Posted by best buy on Sep 22, 2010 in
Lenovo Lenovo Ideapad S10 10.2-Inch Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, XP Home) White Review
I’ve had this little gem for almost 5 months, and it’s become my primary computer. I’d been dreading an upgrade from Windows XP, which is compatible with everything I run – while Vista and Win 7 are not. This machine is much faster and roomier than the two computers I’d been using, and for the price I paid, has been an unbeatable deal. Thus far, I’ve no immediate plans to upgrade to a Win 7 computer (and there’s no reason to run Win 7 on this one).
At home, I use a full-size monitor and full-sized pointing devices (I alternate between a Kensington trackball – which would not have been compatible with Win 7 – and a Wacom pen tablet / mouse). Because I’m running XP and not Vista or 7, the machine has plenty of power for my needs, including graphics work and video editing (I use Windows Movie Maker, Paint Shop Pro, Koolmoves, and a bunch of other creative software). It’s also running OpenOffice and all my legacy software.
Performance is on par with entry-level desktops of several years ago, which is by far not bad if you don’t intend to run gaming or other CPU-intensive software. That said, I run some pretty demanding programs, and often have a bunch of them open at the same time without any problems. The computer doesn’t get all that hot, either. Most of the time, it runs pretty cool, much more so than my old Compaq notebook, with which you can iron a shirt after using it a while.
I purchased a padded carrying case especially designed for this model, an external DVD-burner, and an external hard drive. When I’m traveling, I find no need to bring the DVD drive. That makes for compact, light, and easy toting, whether I stow this computer in a backpack or carry-on bag.
The screen is brighter and easier on my eyes – even for text – than most of the larger laptop screens I’ve seen. Battery life is good; I get about 3 hours without having to dim the screen or make other power-management sacrifices. The webcam is much better than those you’ll find on most notebooks. And it’s no big deal about having only two USB ports; I have two USB hubs, one for home and one for travel, if and when I need to plug in more than two devices.
The small keyboard, however, does take some getting used to. I was originally going to buy a full-size keyboard for home use (and may still do so), but thus far I’ve gotten quite acclimated to this one. The shift key on the right is in a weird spot, so much so that you’ll probably keep hitting an arrow key when you first start working with this netbook, but now I’m no longer having that problem and can type just as quickly as ever – without looking down.
If this computer holds up, it may convince me to buy more Lenovo products (I know their desktops are good – they’re just like the IBM Aptiva I used for 8 years without any major problems – as are their Thinkpad notebooks). The build quality of this netbook is much better than I’d expected. Just be careful about buying one with Windows 7 Starter installed. That OS will probably slow down the computer while making it less functional (Win 7 Starter is a restricted OS, while XP is a complete one). So, get one of these with XP if you still can.
I gave this computer 5 stars because I got it at a great price. If it had another USB port and better placement of its right-hand shift key, that would be great, but I still think it’s an excellent value for the money.
UPDATE – July 30, 2010: one thing I forgot to mention is that the internal fan sometimes kicks in stronger and more frequently than I’d like. I did some research and found out that Lenovo S10s are known for fan problems. At its highest rpm, my S10’s fan sounds like it’s got a bit of dust in it, or maybe it’s just getting cranky from too much use.
So, I cleaned the vent area with some compressed air – and that seemed to help a little. I also bought a laptop cooling pad for around (see my review for that), and thus far, that seems to keep the internal fan quiet. Ironically, just as I ordered that cooling pad, my Lenovo started running cooler and more quietly. Go figure.
But the cooling pad, which is a compact model good for both home and travel, is a wise investment for any netbook or notebook, as all of them can get pretty warm from time to time.
Lenovo Ideapad S10 10.2-Inch Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, XP Home) White Feature
- Ultra mobility, only 1.04inch and 2.4lbs, easy to take anywhere
- 10.2 inch size LED back light screen, comfortable and green
- Peace of mind, Reliable, affordable and easy to use
- Power by Intel Atom processor, powerful and long battery life together
- Battery:3 Cell Lithium-Ion
Lenovo Ideapad S10 10.2-Inch Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, XP Home) White Overview
Lenovo Ideapad S10: 10.2″/Atom-N270/1G/160G/XP/10.2″/White
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 21, 2010 22:25:23
Tags: 10.2-Inch, Drive, IdeaPad, Lenovo, Netbook, Processor
Posted by best buy on Aug 6, 2010 in
Lenovo Lenovo IdeaPad S10 10.2-Inch Red Netbook – 3 Cell Battery Review
I bought this mostly for my 10 year old daughter, and for my occasional use. I wanted something small, and relatively inexpensive (compared to a regular laptop). We have had it about two weeks and I’m very pleased with it.
Pros
* The keyboard is smaller than a full size laptop but it still usable, even for my large hands. (extra large gloves are typically tight for me). I wouldn’t want to write a book with it, but for short periods of typing, such as blogging or e-maiing it works fine.
* The response time is good. Don’t expect it to be as fast as a high performance laptop or desktop, but the speed is certainly acceptable. (and I’m the impatient type).
* Although the Lenovo website says that face recognition software is not offered on this model, ours had it included. It works very well as long as the lighting is fairly good. You do not have to sign-in using the keyboard; just sit in front of the screen for a few seconds while it recognizes your face. It also takes a picture of anyone trying to access the laptop. If someone is trying to use it without your permission, you’ll be able to see who it was.
* It comes with a Lenovo front end that sits on top of windows. It offers you icons for the internet, online gaming, etc. You can exit it to go to the normal Windows desktop.
* It looks very sharp and is well designed. Ours is a deep red on the outside and white on the inside.
