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NetBooks
Review of the Lenovo S12 Ideapad
The S12 is larger than most netbooks you've seen before, but it also cost more. The larger keyboard and screen almost make up for the difference.
Accompanying me this morning is Lenovo's latest netbook, the IdeaPad S12. Netbooks these days are pretty much the same. Lenovo understood this when designing the S12. This netbook distinguishes itself by including a number of premium hardware features not associated with performance. The most obvious of these features are the larger 12-inch, 1280x800 resolution screen and its full-size keyboard. Other hardware features you won't find on a standard netbook include an SD memory card reader and an Express Card Slot. The S12's size pushes the boundaries of what some have come to expect from a netbook. In fact, some wouldn't consider this a netbook at all. Its chassis is much larger than competing netbooks and its weight is proportionally heavier. The craftsmanship of the hardware is phenomenal with only one detraction ; the larger, 6-cell battery that is good for over 5 hours of continuous computing. The S12's battery protrudes from the back of the netbook making it a bit awkward to carry and providing a slight incline on the keyboard when typing on a flat surface. The chassis' size however is also one of the unit's strengths. The larger form factor allows the S12 to have a full-size keyboard and It's large, 12.1, 1280x800 resolution screen. The keyboard offers a precise and distinct feel, in a netbooks whose primary purpose is web-browsing and word processing. Touch typists will be pleased about the attention to detail given to the keyboard. However, there was an oversight at Lenovo where they placed swapped placement of two keys. We often found ourselves naturally hitting the Fn key instead of left Ctrl when performing common tasks such as cut, copy, and paste. The touch pad isn't large nor small and provides two buttons that fit beneath the touchpad that provide good feedback as well. The S12's connectivity is on par with other netbooks in its class. It's got the standard 3 USB 2.0 ports, SVGA, microphone, headphone, Ethernet and AC adapter. The IdeaPad also includes a memory card reader that supports MMC, MS, MSpro and SD expandable memory cards. An Express Card Slot/34 is also included. Both the memory card slot and Express Card slot included dummy plastic sticks to protect the slots while not in use and keep unwanted dust out. The S12 also supports a security lock and wireless on/off switch. As far as performance goes, since the IdeaPad shares almost identical hardware to its other netbook competitors there is not much that makes this model stand out. It is equipped with an Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz single-core processor, 1GB of memory, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 and 5400RPM 160GB SATA3.0 hard disk drive. So it's just your standard netbook on the inside. All in all, this is a great netbook for those who feel netbook screens and keyboards are too small and/or cramped and want that little extra flair. Teens and college students will also appreciate the $449 price tag because they'll receive a machine capable of handling everyday school tasks in a sleek, ultra-portable bundle with great battery life.
Tags:
netbook,
computer,
lenovo,
laptop,
,
compact,
ideapad,
s12
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