Lenovo IdeaPad S10 netbook

The S10 stands its ground admirably in the netbook range

By Jayesh Shinde, Bangalore | Monday, 13 October 2008
Lenovo, one of the top notebook PC manufacturers, has hit a home-run with the IdeaPad S10, as it enters the fast exploding segment of mini-laptops. At first glance, it looks like a cross between the compact Acer Aspire One and MSI Wind, but the S10 stands its ground admirably among the flock.

The Lenovo IdeaPad S10 is sleek, eye-catching, and typifies Lenovo's tradition of thin and light designs. The S10 weighs just under 1.25 kg,and is slightly over 25 mm thick. It doesn't have the conventional laptop slant and looks surprisingly compact for a 10.2-inch screen netbook. Just as small as the Acer Aspire One, the Ideapad S10 makes the Asus Eee PC 1000H look big and bulky. Also Lenovo is synonymous with sound build quality, hence it's no surprise the Ideapad S10 feels so nice and solid.

The IdeaPad S10 sports a pearl-white exterior like the MSI Wind, and the 10.2-inch non-glossy screen is outlined with white plastic, as is the rest of the chassis. But the S10 doesn't just have looks in its favor. A 160GB, 5400 RPM hard disk coupled with 1GB of RAM at 667 MHz - a rare combination among netbooks today - is enough to handle storage and performance needs of most potential users.

Where it is complicated to upgrade the hard disk and RAM of other netbooks, the IdeaPad S10 is fairly easy to disassemble and upgrade. It is driven by the inexpensive and low-power consuming 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270 processor and runs on Windows XP Home edition. A 1.3-megapixel webcam sits above the screen and an in-built mic is recessed on the left-hand palmrest.

Working with the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 is easy, once you tune into the small form factor. The screen doesn't disappoint outdoors, and the viewing angles are okay. Its keyboard is as good as the one on the Acer Aspire One, with well-defined keys providing good feedback and no flex. Keys are arrayed with shortcuts, though the interchanged positions of Control and Function keys was a personal peeve.

A design novelty in the IdeaPad S10 is the placement of the speakers on the front edge below the touchpad. So, if you're sitting with the netbook on your lap, all the sound is directed to your waist; but it's a boon if you're in the habit of relaxing on a couch and working with a laptop on your belly. Audio from the curiously placed speakers isn't too loud, but crisp and clear. From browsing the Internet on Firefox to working on Microsoft Office, transferring files over Bluetooth and listening to music over Wi-Fi, or even watching a movie: the experience was very good.

However, multitasking while listening to music and surfing a Flash-heavy Website provided minor hiccups on more than one occasion. Also, the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 came pre-installed with a lot of useful software like Norton Internet Security and OneKey Recovery 6.0, an easy-to-use backup and bootable recovery software that can be launched with a curved hotkey placed above the keyboard.

Despite its strong points, the IdeaPad S10 isn't without its blemishes. It runs a little hotter than normal, making it uncomfortable for extended usage on the lap, and the 3-cell battery lasted close to three hours. A multicard reader and ExpressCard expansion slot are fine, but just two USB ports is cutting it a little too short. The touchpad is very tiny and difficult to work with, too.

If you want a netbook that lasts you close to five hours, the Asus Eee PC or MSI Wind is a better bet right now. But if high-battery life isn't a priority and you can shell out US$512 for a slim, stylish, well-built netbook, the Ideapad S10 is a good choice.