I had purchased an Asus 1000 netbook for my son over the holidays and decided that I would get a netbook for my own use. My biggest complaint about the Asus was the small keyboard and weak speakers. It would be unrealistic to think that the sound from a netbook would be great, but there definitely has been room for improvement.
The keyboard is wonderful and typing is a breeze. Very comfortable.
The Samsung N120 is a wonderful solution. They keyboard is full-size (or as near as matters) and they’ve paid attention to the sound system with an SRS audio card and a miniature sub-woofer…with an emphasis on miniature. Overall, a wonderful little computer. The processor and hard drive are pretty standard for netbooks, but uses the ample battery very efficiently. I have not timed battery usage under different processor loads, but from what I can tell, the professional reviews are accurate.
I am not a fan of Windows XP and tried installing Ubuntu 9.04 remix as a replacement. My home system is configured using WEP2. The Samsung could SEE my router, but would not connect. Several of the Fn keys also did not work properly. I’ve given up until the issues are addressed elsewhere and contented myself to running the Windows 7 RC. It works great. Everything worked great on the initial install. Nevertheless, I also downloaded VISTA drivers for the Synaptic Touchpad, Atheros WiFi, and Realtek High Definition Audio to gain additional functionality. No problems.
BTW, I created a complete backup of the Windows XP system using the Samsung III recovery software included with the package. Technically, I now have a dual-boot system with XP & Windows 7 onboard.
Any downsides for me? I had wanted a Solid State Drive and may upgrade in the future. The 160 GB drive in the current machine works great and as I said, the computer is silent and runs cool. I also wish that the netbook had adopted 802.11N, but also realize that it probably won’t make a big difference in a netbook.
I probably would have preferred a matte screen, but if that REALLY becomes a problem I think you could buy a Matte Screen protector and trim-to-fit the 10.1 inch screen. So far, I love it.
Overall, I m happy with the Samsung and highly recommend it!!
July 11 Update: Love this netbook! Works perfectly. Battery life is around 6 to 7 hours for me. I’ve used this primarily for emails, but have also given a few PowerPoint presentations with it. Works fine.
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Tags: Samsung N120, Samsung Netbook