My search for a netbook was all by chance. It started when my 4 year old HP desktop started showing me the BSOD (Blue Screen of Death). Before I decided whether I was going to get it fixed or not, there was a "demo" of the ACER 8.6" netbook at Wal-Mart. So, I took a look at it and figured for the price (about $300) it would be a great stopgap solution and, not having a laptop, it would be nice for travel because of it's size. Being the consummate research shopper that I am, I investigated my options on the net. Amazon's the perfect place because of price and Free Super Saver Shipping.
Already long story short, I reduced my options to the ASUS EEE and the Samsung NC-10 (I discarded the thought of getting the Acer because it probably would have been too small; 8.6" screen). They both have similar features, but I ultimately chose the Samsung mainly because I had never heard of the Asus brand.
So, finally, here's the meat of my review.
Likes: Compact, but not too small (10.2" screen is not too much of a strain on the orbs). Keyboard is not too noticeably small (easier to type the numbers because they are closer). Three USB ports come in very handy, although I did run out of ports and had to connect my Power Sentry USB hub. I have also used the monitor connection to connect it to my 21" monitor, so that came in handy as well. Performance wise, I really can't notice any slowdown in speed in comparison to my HP which had 1.5GB RAM and an Intel Pentium 4 processor. I was on the fence about the blue or white and opted for the white, which I'm happy with because it's actually easier to see the keyboard (plus it'll be easier to see the cool stickers I'm going to put on it). I haven't really used it too much unplugged from the external power, but when I have, I was able to get about 5+ hours from the 6 cell battery. Pretty lightweight (under 3#?). WiFi seems to work pretty well, although I've only used it at home with a wireless g router.
Dislikes: When typing (like this review) it's easy to accidentally touch the touchpad which moves the cursor. Which has been a nuisance because you start typing in other places or open pull down menus. The speakers aren't much to write home about since they're under the unit itself. But they sound pretty good if you cup your hands under each one. LOL. No codec/decoder to play DVD's. So, if you're going to attach an external DVD Ram, like I did, you're going to have to do something about that. I'm no techie, but my solution was to download the "VLC player" which was free. It's kinda quirky to get it to play DVD's but it works. The part I'm really disappointed about is, I wish I had followed the advise of another reviewer on the initial setup of the NC-10. He/she said that when you first turn it on, you have the option of how you want to partition the harddrive. Like I said, I'm no techie, but apparently there are several options for partitioning. I've read that you can either choose to use all 160GB with no backup, use 117GB with 25GB backup (It doesn't eqaul 160GB because some memory is used for other resources), or take the default partition; 142GB split equally, which is what I chose and regret doing because I only have 71GB out of the advertised 160GB. I believe it is a one shot deal so make your choice wisely. And if you do chose the full 160GB, better back it up externally in case the BSOD pays a visit to your NC-10. =]
Overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchase having had it for about two weeks now. I would recommend a wireless mouse when using it at a desk to make things easier. I bought the Logitech V220 Cordless Optical Mouse for Notebooks (Black). I also got a slim DVD-RW since there's no other way for me to load music or software to my netbook.Get more detail about
Samsung NC10-14GB 10.2-Inch Blue Netbook - 6 Cell Battery.
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