Lenovo IdeaPad S10

The starting configuration is a bit cheaper, offering 512MB of RAM and an 80GB hard drive for $439, while our upgrades (which are not currently available on Lenovo's Web site), should come in about $550.

Specification

• Price as reviewed Starting price $550 - $439
• Processor 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
• Memory 1GB, DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz
• Hard drive 160GB 5,400rpm
• Chipset Mobile Intel 945 Express
• Graphics Intel GMA 950
• Operating System Windows XP Home Edition SP3
• Dimensions (WDH) 9.9x7.3x1.0 inches
• Screen size (diagonal) 10.2 inches
• System weight / Weight with AC adapter 2.7 - 3.4 pounds
• Category Netbook
• Lenovo IdeaPad S10 Average for category (Netbook)
• Video VGA out VGA out
• Audio headphone microphone jacks headphone microphone jacks
• Data 2 USB 2.0, SD card reader 2 USB 2.0, SD card reader
• Expansion ExpressCard 34 None
• Networking Ethernet, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth modem, Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• Optical drive None None
  

We liked the chunky, squared off design, and the IdeaPad S10 is a little thinner than Asus' thick 10 inch Eee PC 1000. There's a decent sized keyboard (for a Netbook), which doesn't feel the need to knock out a row of function keys or mess around too much with the standard layout (we're looking at you, Dell).

The touch pad is marginally smaller than the one on Dell's Mini 9, but we liked the slightly textured surface on the S10, which kept our fingers from dragging, as can happen on overly glossy touch pad surfaces. We were also very pleased to see an ExpressCard 34 slot, which is rare on smaller systems, but very useful for adding after market extras, such as a mobile broadband modem.

Speakers, usually an afterthought on Netbooks, were located under a grill that runs along the front lip of the system. One should never depend on tiny speakers like this, but the volume was at least loud for basic YouTube purposes. The 10.2 inch wide screen display has a 1,024x600 pixel native resolution, which is standard for 9 and 10 inch Netbooks, and not too far removed from the 1.280x800 pixel resolution common in most laptops up to 15 inches.

With Intel's now standard 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, specifically designed for low power Netbooks, the Lenovo S10 is not going to match up with Lenovo's normally high powered business systems or deliver the same level of performance you'd get from even an inexpensive Core 2 Duo. Still, for Web surfing, email, and working on office documents, which is 90 percent of what most people do on their laptops anyway, the S10 performed about as expected, closely matching the Asus Eee PC 901 and MSI Wind in our iTunes performance test.