The Chinese company Lenovo cannot be called a newcomer to the laptop computer market. It is worth remembering that for a long time it designed and produced ThinkPad series laptops for IBM, and then completely bought out this division of the “blue giant” when the corporation decided to part with this business. Lenovo's first netbook shows excellent fighting qualities at a reasonable price. And don’t let “Made in China” confuse or mislead you - the whole world has long moved from observing “Made in” to “Made by” (made by whom).
The Lenovo ideapad S10 is available in two versions. They differ in memory capacity - 512 MB of RAM and an 80 GB hard drive and 1 GB of RAM with a 160 GB hard drive. Buyers can choose the case in white, black, red, blue and pink. There is also a modification of the S9 with a 9-inch screen. Models with “cheerful” colors cost a little more, but our market is currently supplied with older models in black and blue casings at a price of about $500 (about 3800-4000 hryvnia, based on today’s dollar exchange rate). Today, that's $50 more expensive than the 9-inch Acer Aspire One with a similarly sized hard drive, and $50 cheaper than the MSI Wind. Which, in general, leaves room for further market saturation and price reductions (in the US, the ideapad S10 can be purchased for $400 in the older configuration). Perhaps Samsung NC10 will add competition, but it has not yet reached our market, although the company planned to start sales in Ukraine a month ago. Let us remember that the promised price was $400. The appearance of new Lenovo netbooks in our country can be tracked in the Hotline catalog
Specifications Lenovo ideapad S10
Equipment This time we received not a test, but a production sample with all the necessary accessories in the box. Therefore, let's pay attention to the package. There is no case included, there is only a distribution kit with Windows XP SP3 and two disks. One contains drivers for Windows XP, OneKey Recovery 6.0 and Lenovo System Repair utilities; on the other - Adobe Reader 8.1 (there is a Russian version) and Norton Internet Security 2008. The box also contains brief instructions on how to get started and a more detailed booklet on the operation and maintenance of Lenovo S9 and S10 netbooks. Unlike the vast majority of instructions for products of Chinese companies that I have seen, these documents have no traces of machine translation or any inaccuracies or typos - everything was done with an A plus. Which once again confirms the truth of the statement about “Made in China”.
Appearance We had in our hands a black Lenovo ideapad S10 of the older version. The plastic of the case is of high quality, practically not easily soiled (this is especially noticeable on the inside, around the keyboard - there are no marks left on it at all, unlike the lid, on which you can see barely noticeable stains if desired). The lid hinges are made without the chic inherent in the Samsung NC10; they are decorated with chrome-plated ends and look reliable.
At the end of the right hinge there is a slot for attaching a Kensington lock.
The lid moves smoothly, without sound or creaking, accepting any tilt. The power button is also chromed - it is located in the center of the panel under the screen and the touchpad keys. Next to it are LEDs for Caps Lock, Num Lock and hard drive activity. On the right there are two buttons - one (surprise, surprise!) launches the OneKey Recovery utility, which allows you to make a backup copy of your data and a boot disk with the archive system. We can only hope that this is not a vital necessity, but an unobtrusive reminder to the user of the need to back up data that everyone neglects. Although a netbook is an auxiliary device for travel and entertainment, so if important data is stored on it, it will not be for long. The second turns on/off wireless communication modules - Bluetooth and Wi-Fi - a really convenient thing.
The microphone is installed near the lower left corner of the keyboard - this is good, but not critical for communication. You can't expect any special improvements from this. The speakers are installed at the end closer to the user and hidden behind the ventilation grille. At the end there are three more LEDs: power, battery operating mode and data transmission via a wireless channel (blinks during operation, like the hard drive access LED).
There are two USB ports, this is not a record - I had to “load” 3 ports with work, but this is not a critical indicator, although at least one of me is occupied by a mouse module, and the second by a flash drive. The card reader reads SD and Memory Stick cards in all their modifications (tested with a 16 GB SD card and a 4 GB MS Duo). The PCI Express connector is also worth paying attention to; everything else is standard. including Kensington lock. It is worth saying that the placement of the Ethernet connector is not very convenient - the best place for it is at the back, not on the side (in the office this is completely inconvenient, the netbook is surrounded by wires - power supply on the left, network cable on the right), which does not contribute to convenient organization of work.
Please note that access to replacing components (memory, hard drive) is easy to obtain by unscrewing two screws. For those who are ready to give up the guarantee, of course.
Display The screen of the ideapad S10 is matte, contrasty with a good margin of brightness. Viewing angles are standard for a device of this class, and do not stand out in any way - they are less comfortable than those of “large” laptops (a drop in brightness is observed at significantly larger viewing angles), but the image remains readable, without going “negative”. Unfortunately, it is not possible to test the behavior of the screen in bright sunshine in conditions where there has not been a single day of clear weather in Kyiv for the second month. I hope that one of our colleagues will be able to do such an analysis, or that buyers will comment in the comments. Keyboard and touchpad
As practice shows, issues related to the convenience of the keyboard and touchpad are among the most discussed (right after the display and battery life). So I'll start with the good stuff - the touchpad. It is truly excellent, on par with the best implementations in netbooks. During the entire period of work (I deliberately did not use the mouse), the surface of the touch panel did not “decorate” even a single spot. In general, it’s worth saying that I’m a very careless user who is extremely careless with my (and sometimes other people’s) devices; on a five-point scale of frugality I can safely be given a one. But the body of this netbook has withstood all the tests that befell it - there are no traces of “human activity” on it, despite the fact that at least colleagues from other publications used it before me. The touchpad supports vertical and horizontal scrolling, as well as multi-touch (it is used for scaling documents and works disgustingly, in contrast to scrolling, which showed quite satisfactory results).
