Samsung Netbook New Solar Powered NC215S Survived Being able to 14.5 Hours!
Samsung announced a netbook with a built-in solar panel and 14.5-hour battery life. The NC215S also offers hybrid fast start technology, the ability to charge portable devices even when it’s turned off, a choice of Atom processors, and a 250GB or 320GB hard disk drive.
The solar-powered NC215S just might fit the bill, especially for those who work — or play – outdoors, far from a power outlet.
While some observers consider the netbook form factor passe, Samsung is leveraging the clamshell design to provide something new: a built-in solar panel. According to the company, the NC215S‘ solar cells provide one hour of work for each two hours of recharging in the sun.
The netbook isn’t totally dependent on solar power, because it also comes with a six-cell battery that, Samsung claims, can provide up to 14.5 hours of operation. It’s also said the unit’s three USB 2.0 ports can recharge devices such as phones or MP3 players even when the netbook is sleeping or turned off.
Samsung adds that sun-worshippers will be able to read the NC215S‘ display outdoors while they and the laptop catch some rays. Perhaps because the solar panel already drives up cost, Samsung has not chosen to reduce power consumption by adopting a solid state disk drive. The NC215S instead comes with a 2.5-inch, 5400rpm hard disk drive, offered in 250GB and 320GB capacities.
However, the company does tout an “innovative hybrid sleep mode” it calls Samsung Fast Start. The other features on the 2.86-pound NC215S are more typical, including a choice of Atom processors (the dual-core N570 or single-core N455, 1GB of RAM (presumably expandable to 2GB), and a 10.1-inch screen with 1024 x 600 resolution. The NC215S is equipped with Windows 7 Starter Edition, according to the company.
First introduced for the African market, Samsung’s NC215S will be hitting Russia in early August for 13,999 rubles ($479). The netbook sports a lid almost entirely monopolized by a solar panel, which contributes to an overall estimated battery life of 14.5 hours.
The NC215S packs a 1.6GHz N570 Intel Atom dual-core processor, 250GB of storage, and 1GB of RAM into a 2.9 pound frame. Just a little over a month ago, our own J. Angelo Racoma gave you a look at the NC215S from Samsung, a solar-powered netbook that was hitting African markets first.
It’s set to pack a 1.6 GHz dual-core Intel Atom N570, a full gig of RAM, a relatively small 250 gig of storage (which is still pretty substantial on an absolute level, but some pack four times that or more), Samsung’s Fast Start system, and the Sleep And Charge system in which you can connect your various USB devices to the laptop and use its solar panel to not only recharge the battery but also divert some of that charge into your batteries.
Samsung has announced it will be launching the NC215S solar-powered netbook this August for customers in Russia. Using solar panels to keep laptops running is nothing new, but the company claims a world’s first here due to the panel being integrated into the lid of the netbook’s 10.1in, 1024 x 600-pixel display.
Rather than fueling the netbook, the solar panel is designed to sustain battery life, notching up a possible 14.5 hours on the go. The NC215S itself is on a par with the current crop of Samsung netbooks, running Windows 7 Starter and sporting an Intel Atom N570 (1.66 GHz) dual-core processor, 1GB of Ram and a 250GB or 320GB drive.
The image of snow covered boots tends to accompany thoughts of the Russian climate, but it’s one helluva big place and this launch suggests Samsung is minded to look on the bright side.
Specifications listed for Samsung’s NC215S include:
- Processor — single-core Atom N455 or dual-core N570 (both @1.66GHz)
- Chipset — Intel NM10
- Memory — 1GB of DDR3 RAM (expandability not cited)
- Display — 10.1-inch screen with 1024 x 600 pixel resolution and anti-reflective coating; solar panel on back
- Storage — 250GB or 320GB hard disk drive
- Expansion — SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC slot
- Networking — gigabit Ethernet
- Other I/O:
* VGA
* audio — headphone jack, microphone input
- Battery — six-cell
- Dimensions — 10.19 x 7.06 x 1.4 inches
- Weight — 2.86 pounds
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