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 # 10. Sony Vaio P-series Lifestyle PC £849 Sony's marketing people say the Vaio P series is a 'lifestyle PC', not a netbook. We'd be inclined to believe them if the bleedin' thing wasn't book-shaped and let you surf the Net. Design and usabilityThe P series weighs a mere 618g, making it the most portable device in our top ten. It's far wider than it is deep and has a rather unusual 1,600x768-pixel resolution on its 8-inch display. It might look a little strange, but the screen is more than sufficient to accommodate most Web pages, although icons and text can be rather small, and the bizarre aspect ratio has a tendency to make videos look slightly odd. You'll either love or hate the nipple-style mouse, and while the keyboard is tiny, it's surprisingly easy to bang out short text documents. ConnectivityThe P series is relatively thin, so the fact it lacks connectivity shouldn't come as a surprise. It has a USB port on either side and can accommodate VGA and Ethernet ports via a small USB dongle, although carrying this can be a hassle. Wireless support comes in the form of high-speed draft-n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and best of all, an integrated 3G modem -- you simply connect your 3G SIM card to the slot beneath the battery and you can surf the Web anywhere you please. GPS is available too, should you fancy using the P series as a sat-nav. Performance and battery lifeP-series netbooks are available either with 1.33GHz or 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPUs and 2GB of RAM -- 1GB more than most netbooks. Unfortunately, Sony's opted to use the Windows Vista Home Premium operating system, so any advantage is lost to the memory-hungry OS. Battery life is best on the 1.33GHz model -- this lasted 3 hours 8 minutes in our movie playback test, which is pretty respectable, considering its size. Should you buy it?It all depends on your requirements. The P series is much more expensive and slightly less comfortable to use, but a little more portable than its rivals. We love its looks, but we'd be far happier with one of the normal netbooks elsewhere in this roundup.
The first HP netbook, the 2133 Mini-Note, wasn't particularly impressive, so we weren't expecting much from the Mini 1000. Fortunately, HP has learned from its mistakes (wrong CPU, rubbish storage, wrong operating system) and created the Mini 1000. Design and usabilityA relatively large chassis gives the Mini 1000 a keyboard that's more comfortable than the Vaio P series, and indeed many of its rivals in this list. The mouse trackpad is something of a joke, however. Its selector buttons live to the left and right of the trackpad instead of directly below it, so it'll take some getting used to. The glossy screen is annoying, too, as it renders the laptop virtually unusable in direct sunlight. That's a real shame, as outside is exactly where you'd want to show this thing off -- particularly in its gorgeous Vivienne Tam livery. ConnectivityWe're not sure what HP was smoking during its design meetings, but connectivity on the Mini 1000 is bizarre, at best. It has just two USB ports -- one fewer than you get on most netbooks -- and has one shared audio jack that supports either a mic or headphones, but not both simultaneously. If that wasn't weird enough, HP's included a proprietary (recessed USB) port designed to work only with the HP Mini Mobile Drive -- basically an elongated memory key. There's no VGA video output port, either, so you'll need a USB to VGA adaptor for that. Performance and battery lifeThe Mini 1000 delivers far better performance than the 2133. Its Intel Atom N270 CPU is the same as the vast majority of the netbooks in our top ten, however, so it's not significantly better or worse than the competition in everyday use. Battery life is pretty average, though. It lasted 2 hours 44 minutes in our video playback test. Should you buy it?HP's made some strange decisions with the Mini 1000 -- the lack of an integrated VGA output port, not enough USBs, a strange mouse and a glossy screen being just four of them. There are better netbooks available, but it's still worth considering for its great looks and fantastic keyboard.