Despite the "intriguing" introduction, the keyboard on this netbook is good. The keys have excellent travel and (perhaps it seemed to me that my eye is not a diamond) the gap between them is larger than usual. Apparently you can get used to it, but I encountered several difficulties. Firstly, the Ctrl and Fn keys are positioned differently than on my main laptop, and this significantly slows down the pace of work. If you are going to buy the ideapad S10 as a second laptop computer for traveling and “going out,” then I beg you, pay attention to the location of Ctrl on your main computer. If it's not in the bottom left corner, everything is fine. Otherwise, you most likely will not be able to get used to the new arrangement of keys - relearning is not a one-day process. But motor skills will have to be regularly “relearned back”). Secondly, the right shift used for typing punctuation is too small - I kept hitting the up arrow (here I hit it again and again) trying to blindly insert a comma. This, I tell you, is no good if you are used to typing a lot of text and working blindly. Thirdly, the Home and End keys are located so inconveniently that you can’t use them at all (or it will take a very long time to get used to). It is worth saying that the developers acted smartly by making the Z and E keys small instead of B, Yu, like MSI Wind,. since they have to be used less often in Russian. Well, my personal “bell” is the inconvenient location of the Pause key (it is accessible only by Fn, which halves the benefit of using the Punto Switcher keyboard switch, to which I have a long-standing affection).
Traditional list of hotkeys available in combination with the Fn button:
- Fn+Esc enable/disable webcam
- Fn+F1 going to sleep mode
- Fn+F2 turning off the display
- Fn+F3 switching between displays when connecting an external
- Fn+F5 control of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth - it is worth saying that this is not the same as turning on both modules with a button under the screen - in this case, you can separately disable one module, and not both at once
- Fn+F6 disabling the touchpad
- Fn+F7 Num lock
- Fn+F8 Scroll Lock
- Fn+F9 Break
- Fn+F10 Pause
- Fn+F11 F12 (cool, isn't it?)
- Fn+PgUp Home (beyond my understanding)
- Fn + PgDn End (similar)
- Fn+Ins SysRq (does anyone know what this is, by the way? enlighten the poor guy)
- Fn+Del PrtSc
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Frankly, the work of these modules in Windows XP has already been so mature that it may not be worth dwelling on their work in the future. I can only say a few things that I encountered in this model. Firstly, the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi modules were disabled at the operating system level and did not turn on by pressing a key. I’ll make a reservation right away - I didn’t receive a new netbook, one of my colleagues had already used it, so this is a special case, since the radio modules could have been disabled by the user (the reason may be the car). After turning it on, everything worked perfectly - Wi-Fi was connected, Bluetooth worked, including A2DP - through the netbook's speakers you could make phone calls and listen to music recorded on the phone. At the same time, however, the phone's speakers reproduced music noticeably better and cleaner. And the sound on the netbook disappeared, although all the systems (both on the phone and on the computer) said that streaming music from the phone was being streamed and even played on the netbook. Only she wasn’t there. Here, however, it may also be not the computer that is to blame, but the phone (let’s be fair), especially since the phone is already more than a year old (and, as I already said, I use the equipment mercilessly). Webcam
There really isn't much to say about the webcam. Standard VGA resolution, video is recorded using Windows Movie Maker with a resolution of 640x480 and 25 frames per second. There were no failures in the work, no complaints at all. And where do they actually come from? In addition to the fact that the picture she broadcasts is weak, corresponding to her nominative capabilities. On the other hand, for our buyer a low price is much more important than a higher resolution and webcam capabilities. So in this case, Lenovo saved where it really can save. Utilities
One keystroke calls OneKey Recovery. You can back up your data or create a bootable disk. By the way, by default the BIOS has settings in which it first polls a USB flash drive for a boot disk, then an external USB-HDD, then an external USB drive. And only then the built-in hard drive. It’s strange, but if a regular flash drive sticks into the USB, then loading is impossible until you remove it. As an option, I simply changed the boot priority in the BIOS, putting the built-in hard drive first.
Norton Internet Security is included in the package. It allows you to organize all your sensitive data and store/manage it in one place.
The proprietary offline power management utility traditionally looks nicer than the one built into Windows. Bottom line Lenovo ideapad S10 enters the already established netbook market and is distinguished by a well-balanced price and excellent build. Its appearance (like any other netbook with similar capabilities and price) will lead to our favorite consequence - a further reduction in prices for devices in this class. Its advantages include excellent plastic, a completely non-staining case, and a PCI Express connector (this may be critical for some). The disadvantages are the poor placement of the Ethernet connector and some of the keys, which not everyone can put up with. And yes - it gets a little warm around the touchpad and the bottom of the keyboard. Not significant, but noticeable. I hope that now those of you who were critical of the phrase “Made in China” will reconsider your opinion. Not everything made in China is bad. This Chinese netbook meets the best global industry standards and at the same time costs less (hopefully not for long) than its Taiwanese counterparts.
The review text was written on a Lenovo ideapad S10 netbook.
In 2008, netbooks became the main trend in the computer market, meaning in general everything related to the PC. Neither announcements of new processors and video cards, nor other news events have become as popular as the announcement of another inexpensive netbook. In the near future, we will publish a short review of the models that are on our market, so that it will be easier for the consumer to understand the diversity of these things. I can't say that I've changed my attitude towards laptop computers - I don't think this trend has come to stay. Rather, it had to happen at some point and did happen. Another issue is that consumers are unlikely to want to replace netbooks as often as mobile phones. And therefore we can safely say that the market capacity here is limited, and this is far from the only limitation. It is already clear that some companies dabbling with netbooks are trying to offer consumers a kind of intermediate option, a portable and beautiful thing with a more or less acceptable display diagonal, but the price is far from “netbook”, from twenty thousand and above. It will be interesting to watch netbooks in 2009. But for now let's talk about the netbook from Lenovo, the model is called S10, and I liked it. No matter how strange it may be.
