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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
More than a Netbook: Surprisingly Capable Jul 17, 2010 I've had this little gem for almost 5 months, and it's become my primary computer. I'd been dreading an upgrade from Windows XP, which is compatible with everything I run - while Vista and Win 7 are not. This machine is much faster and roomier than the two computers I'd been using, and for the price I paid, has been an unbeatable deal. Thus far, I've no immediate plans to upgrade to a Win 7 computer (and there's no reason to run Win 7 on this one).
At home, I use a full-size monitor and full-sized pointing devices (I alternate between a Kensington trackball - which would not have been compatible with Win 7 - and a Wacom pen tablet / mouse). Because I'm running XP and not Vista or 7, the machine has plenty of power for my needs, including graphics work and video editing (I use Windows Movie Maker, Paint Shop Pro, Koolmoves, and a bunch of other creative software). It's also running OpenOffice and all my legacy software.
Performance is on par with entry-level desktops of several years ago, which is by far not bad if you don't intend to run gaming or other CPU-intensive software. That said, I run some pretty demanding programs, and often have a bunch of them open at the same time without any problems. The computer doesn't get all that hot, either. Most of the time, it runs pretty cool, much more so than my old Compaq notebook, with which you can iron a shirt after using it a while.
I purchased a padded carrying case especially designed for this model, an external DVD-burner, and an external hard drive. When I'm traveling, I find no need to bring the DVD drive. That makes for compact, light, and easy toting, whether I stow this computer in a backpack or carry-on bag.
The screen is brighter and easier on my eyes - even for text - than most of the larger laptop screens I've seen. Battery life is good; I get about 3 hours without having to dim the screen or make other power-management sacrifices. The webcam is much better than those you'll find on most notebooks. And it's no big deal about having only two USB ports; I have two USB hubs, one for home and one for travel, if and when I need to plug in more than two devices.
The small keyboard, however, does take some getting used to. I was originally going to buy a full-size keyboard for home use (and may still do so), but thus far I've gotten quite acclimated to this one. The shift key on the right is in a weird spot, so much so that you'll probably keep hitting an arrow key when you first start working with this netbook, but now I'm no longer having that problem and can type just as quickly as ever - without looking down.
If this computer holds up, it may convince me to buy more Lenovo products (I know their desktops are good - they're just like the IBM Aptiva I used for 8 years without any major problems - as are their Thinkpad notebooks). The build quality of this netbook is much better than I'd expected. Just be careful about buying one with Windows 7 Starter installed. That OS will probably slow down the computer while making it less functional (Win 7 Starter is a restricted OS, while XP is a complete one). So, get one of these with XP if you still can.
I gave this computer 5 stars because I got it at a great price. If it had another USB port and better placement of its right-hand shift key, that would be great, but I still think it's an excellent value for the money.
UPDATE - July 30, 2010: one thing I forgot to mention is that the internal fan sometimes kicks in stronger and more frequently than I'd like. I did some research and found out that Lenovo S10s are known for fan problems. At its highest rpm, my S10's fan sounds like it's got a bit of dust in it, or maybe it's just getting cranky from too much use.
So, I cleaned the vent area with some compressed air - and that seemed to help a little. I also bought a laptop cooling pad for around $15 (see my review for that), and thus far, that seems to keep the internal fan quiet. Ironically, just as I ordered that cooling pad, my Lenovo started running cooler and more quietly. Go figure.
But the cooling pad, which is a compact model good for both home and travel, is a wise investment for any netbook or notebook, as all of them can get pretty warm from time to time.
Roadwarrior's ultimate Toy Jan 29, 2010 I had an HP ZD8000 laptop that I suffered through for 3 Years. It was everything the Lenovo isn't. The HP was big, Heavy, noisy, hot to the touch, hard on the eyes, and unreliable. After the HP developed the "jailhouse bars" vertical lines on it's display and HP customer service blew it off, it was time to look for something better. Firstly NO HP PRODUCT, EVER.
The Lenovo came the closest to what I wanted. The 10 inch display is more usable than the dim fuzzy 17 incher on the HP. The keyboard is very comfortable for long sessions.