* Battery life has been very good. I don’t have exact number but you should be able to get a few hours of internet use out of a charge.
* It is very light and portable, yet seems sturdy.
Cons
* These small laptops are called Netbooks for a reason. If you intend to use it for internet surfing, email, etc… it does fine. This is not the computer you want if you plan to run software that requires computing power and memory. Needless to say… this is probably not what you want to run Photoshop.
* There is no built in CD or DVD drive.
You can read the Amazon description to see all of the specs and features, but it does come fairly well equipped for the price. For the last 15 years, all of my past computers were Dells, and I still like Dell. However this Lenovo model seemed to offer the most for the money.
Lenovo IdeaPad S10 10.2-Inch Red Netbook – 3 Cell Battery Feature
- 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor
- 1GB RAM
- 160GB Hard Drive
- Windows XP Home
- 10.2″ widescreen anti-glare LED Backlit Display
Lenovo IdeaPad S10 10.2-Inch Red Netbook – 3 Cell Battery Overview
A Great Idea from the Makers of the legendary ThinkPad notebook. Introducing the new IdeaPad S10 from Lenovo. Enjoy videos, check email, connect to the internet, instant message friends and family – and even get a little work done. At a mere 2.65 lbs and about one inch thin, it’s so light and portable, you can take it wherever your day takes you. Plus it’s loaded with thoughtful standard features to make your life a little easier. All at an outstanding price. Express Card slot allows you to easily extend your internet connection to WWAN. *(Card must be purchased separately). One of the few netbooks with an Express Card slot. OneKey™ Rescue System. Easily restore your system and recover valuable data. Peace-of-mind technology at the click of a button. Eliminates the need for backup recovery disks. Integrated web cam and microphone. Friends and family are never more than a click away. Staying connected has never been easier. Specifications: 10.2″ widescreen, anti-glare display with LED backlight, Intel® Atom™ Processor N270, 1GB memory, 160GB hard drive, 3 cell battery, Genuine Windows XP Home, 1.3 web camera, and 802.11b/g Wireless.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 06, 2010 15:35:08
Tags: 10.2-Inch, Battery, IdeaPad, Lenovo, Netbook
Posted by best buy on May 31, 2010 in
Lenovo Lenovo IdeaPad S10-1311UBK6 10.2-Inch Black Netbook Review
I have been using the S-10 for a couple of months now and I really like it. I purchased the computer for use mainly while traveling in my RV and it really is great. I like the light weight and long battery life. The wireless also works very well, better than on my Sony Vaio–it is very sensitive. The small right shift key is a definite mistake on the part of Lenovo, and is enough to drive me crazy. So I downloaded a freeware program called “Keytweak” and changed the up arrow to a shift key, and changed a couple of other keys. I changed the right Alt key to an “end” key. I use the end key a lot. If you buy one of these computers definitely experiment with “Keytweak.” Another thing I like about it is the lack of clutter on the hard drive. It is a pleasure to use after using Vista on my Sony. I gave that computer to my wife because she doesn’t get into all the software and use the explorer like I do, so Vistas annoying features are not apparent to her. I like the way Lenovo puts the USB drives on the opposite side of the computer. The Sony has then so close together that the cables intefere with each other.
In summary, I can’t imagine a better netbook computer. I definitely recommend the 10.2 inch screen. I really don’t feel much of a comprise when using it. Any smaller and it would be a problem.
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-1311UBK6 10.2-Inch Black Netbook Feature
- 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor
- 1 GB Memory
- 160 GB Hard Drive
- Genuine Windows XP Home, 6-cell Li-Ion battery with 6 hour battery life.
- 10.2″ widescreen anti-glare LED Backlit Display
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-1311UBK6 10.2-Inch Black Netbook Overview
A Great Idea from the Makers of the legendary ThinkPad notebook. Introducing the new IdeaPad S10 from Lenovo. Enjoy videos, check email, connect to the internet, instant message friends and family – and even get a little work done. At a mere 2.65 lbs and about one inch thin, it’s so light and portable, you can take it wherever your day takes you. Plus it’s loaded with thoughtful standard features to make your life a little easier. All at an outstanding price. Stay connected Enjoy more perks with increased portability. The IdeaPad S10 netbook makes it easy to get connected, anytime, anywhere. Express Card slot allows you to easily extend your internet connection to WWAN. *(Card must be purchased separately). One of the few netbooks with an Express Card slot. OneKey™ Rescue System. Easily restore your system and recover valuable data. Peace-of-mind technology at the click of a button. Eliminates the need for backup recovery disks. Integrated web cam and microphone. Friends and family are never more than a click away. Staying connected has never been easier. Specifications: IdeaPad S10 Netbook Black • 10.2″” widescreen, anti-glare display with LED backlight • Intel® Atom™ Processor N270 • 1GB memory • 160GB hard drive • 6 cell battery • Genuine Windows XP Home • 1.3 web camera • 802.11b/g Wireless From the Makers of ThinkPad We’re leaders in mobile PC technology. Now we’re extending that same exceptional technology and notebook know-how that brought you the legendary ThinkPad business line of notebooks to our consumer-friendly IdeaPad line. • Space-saving full featured keyboard. All the comfort and ease of the full-size keyboard but in a pleasing pared-down design. • Advanced Thermal Engineering delivers significantly lower temperatures on critical contact areas such as the palm wrests, keyboard, track pad and underside for optimum comfort.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: May 30, 2010 20:40:16
Tags: 10.2-Inch, IdeaPad, Lenovo, Netbook, S10-1311UBK6