Gold Lenovo S10 in Hong Kong

Given the numerous netbooks available in the Singapore market, I would have to say the Lenovo Ideapad S10 is probably one of my favourites. The S10 design i think, is appealing, simple but sophisticated - especially the black one.

Well, now Lenovo has decided to launch a special Gold edition, but sadly only in Hong Kong. It's not known whether this edition will land in Singapore. Let's hope it does.

Samsung NC10 battery usage

I did a simple experiment to test how long the NC10 6-cell battery lasts during a normal work day in the office.

I turned off all the power saving features like LCD dimming etc, set the brightness to 4/8 (mid-way), and connected to the office network via wifi. I used it for reading news on websites, watching about 3-4 youtube videos, some word processing and some downloads and installs of apps like adobe reader, java etc.

I took readings of the battery status every half-hour. Overall, non-stop usage got me around 5.5 hours on a full charge before the NC10 went into hibernation.



I guess I could have saved more battery power if I turned the LCD brightness to 3/8. One thing I noticed about the NC10 brightness, it's really very bright, even at setting of 2/8, it's still quite useable, if a bit on the dim side. For me setting at 3/8 is just right.

Also, I did plug my usb drive in at one point, which probably sucked a fair amount of battery power.

Gateway LT1001g debuts in Singapore

Having been absent for eight years, Gateway is making its comeback into Asia starting with Singapore by launching a sleuth of new notebooks. One of which is a 8.9" inch netbook called Gateway LT1001g.



However, in case you're wondering about what this new netbook has to offer, don't bother. Given that Gateway is owned by Acer, the LT1001g is just a rebadged of the popular Acer Aspire One, with some minor differences:

The LT1001g comes with a glossy black lid with silver Gateway logo, a softer feeling palm rest and comes equipped with an internal 3G mobile broadband capability.





Judging from the pictures, it looks like the LT1001g would probably appeal to the savvy business user with it's black and silver look. A good alternative to those who don't want to carry around a toy-like looking Acer Aspire One.

More information is available at http://sg.gateway.com/products/series/ltseries.html

Samsung NC10 Unboxing - Singapore

My first time doing a video unboxing. I can never get used to hearing my own voice. Gives me the creeps! Anyway, check it out!

My Samsung NC10 has landed in Singapore

After placing an order at Amazon US almost 2 weeks ago, my white Samsung NC10 has arrived in Singapore.

 

My first impression... this is a sweet machine. The build quality is excellent. The whole thing just feels solid in my hands. 

The white version is kind of semi gloss, almost like a pearl shine effect. Really classy. That said, I still prefer the black though, because as all things white, it will attract stains and grime, and eventually the white will become beige with age. 

The screen is really bright! I currently have it set on 3 bars out of 8, and it's already bright enough for anyone. Not only that, with the screen set at brightness 3, the battery status is reporting a whooping 8 hours for the stock 6 cell that came with the NC10. 

In my opinion, this is without doubt one of the better netbooks you can get at the moment. Sadly, its not on sale in Singapore, so if you want one be prepared to pay the premium to have it imported and owned without warranty support.

I'll follow up this post with another more detailed review soon. Watch out for it!

d.

SITEX 2008: Netbook pricing update

Here are some of the latest price cuts in Netbooks at SITEX after 2 days to lure fair-goers to part with their hard earn money.

MSI WIND
Was S$729. Now S$699. (for the 1GB, 6-cell with free optical mouse, free netbook sleeve and purchase of slim DVDRW at S$88)
Was S$779. Now S$729. (for the 2GB, 6-cell with free optical mouse, free netbook sleeve and purchase of slim DVDRW at S$88)

LENOVO S10
Was S$769. Now S$699. (with 6-cell battery, free upgrade to 2GB and free sleeve case)

ACER ASPIRE ONE AOA150 - Pink Model
Was $718. Now S$688.

LG X110 - with HSUPA
Was $1088. Now S$999.

My personal pick for the best value 10" netbook would be the LENOVO S10. With the latest price changes and freebies, Lenovo has caught up to the competition.

Latest reports are saying the S10 was selling fast yesterday. Expect brisk sales today, so hurry down to SITEX if you intend to get one.

SITEX 2008: Axioo Pico DJJ

A new revamped Pico in the form of the Axioo Pico DJJ is available at SITEX 2008. Check it out at Booth 5A30. Specs wise its not any different from the others, but with a selling price of S$699, makes this another decent affordable 10" netbook for the budget conscious.

SITEX 2008: Zyrex Bee

If you haven't heard of the Zyrex Bee, you're not alone. This Indonesian brand is offered at this year's SITEX 2008. Selling for S$699, which makes this one of the more affordable 10" notebooks in the market.

Specs:

• Intel Atom Processor N270
• 1GB DDR2
• 160GB SATA HDD
• 1.3MP Webcam
• 3 in 1 Card Reader
• Windows XP Home

Go check it out at SITEX.

*UPDATE*
The Zyrex BEE is just another MSI WIND clone with warranty by COSTRONICS(!). Seeing that MSI WINDs' prices are dropping to S$699 for 1GB, 6cell version, and S$729 for the 2GB, 6 cell version. You'll be better off getting the Real McCoy.

SITEX 2008: Starhub giving away HP Mini 1000

Starhub is offering the HP Mini 1000 with integrated WWAN capability, but the catch is you have to subscribe to the MaxOnline Ultimate Plus plan that comes in at a whooping $93.09/month. That's just a bit too high for my taste.



Even so, I would expect there will be a glut of the HP Mini going onto the second-hand market very soon.

SITEX 2008: Netbook offers - Acer Aspire ONE, Asus EeePC

SITEX 2008 is here. The "longest running IT event" opens today 27th Nov and runs until 30th Nov, offering a host of tech goodies and bargains just in time for Christmas.

This year, the netbook category is without a doubt the hot must-see. Lenovo, Asus, Acer, MSI, NEC, Futjitsu all showcasing their version of the mini-notebooks.

Here are some of the promos:

There's a list being maintained at Hardwarezone on the Netbook Offers at Sitex. Go take a look.