Lenovo Ideapad S10 Netbook

Cool Yule Rating: 4 stars

Price: $399.99 ($499.99+, as reviewed)

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Description: The Lenovo Ideapad S10 Netbook is a cool little machine. It features a 10.2-inch (1024x600) LED screen, and Intel's 1.6 GHz processor. It comes with 1 GB of RAM, and utilizes an Intel integrated graphics chipset. It ran Windows XP Home Edition, and did so with ease. Worth noting: the S10 has a larger screen than most other netbooks, which come in at 8.9 inches or even 10 inches. The Intel 1.6 Atom N270 is a standard processor amongst today's netbooks. The S10 also includes wireless b, g, and Bluetooth, for a variety of ways to communicate. The S10 does lack an optical drive, reminding me again how little I care about that anymore. However, if this is a concern to you, there are a variety of inexpensive USB optical drives on the market today.

My test model came configured with 1 GB RAM (upgradeable to 2 GB) and a 160 GB hard disk, which means you're assured adequate space for all those MP3s, videos, and whatever else you throw on there. It comes with a 1.3 megapixel Webcam, too, so it's a great tool for communication. The keyboard requires little time to adjust to, and works well. It only had a touchpad for navigation, unusual for a Lenovo laptop. I personally prefer the Trackpoint "nub", but I guess Lenovo felt it would have taken up too much room. The touchpad worked fine.

The test model spent a lot of time with different people. It was embraced by one half the population as cute, and the other half as too small. Everyone thought it was neat, but nobody could identify who exactly this thing is made for. Netbooks are a segment I have never understood, and indeed, it's hard to determine who exactly this thing is aimed at. For example, it would be great to have on a train or a plane, but you would definitely want to connect it to a larger monitor when using it at home.

That doesn't mean it's not a capable machine. While not a gaming rig, for tasks like using Microsoft Office and browsing the Internet, it's more than capable. For students who want to take notes in class, or even record entire lectures, you would be hard pressed to find a better machine. Because the Ideapad is so small, it's easy to lug it around with you wherever you roam. It comes with a three-cell battery, which is on the smaller side. But when coupling the computer's small form factor with its innovative technology, the result is acceptable battery life. If you turn off the wireless and dim the screen, you'll have more than enough power to fly from Boston to Orlando.

Before knowing its price, I asked several people how much they'd be willing to pay for a computer like this. I got prices as high as $500 and as low as $300, but the average was $400 – which turns out to be the starting price of this computer. Somebody pointed out how you can have a full-on "desktop replacement" laptop for $500 or $600, making it kind of hard to justify $400 for an underpowered machine (by today's standards). To each his own.