Lenovo IdeaPad S12 12.1" Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel ATOM Processor N270 Single Core Processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit)
Black
Lenovo IdeaPad S12 12.1" Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel ATOM Processor N270 Single Core Processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit)
Black
Average Customer Review: ( 8 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 20 found the following review helpful:
As slow as watching the grass grow... Apr 16, 2010
By Tom Music
"Sound quality"
I was reading a lot before deciding on getting this computer. It had favorable reviews overall, and I was excited about the prospect of a netbook with a good full-size keyboard and a decent graphics processor plus the HDMI out.
All in all this machine has a few pros but too many cons that outweigh them and hence the low rating: Pros: - Terrific keyboard - HDMI out - Good graphics processor - Lightweight (duh) - Large Hard Drive
Cons: - Single core, slow as molasses CPU... It took it 30 minutes (!) to uninstall the trial microsoft office version on it. Skype communication was exhausting the cpu resources. You cannot do more than one thing at a time thanks to the single core processor; having a voice chat and opening a browser at the same time? forget about it...
- Cheap, terrible wireless card. THIS was THE deal-breaker. What is the point of having a lightweight, mobile computer if not to use wi-fi? the reception of the built-in card (Broadcom G) was very finicky and temperamental. In spots where I was able with my Thinkpad T400 to have skype video calls, the S12 wouldn't connect to the network at all, although it was detecting it and showing it among the networks detected. If the network didn't show full, near perfect reception (4-5 bars) it simply wouldn't connect to it. Download speeds were varying tremendously as well, and never reached the speeds of my Thinkpad in comparison.
- Cheap, weak built in Microphone. The mic was at its max sensitivity plus boost, and still the voice sounded faint at best. After troubleshooting with the tech support, which included of course a lengthy (because of the slow processor) uninstallation and re-installation of the audio software and drivers, the results were identical. The enhancements of the audio software were turned on, and off, and some on some off, but nothing helped. In fact, as is usually the case, the enhancements only deteriorated the sound quality. In short, garbage hardware. Once again, comparing with the built in mic of the thinkpad, the difference was astounding. The sound on the Thinkpad was loud, and crystal clear.
- Built in camera... Garbage. enough said.
- Scrolling with the mouse: the surface was VERY particular about where my finger is placed for scrolling. If I didn't place it exactly on the thin scrolling arrow marked on the surface it wouldn't scroll.
All in all, some bad, cheap hardware choices made by Lenovo really hold this computer back. For the money you pay, this computer would have been a terrific choice for a netbook if only it was paired with a faster, DUAL core cpu, such as the one in the ASUS 1201N. This is 2010, and single core chips are simply not up to the task of making daily computing a pleasant experience. The wireless card choice is simply inexcusable. The rest is not as important, unless you plan like me to use the computer when traveling as a communication tool via skype video calls, among other uses. What is the point of having a built in Mic and Camera that are so bad, you have to carry a separate USB ones as well?
In one word, Save yourself the hassle. There are cheaper options out there that won't leave you pulling your hair out as you realize you wasted your money.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Best as a net book, very crispy display Sep 19, 2010
By Ama
"Samona"
The display of the S12 is marvelous, so crispy! I use it to browse internet, word processing and watch online stream movies. Never experience difficulties, it fits my requirement. so no complains.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Netflix HD does not work Oct 26, 2010
By G. Wang The all-great nVidia ION graphics card is full HD compatible and is supposed to take over the image processing since the CPU is not that powerful. However, Netflix uses Microsoft Silverlight to provide HD streaming and it does not work with the Atom-Ion combination. I really don't know whom to blame for this, Lenovo, nVidia, Netflix or Microsoft. I just want a solution and I imagine they should have some influence over Microsoft to get this fixed.
If you are not going to use the laptop for Netflix HD, then the 1-star rating really does not apply. I like the computer otherwise.
Excellent Travel Notebook Dec 26, 2011
By Daniel Clark Had this laptop for 6 months and it is excellent. I use it on trips. The HDMI out is great for watching shows on hotel room TVs. The laptop is very response. I particularly like the "QuickStart" feature that boots to a separate Linux installation in 10 seconds. From there you can skype, surf...
Question about spare keyboard Dec 24, 2011
By Nabil Pavon Does anyone know why it is so hard to find a spare keyboard for this laptop? Where would be the best place to look?
The Netbook computer is amoong the hottest trends in computing. Netbooks are an alternative to buying over-priced laptops. Netbooks are affordable, lightweight, ultra-portable mini-laptops. A mini netbook makes sense as a second computer or starter computer. We offer the lowest priced netbooks anywhere. Netbooks are perfect for web surfing, traveling, business, learning or just for fun! Looking for the Best Netbook Computers? You can buy cheap Acer NETBOOKS, cheap Asus Netbooks or cheap HP netbooks on sale. Read Netbook Reviews of the largest selection of 2011 "netbooks" and NETBOOK computers, including the best selling netbook, Acer Aspire Netbook computers. Review Asus Netbooks, Dell Mini Netbooks and HP Netbook computers. "Grab a netbook and go!" at NetbookComputer.com
based on 8 reviews
As slow as watching the grass grow... Apr 16, 2010
By Tom Music
"Sound quality"
Best as a net book, very crispy display Sep 19, 2010
By Ama
"Samona"
Netflix HD does not work Oct 26, 2010
By G. Wang
Question about spare keyboard Dec 24, 2011
By Nabil Pavon