Design, construction
The packaging of the netbook is nice, the box is small, it contains only the essentials - a disk with drivers, instructions, a power supply in a separate box. I’ll say this right away: USB flash drives are very cheap. And here’s what I don’t understand: why not add flash drives with drivers to the kit with netbooks, rather than a disk, since netbooks, as a rule, do not have a drive. And this is a double benefit; the flash drive itself can be useful in the household. We take the S10 out of the bag, the lid and display are covered with films, and we begin an external inspection. I had the white S10 in my hands, but there is also a pink version for girls and women. I can’t say anything about its beauty, I haven’t seen it, and I wouldn’t use it. Moreover, I would be much more happy to use the S10 in black. Still, white is clearly not my option. Nevermind. The plastic is very good, I liked the material of the lid, it is smooth, not cheap, the material on the bottom is simpler. On the lid there is a silver company logo, it is not very large, and is positioned correctly (in my opinion). The S10 has well-designed hinges that immediately give the device a fashionable look. In general, the design is not cheap, everything here is quite harmonious. Although there are typical netbook features. For example, this is the design of the “radiator” grille on the left side, the way the touchpad is made, the design of the microphone, and so on. On the other hand, I perfectly understand the fact that those who created the appearance had their hands tied. I will note that the S10 has a good design by and large; of all the netbooks on the market, I only like the solution from HP better.
The assembly here is very good, there are no extra gaps, no creaks or play. The lid does not have a lock, it holds tightly, you need to apply a slight force to open it. You can see the opening angle in the photo; in my opinion, this is more than enough for any task. The hinges securely hold the lid in the position you need; it will not close (or open) by itself. At the front end there is a mesh behind which the speaker (or speakers, I’m not sure) is hidden; on the left side you can see light indicators of this or that activity. It's not very good that they are in such a place - it is difficult to notice them. On the other hand, what's the point in them anyway? So tell me? Very often, the temptation to reduce the time spent on the text forces you to write simply - well, there are indicators, and God bless them. But here I will not ignore this fact. One indicator shows that the laptop is turned on. The second is that the laptop is connected to the power supply (or the battery is running low). The third is Wi-Fi activity. In addition, next to the power button there are indicators for Caps Lock and Num Lock, plus a hard drive activity indicator. The indicators are not made very well; their backlight is unclear. It’s a small thing, but the netbook looks good, and all these indicators with a rather austere appearance don’t go well together, making it look like a Christmas tree. There is no benefit from them. Activated Wi-Fi can always be seen on the display. The “pressed” Caps Lock for a netbook doesn’t really need to be displayed - this is not the type of machine on which someone will spend hours typing texts, and I can say the same about Num Lock. You can literally hear the hard drive activity. For beauty, you could make a beautiful frame for the power button, but you could safely get rid of the rest. Let me add that this is my opinion. But in the forum I would like to see your opinions on this topic.
Now let's see what we can connect to the S10. There are two USB ports, an Ethernet connector, a card reader for SD cards, an ExpressCard 34 slot, a connector for an external monitor, and headphone and microphone jacks. Not a bad set, coupled with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, it turns out to be a universal thing that can be used with anything and for any purpose. Someone will say - USB is not enough, you need three. I don’t know, two are enough for me, one is occupied by a mouse transmitter (the same faithful Logitech Nano serves faithfully), an external hard drive is connected to the second port. And everything is fine.
The size of the laptop is small, it easily fits into my nice little bag, and there is even room (and plenty of it). It weighs a little more than a kilogram (about two hundred kilos), which seems like a lot for a netbook, but it’s a matter of the filling, and we’ll talk about it later. I’ll say in advance that there are no complaints about the weight at all. You can't put it in your pocket, you can easily carry it in a small bag.
Display
The S10 has a display diagonal of ten inches, which is practically the only difference from the S9. The display has a resolution of 1024x600 pixels, 16.7 million colors, and they also say there is a display backlight. In my opinion, this is a good solution; first of all, the diagonal is more or less comfortable here. You can watch a movie, surf the net, use ICQ, look at documents, even play “quack” or something else that is far from new. Or turn to casual games. The display is quite bright (after all, I’m not sure if there is a backlight), the viewing angles are not bad. In general, the display is very good for a netbook.
Keyboard, touchpad
First, I’ll tell you about the additional buttons; next to the power key there are a couple more controls. One button turns on Wi-Fi, the second launches the pre-installed OneKey Recovery program. By the way, there is no other special software here, the RAM is not littered with all sorts of strange antiviruses and other junk, which is good news. And a good backup program is always useful, so Lenovo did the right thing here. Now let's look at the touchpad. They didn’t try to be clever, it’s just small, the buttons are in their places, they’re small, but you can get used to them. If we talk about the touchpad, I liked the clear operation of horizontal scrolling, there are no problems with it.
Now the keyboard. It’s gratifying that there were no attempts to fit here with the help of any tricks a supposedly convenient keyboard for the Latin alphabet or something else. Normal keyboard, just small. The keys have a slight elastic travel, they are slightly separated, you can get used to the keyboard. At first, problems arise with the lower right part, there is an upward arrow that has been squeezed into an orderly row, and by inertia your finger ends up on it when you want to press a point. In addition, a very small right Shift, not very expressive Enter. If netbooks continue to develop, then one of the companies will eventually have to become a pioneer and make a netbook keyboard. What does this mean? This means giving up a lot for the sake of typing convenience. Still, those who use netbooks often don't need most traditional controls. It would just be a comfortable keyboard. More or less convenient touchpad. And for the rest there is a mouse.
To summarize, I will say that you can use the Lenovo S10 for writing texts and working with documents. The only question is how urgently you need to do something and what you have at hand, a regular computer, laptop or netbook. If you're cut off from the big brothers, the small S10 will do the job. I’ve been actively blogging with the help of the S10 lately, and nothing works.
I forgot to say about Fn and various combinations. Using this button you can adjust the brightness, sound, and do many other useful things. Well, what else can you say?
