Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3T

With various netbooks being launched in the market right now, Lenovo is not one to be left behind. Riding on the success of previous netbooks, their latest addition is the IdeaPad S10-3T, a mini touch-tablet PC designed with simplicity in mind and yet, built with enough cool features to engage one’s curiosity level.

Size wise, tablet convertible netbooks should generally be much thicker and heavier than straight netbooks and the S10-3T is no different. It’s probably one of the largest and heaviest 10-inch netbooks you’ll ever have encountered. At a sizeable 1.54kg, it’s even heavier than the 12-inch ASUS UL20A. It doesn’t help when the huge 8-cell battery adds to the weight of the netbook. After some time of holding it in one hand, you’ll find yourself resting it against something after a while.

As for the tablet part - since the display folds into slate form, the lid can fold right back 180 degrees. You can twist the display in both directions to get into slate form. This flexibility is very useful when you have presentations or slideshows to display to a group of people (or if you simply want to show off the awesome-ness of your screen!).

Obviously, no one wants a display which is overly bright or much too dim. Hence, the S10-3T’s 10-inch multi-touch capacitive display is delightfully crisp and clear with no sign of any subtle anti-glare grit you may get with most glossy displays, which is a bonus in netbooks. The screen is very sensitive to even the lightest touch but other than zooming in and out of web pages or photos, there’s not much room for you to utilize multi-touch.

Meanwhile the keyboard is a very important feature, just like the keypad on a mobile phone. After all, you would want to be able to type comfortably, wouldn’t you? The keyboard that came with the S10-3T is pretty spacious and probably the largest you’ll ever get on a 10-inch netbook. Naturally, typing will be a breeze.

Furthermore, the audio quality, a constant issue with notebooks, is pretty decent by netbook standards. The S10-3T’s volume gets loud enough to be heard anywhere from a reasonable distance. Besides that, the noise level can be somewhat annoying at times, when the fan ramps up loud enough to compete with the TV in your living room!

Another point worth mentioning is the heat factor. If you leave the netbook running for a couple of hours, probably viewing a HD YouTube video, the top stays very cool and the bottom panel is only slightly warmer than usual. Unlike other netbooks that heat up after a good 20 minutes on your lap, the S10-3T seems to handle this well.

Overall, Lenovo’s S10-3T is a good catch in one, if you don’t mind its heavy weight. For its responsive touchscreen, spacious keyboard, long battery life (8.5 hours), bright, clear display and let’s not forget, flexible tablet, the S10-3T is worth buying.

Specifications:

•    10.1” 1024 x 600 display (glossy, capacitive multi touch)

•    Intel Atom N450 processor (1.66GHz)

•    Intel GMA 3150 graphics

•    1GB RAM (1 slots, 2GB max)

•    250GB HDD (2.5” SATA)

•    Webcam

•    802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi

•    Bluetooth 2.1+EDR

•    Windows 7 Home Premium 34-bit

•    APS Shock Protection (HDD free fall sensor)

•    8 Cell 5,840 mAh, 68 Wh battery

•    1.54 kg / 3.4 pounds weight

•    11 x 8 x 0.6 - 1.4 inches / 282 x 202 x 15 - 35 cm size

Read Full Article