The Samsung NC10 Netbook
11 November 2008
Since the Asus EEE came out, there's been a rush from other manufacturers to get their tiny laptops on the market.
And so came the release of the beautiful Samsung NC10.
Whereas most companies have gone for a 'just like the competition approach' with very little variation, Samsung have done something different with the NC10. Someone in a dark meeting room at Samsung HQ has spoken a truth few have dared speak:
Clever Person at Samsung: "These tiny laptops everyone's coming out with..."
Boss: "Yes?"
Clever Person: "Well - they're supposed to be for people travelling right? People without access to power sockets..."
Boss: "And...?"
Clever Person: "Well - why is it that they all only have 2 or 3 hours battery life?"
So that's what Samsung have picked as their unique selling point with the NC10: They've gone for an ultra-light, ultra-portable laptop that gives you a massive 8 hours battery life. Everything is geared around that:
- Atom processor for lower power consumption
- LED screen for a brighter display, again with less power consumption
- 6-cell battery (most ultraportables go for a 3-cell)
- Windows XP Home - more performance for less power.
The 6-cell battery bumps the weight up, but by such a small amount that it's not worth thinking about. The NC10 weighs just 1.33kg.
Wireless Laptops - What to Look For
10 November 2008
There are 2 different types of wireless laptops now:
- Wi-Fi
- Mobile Wireless
Laptops with Wi-Fi
A laptop with 'wi-fi' lets you connect to a nearby wireless router. This can be at home, at work, in a cafe, hotel, or in any number of places with public 'hot spots'.
Almost all modern laptops come with built-in wifi. This can be called "built-in wireless", "wi-fi", or often referred to by its specific standard number. The most common Wi-Fi standards are:
- 802.11b
- 802.11g
- 802.11n (also called 'Draft N')
802.11n is by far the fastest, with the best signal range. 802.11g is more than acceptable though.
Backward Compatible
The good news is that a laptop with 802.11n (or 802.11g) wireless will be able to connect to older systems. They are built to be 'backward-compatible'.
Laptops with Mobile Wireless
Laptops with built-in mobile wireless (also called mobile broadband) can connect directly to a mobile phone network. The advantage of this is you don't need to be anywhere near a wireless hotspot to access the internet.
The disadvantage is that you also need a mobile contract. These can still be quite expensive for transferring internet data, but prices are coming down all the time.
Most laptops with mobile wireless will also come with built-in wifi. It's important to know the difference and, usually, costs you less to connect to 'wifi' and keep the mobile connection for situations where you're out of range of a hotspot and really need it.
What is a Netbook?
06 November 2008
'Netbook' is the name some companies are using to refer to the new range of very small, very light laptops.
A Netbook is a small, cheap laptop, often with lesser features than a standard notebook.
An ultraportable is a small, expensive laptop, often with more features than a standard notebook.
Small, light laptops have existed for many years and have been called 'ultraportables'. These generally cost over £1000. In 2007 Samsung launched a range of cheaper 12" laptops, but still they cost £600+. Then in 2008, Asus, a company that previously made laptops for other manufacturers including Apple and Sony, started selling their own notebooks more and more.
The Asus EEE was the first of their very small laptops. And this broke the mold on pricing: They started at around £200.
Worried that this was going to ruin the 'ultraportable' market, some companies came up with the name 'netbook' to differentiate their very small, cheap laptops from their more expensive business range of tiny laptops.
What's the Difference Between a Laptop and a Notebook?
06 November 2008
If you search Google to try and find out the difference between a Laptop and a Notebook, you will get a few pages telling you funny things like "Size", "Weight", "Battery Life".
Thankfully this is all a load of nonsense. You will be happy to learn that there is NO difference between a laptop and a notebook. Some manufacturers began referring to Laptops as "Notebooks" for 2 reasons
Reason 1: When businesses started moving from Desktop PCs to laptops, manufacturers thought "laptop" sounded too much like a consumer product. The 'desktop' already existed, so they couldn't call it that. Instead they came up with 'notebook'.
Reason 2: There were a few early court cases from people claiming they had suffered damage from using Laptops on their laps (older laptops became very hot). Some companies switched to 'Notebook' to avoid the suggestion that they were telling customers to use them on their laps.
That's it! So don't worry and don't be tricked by a sales person who tells you otherwise.