Food, working hours
I liked the power supply, it is small, however, it was possible to include shorter cables in the kit, here they are used for an unknown reason: either to connect a netbook and use it at the other end of a large room, or something else. On the other hand, the power supply and cables can be neatly crumpled up; they don’t take up much space in your bag and add virtually no weight. The lithium-ion battery takes about two and a half hours to charge, and this is where it gets interesting. There is a proprietary utility for adjusting power consumption parameters, there are four modes, from “Performance” to “Maximum long-term operation” (free translation). I managed to squeeze three hours and forty minutes out of the S10 in the last mode - in the morning the fully charged netbook was hidden in my bag, then I visited several companies, simultaneously demonstrating the toy, and also sat in an Internet cafe, surrounded by expensive gifts received from these very companies. It is especially pleasing that many people have been generous with food supplies this year; there will be something to celebrate this bright holiday with - here you will find tangerines, and “Soviet champagne”, and postcards, and toys that are nice for a thirty-year-old man. In general, good gifts. I will even say more - correct. I believe 2009 will be the year of pure naked truth on the site.
Well, okay, aside from the lyrics and jokes. In terms of operating time, the S10 is not a record holder. But this is not two or three hours; the battery here inspires some kind of confidence that a laptop charged in the morning will not run out on its own in the evening. Stability, that's what I can note.
Performance
The laptop is equipped with an Intel Atom processor, clock frequency - 1.6 GHz, an Intel GMA 950 chip is responsible for video, there is one gigabyte of RAM (DDR2), and a hard drive capacity of 120 GB. It’s very easy to get to the RAM and the disk, you just need to remove the cover, this is done very simply, without dancing with a tambourine. As you understand, the performance of a netbook is typical for devices of this type, any office tasks, watching movies, old or simple games. The speakers, of course, are not very loud; for music and movies it is better to use headphones. I installed a standard set of programs, these are Firefox, Thunderbird, AceFTP, JetAudio, Skype, ICQ, Picasa and so on. There is a microphone, there is a webcam, for VoIP it is better to use a headset, the microphone is not very sensitive and for some reason I constantly get a phone call.
conclusions
I liked the Lenovo S10, somehow initially it turned out that I did not treat the device as a netbook. Yes, and calling it that, in my opinion, is not entirely correct. Still, a ten-inch display is much more comfortable than an eight-inch one. The hard drive has a large capacity and can be easily replaced. Not a bad keyboard. True, the Cyrillic font confuses me a little, I’m used to strict writing, but here it claims to be original, it’s hardly worth it. In addition, I would like to note the good design, assembly, and hinges. I didn't like the indicator lights. Sufficient number of ports. The operating time is not amazing, but it is not that short either. Interesting price, people close to the company assured me that the price of this model is eleven thousand, and this is the price with which it will be on the shelves in large chain stores. In my opinion, this is a very good proposal. Even fourteen to fifteen thousand would be adequate.
As a result, I will recommend the S10 for purchase and will express my final opinion. This device is extremely balanced; moreover, it is something between netbooks and compact laptops. For traveling - it's just right. Perfect for traveling photographers. And to itinerant managers too. And to students. And to journalists.
The second part or the second version, if we are talking about a mobile device, is designed to take the best from its predecessor and take into account, and as a result improve, all the shortcomings. Let's try to figure it out when analyzing the new product, S10-2, whether the manufacturer of laptops and netbooks Lenovo succeeded. From the characteristics, it is clear that the netbook is powered by an Intel Atom N280 processor, equipped with a gigabyte of RAM, a 160-gigabyte hard drive, and in addition to Bluetooth and WiFi, the significant advantages of the device include a fourth-generation network adapter - WiMAX.
Lenovo S10-2:: Review:: Appearance
Visually, the new product has become extraordinary in relation to its predecessor due to the curious and unusual coloring of the top cover in the form of small circles. At first glance, it becomes clear that the manufacturer tried to attract the attention of others to the new device, which he succeeded in doing quite well - even if the cases and covers of the predecessor and other manufacturers had different colors, no one inlaid it with a pattern. Of course, the user can use the services of airbrush companies, or stick a sticker of dubious production on the lid, but in the first case it is not cheap, and in the second it is a compromise on quality. In the case of Lenovo S10-2, you immediately, without additional damage to your wallet, get the attractive design of your assistant.
The 10-inch new product does not stand out in terms of dimensions; rather, they can be described as average, although the thickness of the case when folded is small, this cannot be ignored. On the other hand, the latter aspect is offset by an impressive battery, which, due to the mounting principle, both visually and physically (when placing the netbook in a bag) “fattens” the device. As you can see in the photo, the battery is designed to serve the user as an additional stand, and this happens when the netbook is placed on a horizontal surface. But in my experience, most of the time the user holds the netbook on his lap, which is why the S10-2 battery plays a disservice to him, preventing the case halves from opening wide, which causes some inconvenience (you can get used to this opening angle, but we advise you to evaluate this objectively before purchasing subtle point in the store).
There are no locking latches on the top cover of the netbook and, nevertheless, there is no need to worry about the case opening spontaneously - the fastening of the halves is solid, even somewhat tight at first.
Lenovo S10-2:: Review:: Screen
The screen of the new product, logically located on the back of the top cover, has a diagonal of 10.1 inches, a resolution of 1024x600 pixels and is equipped with LED backlighting. The screen's brightness reserve is significant; at maximum it can be said to be blinding. Viewing angles are good, but not ideal, although for a device of this class and this price range you should not make too high demands.
Above the screen in the center of the panel there is a round peephole for the webcam, and at the edges of the lid, again from the top, we see longitudinal rubber shock absorbers, which, together with the rounded shock absorbers of the lower part, are designed to soften the contact of the upper housing cover with the lower one.