The S10 weighs in around 3 pounds. The 3 cell battery handles my portable needs. For the semifixed needs a Targus AC/DC/car power converter does the trick. The Targus powers it in the car, where I mate the S10 with a Delorme USB GPS receiver and navigate with Street Atlas.
My main use is genealogy. The S10 runs all the programs just fine. The Master Genealogist requires setting the display for more pixels than it has and bumping up and down with the cursor.
Scanning is with a Canon LIDE 35 (replaced by LIDE 100) which weighs 3.5 lbs and is a little bigger than the S10. It powers over the USB. It scans pictures and documents. It lives in the bag with the S10.
Printing is with an ancient Canon BJC-80. It is small enough to take along, when needed.
Windows XP is a real plus. I fought with Vista on my wife's new Toshiba laptop. Windows 7 will no doubt be worse. XP rules!
Broadband connection is by an ATT Ultra Express modem. A USB modem would probably be the way to go today.
I have used the S10 for close to 2 years. The new smart books might replace it. The S10 and a cell phone are more user friendly.
The S10 and scanner take up less room and weigh less than the HP 17 inch by itself. It goes everywhere. A real portable office.
The only improvement that would make the S10 better is lower cost. It is already a bargain.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Much better than I expected. Jul 07, 2009 This is a well made laptop - it is not real fast, but it is real inexpensive. - It has a ton of hard disk - the keyboard is small enought that I some times mistype but it runs big applications from my recliner and I mess with it 2 to 4 hours a day.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Easily overloooked, great little netbook in a crowded market Jul 02, 2009 First thing's first: when it comes to netbook shopping, you have a LOT of options. Asus, Acer, Lenovo, HP, MSI, Samsung -- to name a few -- have all thrown their hats into the game (seems Apple is the only holdout). So it can be a little bewildering to someone who's looking for a $300-$400 machine and doesn't know where to start.
The Lenovo S10 is a solid choice for a bunch of reasons. I'll start with the least important: aesthetics. It's (for the most part) a solidly-built little unit, and it looks great in black or white (or one of the other funky color combos around). It feels sturdy and substantial, the screen is bright and attractive, and the trackpad, while small, is well-placed and responsive.
[One minor note about build quality: the cool silver circles on either side of the S10 can pop off if it suffers a drop/bump, making it look much less pretty than it is. So be careful.]
As for performance, if you go with the default, $300-400 model, you're probably going to be getting a 1.60 Ghz Intel Atom processor, which is fine for word processing, web surfing, some light (emphasis on LIGHT) photo editing and retouching, music management, and so on. However, I've done some video encoding on this thing (inserting subtitles and the like), and boy does it chug. I mean, it'll get processor-intensive tasks done, but it'll take its sweet time.
One really nice thing about the S10 is that adding a stick of RAM (HIGHLY recommended -- and cheap ($25)) and swapping the HD is a breeze. The bottom of the netbook opens easily, and you have immediate access to all its yummy innards.
A couple of issues bother me though: The first big fault with this device is (1) its wonky wireless card which occasionally loses a signal for no reason. I've tested every element of my home network (running a D-Link DIR-655 router and serving a NAS and two laptops, including this one), and the fault lies squarely with the S10's default wireless card. The second is (2) it gets hot. The fan turns on, and it gets a little loud for so small a laptop. Don't get me wrong, it's not irritating-loud or noticeably loud, but if you're in a small, silent room, you'll hear it (and feel it if it's on your lap).
All that being said, if you're in the market for a cheap netbook that gets the job done, the Lenovo S10 is as good an entry as any other. Add a stick of RAM, and you can easily get it running dual boot. I've played with the MSI Wind (and got one for my sister for Christmas) and the Eee (a friend has it), and the S10 feels just a smidge better than both. But ultimately, your best bet is to play with each and decide then.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Great item May 25, 2009 Having first purchased a Dell 9 inch and having to return it because the wi-fi did not work, I thought a little larger screen would be better. I am very satisfied with the Lenovo 10 inch netbook. I use this as a computer away from home. Light weight and great for travel.
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based on 55 reviews
More than a Netbook: Surprisingly Capable Jul 17, 2010
Easily overloooked, great little netbook in a crowded market Jul 02, 2009
