Netbook Review | Mobile Computer Reviews

Samsung N220

On 12 March 2010

With the launch of its new ‘Pine Trail’ platform late last year, it became clear that Intel wasn’t interested in upping the performance of its Atom processors too much. Instead, these new chips simply offered improved power consumption at the same 1.6GHz (or thereabouts) clock speed, plus a smaller size for more compact portables — helped in part by the incorporation of the graphics

Toshiba Satellite T130

On 04 March 2010

The Intel ULV-powered ultraportables we’ve seen over the last few months have been a bit of a mixed bag. Some, like the Samsung X120, have successfully exploited the thin-and-light idea to offer something new, while others, like the Advent Altro, seem to have missed the point completely. On the face of it, the Toshiba Satellite T130 looks like a recipe for success. It pushes the limit of what could

Toshiba NB200

On 26 February 2010 2 Comments

Since netbook components are pretty much standard across all models, manufacturers don’t have much wiggle room when it comes to boosting battery life and a big bunch of cells is really the only option. That’s certainly the approach taken by Toshiba for the NB200 and its bountiful 63Wh battery pack gives bags of mains-free use. Externally, the NB200 is also much better looking than Toshiba’s earlier

Samsung N510

On 10 February 2010

Netbooks were never intended to be much more than cheap and cheerful ultraportables for people who didn’t need — or couldn’t afford — anything more powerful, but their huge popularity has manufacturers to look at ways to widen their appeal with better specifications. The Samsung N510 is a prime example. Although superficially just another Intel Atom-powered portable, the 11.6”

ASUS Eee PC 1008P Seashell Karim Rashid Edition

On 12 January 2010

Intel announced its new Pine View platform for netbooks just before Xmas and CES 2010 was awash with new models that made use of it. The first to hit the Mobile Computer office is the ASUS Eee PC 1008P Seashell Karim Rashid Edition but, as the name suggests, there’s a bit more to this netbook than a new processor. The Eee PC 1008P has been designed in part by industrial designer called Karim Rashid

Dell Inspiron 11z

On 03 December 2009

We’ve reviewed a few Intel ULV-powered laptops of late, but none have really been the low-cost ultraportables that these cheap, highly energy efficient processors are supposed to deliver — the Advent Altro, MSI Wind X600 and ASUS UX30 all cost £600 or more. So, this made us all the more excited to get our hands on the Dell Inspiron 11z. The range starts at a very reasonable £349 for

Advent Milano

On 26 November 2009 1 Comment

We’re going to have to wait until next year for netbooks with specifications that are appreciably different from those that have been available for the last two years — that’s when Intel is scheduled to launch its new Pine Trail netbook platform, with dual-core Atom processors and all manner of other improvements. If you can’t wait that long — or are looking for a cheap ultraportable

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2

On 19 November 2009

Lenovo has already updated the IdeaPad S10 to the IdeaPad S10-2 since we first saw it at the beginning of this year, but this new model has slightly tweaked for the release of Windows 7. We didn’t review the previous IdeaPad S10-2, so we’ll highlight the main differences with the original model as we go. The Original IdeaPad S10 was pretty plain for a netbook, though that was no bad thing

Sony VAIO X Series

On 30 October 2009

The netbook has all but put paid to the need for an expensive ultraportable if you need laptop to take everywhere, but few models are that much to look at. ASUS certainly made an impression with its S101 and Seashell Eee PCs, but Sony created the biggest splash with its featherweight VAIO P Series. Sadly, that netbook was simply too small to be used properly, so now it’s trying again with something of

Samsung N140

On 13 October 2009 3 Comments

Samsung arrived a little late at the netbook party, but the NC10 it launched at the end of last year did at least have the good grace to combine smart design with long battery life. There was little else remarkable about it though, so we were eager to see what Samsung had up its sleeve with its latest model — the N140. As it turns out, the Samsung N140 doesn’t look dramatically different from