Samsung N150: Plain but Long-Lived

Cautious! Will not read as well difficult, otherwise you might break the Samsung N150 netbook I am creating this evaluation on. Through the flex in its Chiclet-style keyboard to display distortions once you press lightly around the glossy black back again of the backlit LCD, the device feels fragile. Even now, its Atom N450 CPU chugs along, delivering 6.25 several hours of lifestyle on the single battery charge--not great, but affordable. Call it the Small Engine that just barely can--and may possibly break around the way there--but would not quit for the affordable time anyway. Which just isn't undesirable for the netbook priced at $350 (as of April 22, 2010).

The N150's Intel Atom N450 runs at 1.66GHz, and is also bolstered by integrated Intel GMA 3150, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB difficult drive, a 1024-by-600-resolution display, and 802.11b/g/n help, in addition 3 USB two.0 ports, a 10/100 LAN port, a three-in-one memory card slot, headphone and microphone jacks, and an RCA video-out jack scattered along the sides from the machine. As the specs indicate, this netbook is absolutely typical.

The N150 just doesn't surprise in functionality, both. Its score of 37 on our Entire world Bench six assessments was middle-of-the-road for an inexpensive netbook. Typing a Word document while listening to music on iTunes is hunky-dory; attempting precisely the same feat with a number of browser windows open adds a couple of seconds of meditation time for you to each change from a single window to one more. Standard-definition streaming video from Netflix plays smoothly, aside from an occasional stutter; video clips on iTunes degenerate right into a lengthy sequence of stutters. You will not be able to do video encoding or critical gaming on this device. The incorporated Windows 7 Starter Edition runs moderately nicely, however it omits the Aero peeks and won't support dual-view monitors.

The Chiclet-style keys about the N150's keyboard are at ease to sort on, due to their short return distance, their normal layout, along with the kinesthetic gaps among buttons. Along with the touchpad is better nonetheless. The netbook lacks a Lenovo-style small red stick, but its touchpad is superbly responsive and sleek, and has full multitouch support.

The machine's nonglossy, ten.1-inch screen (which I significantly favor to glossy ones) and its Webcam are simple but functional. The resolution can be shifted to a stretched-out 1024 by 768 pixels together with the help of several of the integrated OEM computer software, giving the N150 just a little more versatility than its native resolution of 1024 by 600 pixels offers.

The Webcam ships with some excellent software program for putting Clipart-quality images into your property motion pictures, but that's about it. The photograph is moderately distinct but suffers from too-bright whites during. It need to arrive as no surprise the speakers are mediocre.

In the end, no sane particular person buys a netbook for your ability. However you can throw a single in a bag and utilize it for note taking or to browse the Web--and the N150 handles individuals jobs as productively as almost all of its low-cost competition.