Lenovo S10-2:: Review:: Keyboard
To be honest, it’s difficult to describe the S10-2 keyboard without being able to compare it with that of competing models. I use either a standard 101-key desktop keyboard or a very tiny ASUS EEE PC 900 netbook keyboard. In the case of the new product from Lenovo, we have a keyboard that is 89% of the standard one. This is 84 keys (not counting the top strip of indicators, which contains 3 more oblong service buttons). From the first minutes of use, the only inconvenience is the arrow block located in the lower right corner, and only because it requires skill, due to the fact that its keys surrounded by PageUp and PageDown are somewhat smaller in height than the others. Otherwise, the keyboard delivers only positive emotions; the keys have a small but soft stroke and are noticeably spaced across the body panel, which is why mistaken presses of adjacent ones are not frequent. The lack of backlighting is a traditional “disease” of both laptops and netbooks, although domestic “Kulibins” have already learned to solder LEDs both around the perimeter of the entire unit and individual key zones, which is why it is still possible to carry out such “modification” if desired.
The S10-2's touchpad is small, located directly below the spacebar and slightly offset to the left relative to the central axis of the body. The first impression is deceptive - the small size does not come at the expense of the ergonomics of the device's control element: the touchpad is comfortable and the best confirmation of this is the comfortable use of a full battery charge cycle without connecting a mouse. The right side of the touchpad has a longitudinal design, which is responsible for vertical scrolling, although I note here that the finger sometimes involuntarily starts scrolling while traveling across the panel. The touchpad keys have a silver coating and a pleasant clicking motion.
Lenovo S10-2:: Review:: Indicators
On the left side of the lower half of the netbook body there are small white indicators for operation, charging and wireless network activation. They are so small that they fit succinctly even into a black panel without spoiling it. In addition, the computer power button is equipped with an indicator, or backlight, to the right of which, on the decorative panel in the color of the top cover, we see small icons with backlighting for loading and service indicators.
Lenovo S10-2:: Review:: Communication ports
On the left side of the lower half of the case there is an RJ-45 network card connector, a VGA connector for connecting an external monitor or projector, one of 3 USB connectors and audio connectors for headphones and an external microphone, as well as vertical slots for cooling. Following counterclockwise along the case, we come across a built-in card reader located on the bottom edge of the case. It is covered with a plastic plug and is almost invisible when idle. Supported card types: SD/MMC/MS/MS pro, which is not bad at all, and netbooks are usually equipped with “readers” that support only the first two formats (although, do not forget about the “Kulibins”).
On the right side of our test subject we see a charger connector in the upper part, then a Kensington lock mount, the remaining 2 USB ports and a wireless network switch (WiFi/WiMax). The last element can be replaced by a software counterpart, but the mechanical device will not take away the speed. I would especially like to note the charger connector - judging by its appearance, the device we tested was not the most “shaky” one, but the charger plug kept trying to fall out of its socket. Whether this is a shortcoming of the test netbook or a general “feature”, I can’t judge.
On the bottom panel of the case, in addition to the rubberized feet, which slightly raise the computer above the surface, there are 2 speakers behind perforated rounds, as well as traditional compartments for RAM DIMMs, etc., but climbing into them with a screwdriver was not part of our plans. This arrangement of the netbook speakers negatively affects the audio characteristics - the sound is muffled, alas.
But wait, that's not all - there's a SIM card compartment hidden under the battery, because... The device, among other things, supports 3G networks.
Lenovo S10-2:: Review:: Battery
According to unverified data, it will be possible to choose a battery with either 3 or 6 cells included with the new product. We tested the last option, which is why it may have caused some discomfort with its shape, although the manufacturer did not provide anything else in the kit. The netbook's battery mount is secure, although there is some slight play in the design. To remove the battery, move the left latch to the left, and just move the right slider to the right, after which the battery can be removed.
Without a battery, that is, from the mains, the S10-2 works as expected, but do not forget about the not very strong fastening of the charging plug - at the most inopportune moment it can let you down, so save yourself.
The operating time declared by the manufacturer will be 3 hours with a 3-cell battery and 6 hours, respectively, with a 6-cell battery. These data are not far from reality; we managed to spend 5 and a half full hours of work with our kit, part of which was spent watching a movie, and the rest of the time testing the device while writing an article with periodic access to the Internet via WiFi. We will not judge the “training” of the battery; most likely it only worked under test conditions and has not seen careful use.
Lenovo S10-2:: Review:: Operating system and pre-installed applications
The netbook will appear, or rather appear on sale, with pre-installed genuine Windows XP Home x32 (SP3), complete with a recovery disk, which in itself seems like a bit of a mockery in light of the lack of a drive (why not include such devices with a USB flash drive with backup - a mystery, because it has been possible to install a system from USB for a long time).
There is no point in describing the operating system itself, which is already “a hundred years old,” but I note that at the first start the device offered to update Internet Explorer to version 8 and install some updates, which once again proves the “time-tested” system.
The set of pre-installed applications includes:
It is worth noting here that WiFi and WiMAX do not work at the same time, which was to be expected, but we considered it necessary to warn you.
As well as proprietary applications from Lenovo:
Lenovo S10-2:: Review:: Hardware
The heart of the computer, as well as the set of communication capabilities, may differ. There are only 2 variations, but which ones are Intel Atom N270 (1.6 GHz) or Intel Atom N280 (1.66 GHz). The amount of RAM is 1GB (DDR2), and the hard drive (namely a hard drive, not an SSD drive) is 160GB. If a processor needs to be selected at the time of purchase, together with the necessary set of wireless modules, then, according to tradition, the RAM can be increased during use, and even if there is insufficient hard drive memory, it can be replaced with a new one. Until this is done, we will test the netbook with the CPU-Z program and publish the results in the form of screenshots.
The S10-2 video adapter is an integrated Intel video card (945 Express Chipset), however, it did a pretty good job playing 720p HD content, without stuttering, not to mention non-decoded AVI files, so the test for use as a player passed (but don’t forget about the location of the speakers, this is the weak link in this bunch).
