review.
The specs of the review unit is as follows:
10-inch 1024x600 display
1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor
1GB RAM
160GB 5400 rpm HDD
Laptop Magazine is pretty impressed by the design and slimness of 1002HA, and also the comfortable keyboard layout. Also, they found the 1002HA to be a fast booter and with speedy performance overall. The only disappointment comes from the 2-cell battery which can last only for 3 hours and 39 minutes, and the company isn't planning to offer an extended life model either.
Laptop Magazine has recently made a review for the Samsung NC10 netbook, and found this machine to be probably one of the best in the 10-inch netbook market.
Overall, Laptop Magazine rated this netbook 4 out of 5 stars. What's being the most impressive feature for the NC10, is the long battery life (6-cell) which can last for 6 hours and 34 minutes.
"Until now, no other netbook has been able to match the 10-inch MSI Wind’s endurance, strong performance, and spacious keyboard. Samsung’s NC10 is the only product that provides comparable—and even improved—features for a lower price. Its comfortable, well-positioned keyboard, speedy and spacious hard drive, and more than 6 hours of endurance make the $499 Samsung NC10 the most well-rounded 10-inch netbook on the market." (Full review on Laptop Magazine)
The Samsung NC10 netbook is expected to be released in the US soon for $499.
Dell Inspiron Mini 9 was launched recently as the company's step into the netbook market. Soon after the released of the Inspiron Mini 9, it has been reviewed quite a number of times on various websites on the Internet. Overall, the rating given to this 8.9-inch Dell netbook is above average.
Specification Before going through the reviews, let's look at the specification for the Dell Inspiron Mini 9:
1.6GHz N270 Intel Atom Processor
Up to 1GB DDR2 533MHz RAM
Glossy 8.9 inch LED display (1024X600)
Up to 16GB Solid State Drive
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950
Wireless 802.11g Mini Card
1.3 Megapixel webcam (optional)
Bluetooth 2.1 capability (optional)
4-Cell 32Wh Li-ion battery (4 hours battery life)
Size: 9.2" x 6.8"x 1.3"
Weight: 2lb 5.5oz (include battery)
OS: Ubuntu / Windows XP
The Ubuntu version of Inspiron Mini 9 has a starting price of $349 while the Windows version start from $399.
The overview video of the Inspiron Mini 9 from Dell:
Reviews Round Up
Laptop Magazine reviews the Linux version of the Inspiron Mini 9, and given a rating of 3.5 out of 5. Here are the pros and cons given by Laptop Magazine:
Pros * Sleek, simple Linux OS * Compact, sturdy design * Decent battery life * Configurable online
Cons * Awkward keyboard * Solid state storage only * Extended battery not yet available
Notebook Review gets their hands on the Linux version as well. While there's no rating given, they have concluded that although the Mini 9 is a great netbook with reasonable price, it does have a few problems that are commonly seen in other netbooks such as heat, annoying glossy plastics, bad keyboard, etc. Here's the pros and cons concluded by Notebook Review:
Pros * Small and light * Easy to use * Very well built and durable * Responsive Synaptics touchpad * Easy to upgrade RAM, SSD, and wireless cards * No noisy cooling fan * Low price for an ultraportable
Cons * Gets a little hot * Glossy plastic lid is a magnet for fingerprints * No F11 or F12 keys, other function keys in strange location * 4-cell battery is nice, 6-cell battery would be better
Cnet has reviewed the Windows XP version and given it a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars. Here's the summary of their review:
The good: More configurable than other Netbooks; good battery life; XP and Linux OS options.
The bad: Some awkward keyboard compromises; no SSD options larger than 16GB.
The bottom line: Dell's entry into the Netbook market means it's time to take these low-cost, low-power PCs seriously. The Inspiron Mini 9 is an excellent example of the form, if not radically different from the competition.
Conclusion From the reviews that we have seen, the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is an above average netbook, with reasonable price. But it does have some flaws such as the awkward keyboard design, and larger size HDD & extended battery being unavailable. While these are acceptable, Dell should definitely fix those issues/complains in the next release in order to stay competitive in the netbook market.
