ViewSonic ViewBook VNB120

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Review

ViewSonic may be a name more readily associated with monitors rather than laptops, but the ViewBook VNB120 is the latest in its line of low-cost ultraportables — it announced its first netbook, the VieBook (no, not a typo), at last year’s CES.

The ViewBook VNB120 is the smallest and cheapest model in a range of four portables that ViewSonic announced just before Xmas. It’s a 12.1” ULV laptop with a 1.2GHz dual-core Celeron processor — hardly a powerhouse then, but at around £469, the VNB120 is temptingly priced.

The ViewBook VNB120 is available in two colours — black and the white we reviewed. We liked the look of the white model — it’s pure white, rather than some variant shade, and the matte texture used for much of the case goes well with the glossy lid. It’s a slim netbook and, at 1.52kg, not too heavy, but while there’s little else that’s remarkable about its looks, there are a couple of design foibles worth mentioning.

The first is that when closed, the front edge of the lid presses down on the trackpad button and will click it with just a little pressure. This isn’t a problem per se, since it won’t bring Windows out of Sleep mode, but it does sound like something expensive is breaking the first time it happens.

The other minor problem is with the battery. The large 48Wh pack protrudes from the ViewBook VNB120’s underside and tilts the keyboard at a comfortable angle for typing, but its smooth finish provides no purchase for prising it out. Trickier still is that the two spring-loaded battery catches at either side need to be held open at the same time to release the battery and in the absence of a third hand, the option is to up-end the netbook and shake it. Not a problem if you never remove the battery of course, but a bit of pain if you plan to carry a spare.

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