Lenovo S10-2:: Review:: Conclusions
The field of application of netbooks today is very diverse. If in the first wave manufacturers received good profits from various types of so-called. “geeks”, now the purchase of a netbook is being considered by people for whom the choice of processor performance plays a lesser role than compact dimensions, and the price of the device will allow them not to worry too much about the device when using “in the field”. In this regard, the updated Lenovo device, which now weighs slightly less than its predecessor, has an optionally more attractive processor (N280 versus N270), and also offers a choice of various combinations of wireless networks, seems to us a very attractive solution. Variations in the color of the case, and to be more precise, the top cover will allow the user of the new product to stand out against the background of the gray mass, although calm colors that are not particularly eye-catching are also available in the manufacturer’s collection. It turns out that we are practically looking at a designer, with the only difference that all possible details must be determined for yourself even before purchase, because in the future the significant “advantages” or “disadvantages” of the S10-2 will no longer be able to be replaced by others, but no matter how was necessary in our fast-paced world, decide for yourself.
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Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 appeared on the market a little later than other Pine Trail netbooks, and at the same time its price at the time of the announcement was above the average for devices of this class. How did Lenovo decide to win over users? Apparently, the developers of the IdeaPad S10-3 decided to “beat” their competitors with an original design solution, which potential users of this netbook should value at a higher price than ordinary offerings from this segment. We will tell you further about what else is remarkable about the device.
Appearance and design features
The Lenovo IdeaPad S10 has already gone through three “revisions,” and compared to the original version, it is the latest modification that can be called the most innovative. And not only because the S10-3, unlike the first and second reincarnations, is made on the Pine Trail platform. This device is strikingly different from its predecessors with a new elegant design. It is felt that when creating this netbook, the developers sought to make it the most noticeable among the homogeneous mass of other Atom devices.
For the IdeaPad S10-3, Lenovo designers have developed a thin and fairly light case. When closed, the thickness of the netbook, taking into account the height of the legs, is 27.8 mm, and if we take only the thickness of the case into account, then even less - 25.4 mm. In addition to the small thickness, fans of netbooks will clearly be pleased with the modest weight of the model, which without battery is 1185 g.
To get away from the “pop” fashion for gloss, the designers carved the glossy outer part of the lid with a textured pattern reminiscent of the surface of a chessboard with small cells. Compared to regular gloss, this solution looks much more interesting. In addition, it is more practical as it does not show fingerprints.
The only purely glossy surface on the S10-3 is the frame around the display, the material of which was probably chosen to match the coating of the screen itself. The working surface under the keyboard is made of matte plastic, painted to resemble roughly processed metal. Individual elements that make a decorative contribution to the exterior of the netbook are the touch panel and keyboard, but we’ll talk about them a little later.
The appearance of the netbook is somewhat diversified by additional buttons located on the display frame. Traditionally, the laptop on/off button is usually placed on the work panel above the keyboard. But Lenovo decided to break away from tradition and placed it on the left margin of the frame. Above this button there is a lone indicator informing the user that CapsLock mode is enabled.
To the right of the display on the frame there are two more hard keys: QS and Recovery Key. Using the first, when the netbook is turned off, you can launch a lightweight OS that will allow you to use the browser and some applications for Internet communication without loading the main operating system. If the netbook is turned on, then by pressing the QS button you can launch any application assigned to it. The Recovery Key button, as its name implies, calls up the system recovery utility.
Built-in stereo speakers (1.5 W each) are located on the front end of the case. Like the speakers in most netbooks, the S10's built-in stereo system isn't much use. Its volume is quite high, but it only works with high frequencies.
Input Devices
The keyboard in the S10-3 is simply magnificent, there's no other way to put it. The island-type keys, separated from each other by a short distance, have small depressions in the center for the fingertips. The keys are pressed very softly, but despite this, the moment of operation is felt very well. The substrate is rigid around the perimeter and bends slightly in the center.
The keyboard is well suited for long-term typing: your hands don’t get tired and your fingers don’t get tangled in the keys. The large distance between the centers of the keys allows even a person with large hands to work comfortably with the keyboard. There are no complaints about the layout: everything is within traditional limits. The only remark could be attributed to the design of the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets: many would obviously be more comfortable if they were printed in different colors, and not just different fonts.
The touchpad in the IdeaPad S10-3 is very similar to the Apple MacBook touchpad, which does not have additional buttons at the bottom, but is itself one large button. In a netbook, the touchpad is also veiled under one large button, but it is not pressed at any point. To roughly break it down, pressing the left half is the same as triggering the left mouse button, and the right half is the same as triggering the right mouse button. Only in the center and at the top the touchpad cannot be pressed.
Along the right side of the touchpad is an unlabeled vertical scrolling area. The IdeaPad S10-3's touchpad also supports multi-touch, but the feature is disabled by default. Working with the touchpad is quite convenient - no less convenient than using a traditional touchpad. Although, of course, Lenovo is still very far from Apple technologies.
Display
The S10-3 we tested has a 10.1-inch matrix manufactured by Chunghwa Picture Tubes. Its resolution is standard for netbooks and is 1024x600 pixels. When you turn on the device for the first time, you immediately feel that the backlight brightness is very high and leads to burnout of the colors on the screen, which is why they are perceived as pale and dull. The highest brightness is achieved in the center of the display: at this point it is 239 cd/m2. This value is quite enough to freely work with a netbook on the street. However, in direct sunlight, even this brightness is not enough to avoid glare on the glossy coating of the matrix.
The backlight uniformity is quite high and for this matrix it is 87%. But the contrast ratio is quite small, only 176:1. Such a low contrast is due to the fact that due to the too powerful backlight, the brightness of the black glow is very high.
