On New Years Day my father in-law asked me if I would help him buy a new PC. So off we went to PC World because he needed it there and then and setup before I left. We ended up buying him a Packard Bell PC. Good value for money although the graphics performance would not impress gamers.
Whilst at PC World waiting for the assistant to collect the PC from their store room I started looking at the Netbooks. I had been thinking about buying one for some time because I travel on business quite a bit but had a nagging doubt in the back of my mind whether they would be fast enough or whether I would have to toss it in the bin (garbage) after a couple of uses. Anyhow the assistant was gone long enough that I convinced myself that at £320 if it was worth a try. I bought a Samsung NC10 because it had a larger screen (10.2”) and keyboard then any of the other Netbooks that they had in stock. The Samsung NC10 is well equipped with, Windows XP Home (shame it wasn’t Windows XP Pro), 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, Wireless, Bluetooth, 3 x USB sockets, external VGA, built-in webcam, built-in microphone, headphone socket and microphone socket and SD slot.
Whilst setting up my father in-laws new Packard Bell PC (and all-in-one Epsom printer) which mostly included removing all the rubbish that came pre-installed (McAfee, Google Desktop, Google Toolbar, BT internet, etc), I setup the Netbook. To my surprise there was very little rubbish installed and I was very impressed with the performance of the device. I contemplated installing OpenOffice and an Open Source email client as I was concerned performance might be an issue if I installed Office 2007 due to the 1GB of RAM installed in the Samsung NC10. However after spending some time looking at various Open Source email clients and considering the nightmare that would be migrating my data and keeping my main machine and my Netbook in synch for emails, calendar and contacts, I decided to take the risk and install Microsoft Office 2007. I need not have worried. Microsoft Office 2007 runs perfectly well on the Netbook.
I have been using the Netbook everyday for a couple of weeks now and I have just come back from a week long business trip and didn’t miss my main machine at all. I will still carry on using my main machine when I am in the office however I now exclusively use my Netbook whenever I am travelling to and from work and when I am travelling on business. The battery life on the Samsung NC10 is fantastic and it hibernates and resumes very quickly. It’s a great little machine.
The diary of a CTO 
February 4, 2009 at 10:02 am |
I’ll keep this review short and sweet. The reason I give it a 4 is because it’s not perfect, but it’s definitely GREAT!
It’s sleek and the keypad (while small) is definitely a fair size. The screen is nice, and the functionality is great. It might play catch-up a little bit when opening programs. But, overall, this computer is wonderful and has a good size hard drive
February 4, 2009 at 4:30 pm |
The Samsung NC10 is a bit more expensive than its rival, the Acer Aspire One. Even though a cursory glance shows that they have the same features.
The Features that made this a better buy than the Acer Aspire One:
1. The 10.2 inch screen. the 1024×600 resolution seems to perfectly match the screen, graphics do not seem crammed inside the screen.
2. The Keyboard. While most people shout from the rooftops about the full size right shift, I am left handed, so that did not matter. The keys are a pleasure to type on, springy enough to avoid tiring your hands.
3. Bluetooth. Tether to your favorite phone and hit the road with 3G/EVDO goodness.
4. Finally, the Battery LIFE! It is amazing, thanks to Samsung’s Battery monitor. I played CounterStrike 1.6 for 4.5 hours straight before getting bored. Doing late night homework, I started at 5, and at 12 I still had 22% or about an hour and then some remaining. As I typed this, I have 82% remaining, 5:45 min relative time.
Review Samsung NC10 Netbook
May 5, 2009 at 2:47 am |
Rich, thank you for the review. Nice to see I can still use your brains from afar!
I just ordered one for 264 quid from handtec.co.uk and they deliver to Aus in 4 days.
They are hard to find in Aus and cost just under 450 quid equivalent.
I will be in touch soon and enjoy reading the blog.
May 8, 2009 at 2:34 pm |
Jim
I see you are still down under. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Cheers
Rich
March 21, 2010 at 8:23 pm |
Do you think it is wise to get a Samsung NC10 or should I get an AsusEE?