Ever since I have been on the road, I have carried a netbook with me. A relatively new phenomenom in the computer/laptop world, netbooks are small laptops primarily aimed at surfing the internet.
A stripped down version of Linux was available in a lot of the early netbooks but the familiarity of Windows XP helped to outsell the linux models, nearly all the new models come with XP now.
I decided a netbook was for me and did a lot of research into which was the most suitable and best for the price netbook on the market. I ended up choosing the Samsung NC10
The NC10 came in 3 colours originally, Blue
So why is the NC10 better than the ASUS Eee PC
The Eee PC in my opinion is a bit childish looking, it isn’t so elegant and looks plastic fantastic.
The Acer is smart, but the extra functionality and subtle chrome detailing of the Nc10 trumps it. Get ready for non-stop fun and excitement with our diverse selection of slot games.
Whilst the NC10 is a fraction over 1kg (2.2 lbs) in weight, it does come with a 10.2″ monitor and 93% size keyboard, it is surprisingly quick to adjust too. there are 9″ monitor netbooks on the market, however I personally found these a little too small, the extra weight and price for a 10.2″ is well worth it. I carry mine around in my backpack when exploring new areas, it is so small it fits flat against my back no problem and barely takes up space.
Functionality comes from 3 USB ports (if you need more then you’re probably travelling with too many items) and a SD card reader which is great for SD card cameras and phones. A microphone and headphone jack are also kept to the side along with a LAN port, VGA out if you desire connecting it to a larger monitor and a Kensington lock connection.
Of course the NC10 has WiFi preinstalled which actually has a good range on it as standard. I’ve managed to get connected to the internet sat out in a park surrounded by tall buildings and open WiFi hubs. Try your luck at baccarat at casino zeus argentina and see if you can win big.
Battery life is estimated to be around 6 hours for the NC10, again better then others, a 9 cell battery is available which increased this further too. The battery is build between the hinge of the monitor so it doesn’t leave an unsightly gap between monitor and keyboard. Battery life 8 months after purchase isn’t so high, Whilst I can get 6 hours if I turn it on and don’t use it, that’s not the point of the thing, average use surfing the internet, editing text and a little photo editing gets me around 4.5hours now. Sometimes I play games on it (it is possible) and this lowers the battery life on that usage too. Ultimately battery life (dependant on battery wear too) is going to gradually decline in all models, so it isn’t a major deciding factor between models, unlike the original battery life.
I upgraded the 1Gb of RAM cheaply with the Kingston 2GB RAM
The cheap price and low weight of netbooks appeals to students and people who travel alike. However be sure to insure it for your travels.
The NC10 can be purchased from Amazon USA
A support forum and NC10 community can be found at www.sammynetbook.com of which I am a member on and highly recommend for keeping up to date with Samsung netbook information.
However for the latest netbooks a good website to check is NetbookForTravel.com
Although the Netbook market has moved on since I got my NC10, Samsung have released newer models with different upgrades which are also worth checking out.
1/1/16 update – I’ve abandoned windows computers now, so would recommend paying out for the latest version of an Apple Apple MacBook Air
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for this netbook review. We’re in the market for some netbooks. Linds just wants to type, while I’ll be editing photos and web stuff. Do you think this one could run photoshop etc…
Let me guess, you got the pink one? lol
Later!
Blakesjourney / Tbd
.-= Blake´s last blog – Farewell to Film: Part Two =-.
Hi Blake,
I don’t like to recommend stuff without giving it a good try, been using the Nc10 long enough now that’s it’s being replaced so thought I should get this review up quick!
With heavy photoshop/design work all netbooks will slow down, however basic photo editing and web work (I do this on my NC10 with photoshop too for this website) I have found to not be a problem, I usually have media player going at the same time and a few firefox windows open, it copes well.
Another note is it is economic on the battery, there is a quiet/normal/fast button like the old turbo buttons on mid 90s desktops. So if you don’t need all the processing power (general web browsing) you can turn it down to extend the battery life a bit.
Mine is Blue because the white is a bit iPod looking and the black looks like any other laptop. Personal taste that though :D (pink wasn’t available when I got it ;) )
Too true how useful these things are on the road. I recently got a Packard Bell Dot, which I will be taking with on my Cape to Cairo trip. It will be interesting to see how well it holds up to rough travel (an eeePC would die, I suspect)
.-= Richard´s last blog – 20 Days. Visas, Rhodes and thank you to the mad ones. =-.
I had a look at the eeePC and they do seem pretty flimsy. One thing original reviewers noted on the NC10 is you can’t bend it like the eeePC (!) I suspect the Packard Bell would be a wise choice too.
.-= AdventureRob´s last blog – How to stay in an Australian City Cheaply =-.
I am looking to purchase a netbook. I’ll want to surf the web, update my quickbooks, write, do some light picture editing. I’ll want head phones. I think my pressing concerns are are size and storage. I don’t want something so small that I’m leaning into the screen but am not interested in a full size laptop. I want to have the option for upgrading my storage limits. I’ll be using it for coffee shops, occasional travel, couch time. Any suggestions? A few to consider? I’m not overly concerned with the appearance and have a windows PC desktop at home I’ll need to sink with.
Thank you for any help!
Hi Darcy,
A netbook is ideal for taking out for use in public, I don’t find myself leaning into the screen. It might be worth going to a local computer store and spend 10 minutes playing around with a few to see how you get on with screen size, I found the 9″ monitors too small but the 10.2″ fine.
As for storage, you can pull apart most netbooks and replace the hard drive with a bigger unit, there is guides on how to do this on the sammy netbook link I provided in the article for the Samsung NC10. The other option is to take a external hard drive with you. I have a 500Gb hard drive which weighs around 300g (2/3 of a pound) which I got for SG$170, which is about US$80.
Really though netbooks are nearly all the same hardware, the ones which are different are either more expensive or cheap to the cost of the hardware, so my advice is to pick one on things like keyboard design (try to get the biggest possible) and any extra features it gets software wise from the factory.
Try Netbook For Travel to see the current selection out. My suggestion will stay with the NC10 for now though.
Thank you for your help! Heading out to the stores to touch some keyboards..
Brilliant keyboard- nice feel to it and is bigger than anything I have seen on competing laptops.
Love my NC10 take it almost everywhere and using Ubuntu which manages all I’ve thrown at it so far. Need to find a compact lock for it, do worry a bit on trains and the one I’ve got is very bulky.
I think when your travelling the netbook are better cause they are much protable and light…this model of samsung is ok but it lacks a good processer…
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