Samsung NC10 Review

Joely asked me to share my thoughts on Samsung NC10, so I figured it's about time I post something.

The unit's very solidly built. It does not feel cheap like some other brands I've seen. The keyboard is non-chiclet, large, and types very nicely. (FYI — I really don't care for the chiclet keyboards that seem to be so popular with MacBooks these days, and I actually like Samsung's keyboard better than an Apple MacBook's.) The battery lasts for a very long time. The trackpad is indeed small, but I got used to it within 2-3 days. Besides, I bought it to type, not to play with the trackpad or play games on it.

It's also very light, and doesn't seem to get that hot. At least I didn't notice anything bad about it. It sports a non-glossy screen, if it matters to anyone. (I like non-glossy screens for working outside.)

On the performance side, it boots, hibernates and restarts very fast, something that was helped by my upgrading memory to 2GB. It can run Office 2007 and Firefox, etc. with no problem, and the system is very stable (no crashes, etc.). The CPU is generally quiet on the standard manufacturer's setting.

IMHO Samsung's NC10 is better than the AlphaSmart Neo for writers, although if you have trouble staying away from the Internet, perhaps the Neo is the way to go. I'll post more thoughts later after a month or so of using both. :)