The viewing angles are traditional for devices of this class: a narrow vertical angle (information on the screen remains readable without distortion within 20 degrees from the normal to the screen plane) and a wider horizontal angle (within 40 degrees from the normal).
Interfaces and expansion ports
Lenovo developers scattered the ports in the S10-3 along the right and left ends of the case, leaving the other sides out of work for certain reasons (the entire rear end is given over to the battery, and the front is too flattened towards the bottom).
On the left side there is a USB port, an analog D-Sub video output, a card reader that supports SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/xD formats, and a connector for connecting a power supply. It is very correct that the manufacturer decided to place the video output closer to the back of the case, where the cable coming from it will not interfere with other connected devices. The card reader, on the contrary, is located closer to the front end so that when working with memory cards you don’t have to reach far.
On the right side there is an RJ-45 network connector, two more USB 2.0 ports and a pair of 3.5 mm audio jacks. And in this part, there is a sense of rationality in the arrangement of interfaces: the connector to which the cable is connected for a long time (RJ-45) is located closer to the rear end, and those that are used frequently are moved closer to the front.
The S10-3 we tested had an Ericsson F3607gw HSPA module installed. This broadband access module for HSPA/GPRS/EDGE networks allows you to remotely control your computer. Even when the netbook itself is turned off, the module will maintain a connection to the Internet and, if necessary, can switch the computer to any state. For example, if the device is stolen or lost, the user can block access to it and the data on the hard drive. This remote control feature must be supported by your broadband internet service provider.
Battery life
Lenovo positions its IdeaPad S10-3 as a netbook with a fairly long battery life, especially for the battery installed in it - 7 hours. The battery capacity this device comes with is 48 Wh. So if the model can really work for 7 hours, it will be very good.
Let's start with the record-breaking battery life testing results. In the Battery Eater reader test, with wireless communications turned off and backlight brightness at minimum, the battery life was 9 hours 3 minutes. It is worth noting that with the minimum brightness that the adjustment allows you to set, you can work quite comfortably indoors.
However, reading mode is practically unattainable in everyday life, so let's move on to more realistic simulations. In classic mode, at maximum brightness and with wireless connections turned on, the S10-3 was able to last 4 hours 47 minutes. As for real operating conditions, it is precisely in these conditions that the netbook “extends” its legitimate 7 hours of operation without a fixed network. One charge of the standard battery is enough for 7 hours and 17 minutes to surf the network via Wi-Fi at 50% screen brightness (you don’t need more in indoor conditions) and at the same time listen to music through the built-in speakers.
In general, these autonomy indicators can be called very good. Of course, it was possible to install a more capacious battery in the S10-3, but in this case the weight of the device would have noticeably increased and the dimensions would have changed somewhat. So a standard 48 Wh battery is the best solution in this case.
To optimize energy consumption, the S10-3 includes the Lenovo Energy Management utility. The essence of its work is no different from proprietary utilities of other laptop manufacturers: there are five power profiles that allow you to optimize energy consumption for specific operating conditions.
The power supply that comes with the device is very small and almost weightless (about 150 g). The cable that goes from the network to the power supply will weigh more. So carrying this tiny unit with you will not be difficult. It's nice that manufacturers began to pay attention to such a small thing as the power supply. About a year and a half ago, you could find a netbook with a power supply that was comparable in weight to the computer itself.
Heat and noise
The IdeaPad S10-3 is one of the quietest netbooks. In idle mode the cooler is absolutely silent. If it were not for the light breeze from the ventilation window, it would be impossible to guess that the fan was working at all.
The noise from the cooler becomes audible only under sudden, heavy or prolonged load on the system. In the first case, the fan speed increases sharply, but then, after a few seconds, decreases to a level where the cooler becomes barely audible. Under prolonged load, a faint hum from the “propeller” cooling the system is constantly heard, but in an office environment it is unlikely to be noticeable.
In terms of thermal emission, the laptop also looks very decent. Unfortunately, it cannot be said that the S10-3 is an absolutely cold device, but nevertheless it does not heat up as much as some of its brothers. At idle, the only warm area on the work surface is under the left wrist. Here the temperature reaches 30-32 degrees Celsius.
At the same time, the lower part of the body heats up more noticeably: in its center the temperature reaches 36-38 degrees, and near the blower exit - 35 degrees Celsius. When the system is loaded, the case temperature rises, but not too significantly, by about 2-4 degrees.
2 years ago 0
1) price - about 8000 rubles 2) WiFi supports ad-hoc and 802.11n (if the Atheros AR9285 card) 3) free mini pci-e slot (there are wires to the antenna), where you can put a modem with GPS 4) SIM card slot , useful if you want to install a 3G modem 5) it’s easy to replace memory, hdd and mini pci-e cards without losing the warranty - just unscrew the 4 bolts on the back cover 6) capacitive touchpad, with the appropriate drivers supports 3-finger clicking, scrolling 2 fingers and other multi-touch features (draw in paint did not work) 7) low power consumption (due to the LED-backlit display) with a 6-cell battery holds up decently. I read that it consumes a maximum of 13.5 W, in some remote village it can be powered from a solar panel. 8) good keyboard, very pleasant to type 9) webcam
2 years ago 0
1. Full-fledged PC 2. I was pleased with the battery, it lasts 5-7 hours. I charge it once a day. Therefore, I immediately reprogrammed the actions for closing the lid (when I close the lid, so that it does not turn off and keeps the 3G network, turning off only the display) 3.Small, light, beautiful.
2 years ago 0
I bought it for 8,400, the reviews are excellent, I installed ubuntu 10.04 LTS on it, everything flies, everything works fine. I had to additionally install firewood for Wi-Fi, which I’m not happy about, but installing one package downloaded from the off site doesn’t bother me. The operating time is from Akuma - 3-4 hours, with Wi-Fi and increased screen brightness less - about 2 hours. The case is matte, I don’t see any problems with my fingers.
