More Netbooks: Lenovo ideapad S10

Posted by: Gadgetman at 2:02 pm, February 1st, 2009

The Lenovo ideapad S10 is the prototypical netbook. Low price of $349 -- check. Intel Atom processor -- check. Small size (9.8" x 7.2") -- check. Windows XP -- check. WiFi -- check. So, is it a winner?
 
Well, probably not. The specs are good, and the fit and finish is a step above other netbooks, on a par with the much more expensive Sony Vaio P (see http://www.avguide.com/blog/review-life-the-sony-vaio-p-netbook). But, the Lenovo has some issues that put it in the "almost but not quite" category.
 
First off, a netbook should be really small. The Lenovo is smaller than a small notebook, for sure. But when you look at the Sony Vaio P, and even models from others like Acer, you see that Lenovo hesitated when reducing the notebook feature set. They gave the S10 a whopping 10.4" display. That sounds good, but if your idea of a netbook is to epitomize portability, a 10.4" screen is too big. That's because it makes the S10 measure more than 7" front to back. The Sony (which is too small, but only by a hair), measures 4.6" front-to-back.
 
That large screen might be forgivable if it were higher resolution. But at 1024 x 600, it doesn' quite cut it. Like the Acer Aspire, too many web sites wander off the right of the screen. And too little of sites and applications are visible vertically. Sony shows that a smaller screen can have higher resolution (1600 x 768 pixels for the Sony). To work with higher resolution, you need a screen that is about 4" tall. Lenovo's is 5.2" high, so in the next generation, they could easily make a smaller machine, with higher resolution.
 
The other issue I have is the layout of the keyboard. All netbook keyboards are small, but they're usable in size. The problem comes when the layout compromises key buttons. In this case, the right shift key. Sony made the same mistake, but Acer didn't proving this can be done (Acer and Sony missed with their pointing devices, so no one is perfect).
 
Finally, I'd argue that to be a netbook, you have to offer Wireless Wide Area Networking. The Lenovo S10 doesn't have it. I could be added, but not in a seamlessly integrated way.
 
In summary, as if often the case, generation 1 has some kinks to be worked out.