2 years ago 0
The battery lasts up to 5 hours of normal operation. All necessary communications are present and work efficiently, it only heats up when running some significant application (although it is not intended for such applications). I am especially pleased with the built-in 3G modem, because... I don’t like it when anything sticks out from the side. The USB layout on the case is quite good (the devices do not “push” if you plug in 2 at once). Full size keyboard.
2 years ago 0
Beautiful, good battery, functional touchpad
2 years ago 0
1. The keyboard is simply gorgeous! The buttons are large, widely spaced, of an unusual shape, but very comfortable, have good travel and a pleasant sound - can serve as an excellent example for Asus ;) 2. 3G modem - where this netbook is supposed to be used, there will be no other connection. 3. A tightly knit body - attempts to twist it led to nothing - not a single creaking sound)) 4. Price!!! A car with WiFi, BT and 3G costs only 9500! A year earlier, I bought an Asus Eee Pc 1015PED with similar performance characteristics for 15,000, and without 3G!
2 years ago 0
He himself is a complete dignity! (In its own segment, of course). 1-Non-glossy body: there are no fingerprints left at the slightest contact with it. 2-Price!!! They beat ALL competitors with very good quality. 3-Battery life. (One of the most looooong-playing games!). 4-Simple and convenient access to HDD and RAM. And without fillings, like MSI for example! 5-There are already 3 in the set!!! DVD discs: one with drivers + software and two different ones with native Windows. A small thing, but nice!
2 years ago 0
I bought the S10-3c model today. The memory is 1024MB DDR3. And the wireless adapter is not 802.11g, but 802.11n. And this is already a step forward. The battery showed 5 hours of watching a movie. The hard drive, memory and wireless adapter are covered with screws. Can be easily changed.
2 years ago 0
Price DDR III memory Possibility to open separately the covers for the HDD and memory without losing the warranty Good coverage of the cover and the case itself Good touchpad The battery really lasts for 5 hours (I watched a movie, the Internet for 1-2 hours, and fiddled with it a little, in general I got tired of discharging it) Compass 3D works, although you can only draw drawings, but 3D parts don’t work. I installed Win7 ultimate, everything works, but not so fast (look at the shortcomings)
2 years ago 0
The laptop can be started in two modes: in normal mode, when XPWin7 is loaded, and in netbook mode, when the built-in Linux is loaded. In the second case, the loading time is 1-2 minutes; there is a separate button on the case for this. You can install 2 GB of RAM (only after flashing the BIOS). There is a slot for a SIM card and a free port and all preparations for installing a 3G modem with GPS GOBI-2000. Good work of the energy saving manager, operating time varies from 3 to 6-7 hours depending on the mode. Bright, glossy screen, good keyboard, and also speakers on the case
2 years ago 0
1) When you buy, it’s not clear what’s in the mini pci-e slots. In the maximum configuration there should be a 3G modem with GPS, a Wi-Fi card with bluetoth (the price in this case is appropriate).
At the minimum there is only a Wi-Fi card.
If you want to be sure that there is a 3G modem, then check immediately (it will definitely not be included in the 8000r package).
2) Sometimes the speakers clicked when turned on and during operation. I turned off the windows sounds and now they are gone.
3) If you are talking (especially with video) on Skype, then it is better to forget about other applications and close it. The processor in other laptops is no better, so this is not a flaw of this model, it is a flaw of all netbooks.
2 years ago 0
1. The processor could be more powerful
2. 1GB RAM - not enough, slow! I installed 2GB at once, it became much faster! (I wanted to install 4GB, but the netbook didn’t even turn on with it)
3. Swapped places and , I always confuse it out of habit
4. Poor location of the power button (bottom left near the display); when you change the angle of the cover with the display, you must try not to get your finger into it.
5. I struggle with the 3G module itself: it takes a long time to warm up if it was disabled before (but here, most likely, after reinstalling Win7, an unsuccessful driver was installed). This is the only driver that I always struggle with after reinstalling Windows.
2 years ago 0
You can make the touchpad bigger. The screen is glossy, not to say that it interferes, but I would like a matte one
2 years ago 0
Only 1 GB of memory upon purchase, be prepared to exchange for a 2 gig stick (exactly change, because there is only 1 slot), Glossy surface of the cover (although some may not think this is a minus, but you will carry it with you).
2 years ago 0
Two days later the monitor lid started to come off. I examined it and there are simply no fasteners in the places where it lags; it is structurally spaced wider than necessary. Ill-conceived body. The result is a constant negative effect from the new thing.
2 years ago 0
The first and immediately noticeable drawback is the location of the buttons under the left little finger, although it is much more convenient and familiar.
The Atom N455 is still a very stunted processor, rated 2.4 by W7HP. What’s interesting is that Acer offers a model based on the N550 for 9 thousand - what prevented Lenovo from doing the same and putting a higher class processor in a budget machine?
Gloss all around, fingers and reflections everywhere. Although, if you are a neat person, then keeping the machine in order is not at all difficult.
2 years ago 0
Yes, there are none, perhaps. It's just a glossy screen, but that's what anyone likes. ;)
2 years ago 0
A long and stiff wire from the outlet to the power supply!
They could have made an adapter straight into the socket, and from it to the netbook about two meters, so that it would fit properly in the bag.
But this is probably the problem with all netbooks.
The cooling system is active.
Three USB connectors. One on the left and two (very close to each other) on the right.
2 years ago 0
in principle there are none. The battery only sticks out from the back, but it (the battery) gives an inclination relative to the table, which is important for cooling
One gigabyte of memory is really a perversion, but you can change it to two gigabytes painlessly (we look at the advantages) there is a performance increase, although small
2 years ago 0
The rubber stop feet really like to fly off. After a month of use, one got lost on the monitor.
The home and end buttons are really awkward to use.
There is not enough HDMI output instead of a regular monitor one.