The Eee PC 900 series breathed life into the 8.9-inch netbook market and proved to most people that 7-inch models, such as the Eee PC 701, were simply too small. It also pioneered the use of the Atom N270 CPU, and served as a reference model for much of the industry. Design and usabilityThe 900-series chassis isn't markedly different to that of the 700-series, so it's still relatively unattractive, but feels solid as a rock. The keyboard is extremely small, making touch-typing and the production of lengthy documents an almost futile exercise. The 901's one saving grace in this regard is its gesture-compatible mouse controls, which interpret your pinching, stretching and stroking motions with zooming and scrolling commands. As a result, surfing the Web is quite easy. ConnectivityThe Eee PC 901 was probably the first netbook to feature 802.11n Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth for high-speed networking and easy-ish file transfer between devices. The Eee PC 901 Go, available in very limited numbers, even shipped with an internal HSDPA modem, so users could access the Internet anywhere they could find a 3G mobile phone signal. Three USB ports, integrated Ethernet, plus headphone and mic ports round off the package. Performance and battery lifeThe Eee PC 901 ran rings around its little brother, the 700, thanks to its pioneering use of the Intel Atom N270 CPU. It's hardly any different to the others in this list -- they've all followed in its footsteps -- but it's good to know a netbook this old can still keep pace with the new kids on the block. When it comes to battery life, the 901 does more than just keep up -- it lasted a very impressive 4 hours 30 minutes in our tests. Should you buy it?If typing long documents isn't a priority, then the Eee PC 901 is a great buy. It's relatively inexpensive, has great battery life and offers performance on a par with larger, more modern netbooks.
Dell's decision to enter this arena helped reassure us the netbook wasn't just a passing fad. Its first effort, the Inspiron Mini 9, is far from perfect, but it still incorporates features and innovative design touches that newer models lack. Design and usabilityThe Mini 9 has an 8.9-inch screen crammed into a relatively small chassis, so Dell has little room to install a usable keyboard. Its designers have done a credible job maximising keyboard space, however, by reducing some 'less important' keys to small slivers. In addition, the entire F-key row has been removed. F1 to F10 are now alternate functions of the A-L row. It's not as good as the keyboards on most 10-inch netbooks, or the Aspire One, but it's a slight improvement over the Eee PC 901. ConnectivityThe Mini 9's best attribute is its integrated 3G/HSDPA modem. Buy one from Vodafone with a mobile broadband contract -- its 3G SIM card goes in the slot beneath the battery -- and the Internet is your oyster. The Mini 9 has the usual array of three USB ports and you'll certainly be making use of them -- its tiny 16GB solid-state drive means you'll need to keep some external storage handy. Performance and battery lifeAn Intel Atom N270 and 1GB of RAM provide a versatile, if hardly speedy, platform for the Mini 9. Its four-cell battery pack kept it running for 3 hours and 21 minutes on our video-playback battery-drain test, which is a pretty decent effort. Should you buy it?The Mini 9 stands up well against its rivals. Don't bother buying it if you need to type loads, but if you need go-anywhere Internet access and you'll be away from a mains outlet for some time, it's definitely worth considering.
The Aspire One was launched to much fanfare and enjoyed a substantial advertising budget -- showing up everywhere from TV ads to bus-stop billboards. It's no surprise then, that Acer has captured the largest slice of netbook market share. Design and usabilityAcer was almost spot-on with the Aspire One's keyboard. It's of a good size, has good spacing between each key, and gives great tactile feedback. It's just a shame Acer got the mouse trackpad so wrong. Like the HP Mini 1000, its selector buttons live on either side of the pad instead of directly below it, which -- needless to say -- is crazier than bat poo. ConnectivityThe Aspire One has a real ace up its sleeve -- an optional 3G/HSDPA modem. Insert a 3G SIM card into the slot nestling behind the battery and you'll have Internet access almost anywhere you go. You also get the usual 802.11b Wi-Fi, 10/100 Ethernet, Bluetooth, three USB ports, plus individual mic and headphone ports. Performance and battery lifeThe Aspire One is available with either Windows XP or a custom-built Linux Linpus operating system. The latter is particularly impressive, as it boots up in under 20 seconds and is quick, responsive and easy to use. Performance is pretty standard, thanks to the 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU, but it's worth noting that battery life is a relatively poor 2 hours, so you'll need to keep the power supply handy. Should you buy it?The Aspire One makes this list because it's one of very few netbooks to feature a built-in 3G modem for true go-anywhere Internet access. It could do with slightly better battery life, but the comfortable keyboard, fast-booting operating system, and the fact it has one of the lowest price tags on the netbook market make it a winner.
MSI is best known for its high-end motherboards, graphics cards and gaming laptops, so we were a tad surprised when it entered the netbook arena with the MSI Wind. Don't be put off, though -- it's actually rather good, despite its name evoking mild flatulence more than compact computing. Design and usabilityThe Wind is a great-looking machine, but lets itself down with a fiddly little mouse touchpad that makes it awkward to browse the Internet -- and that's hardly ideal in a netbook. It does, however, have a great 10-inch matte display, which works well indoors and outdoors in direct sunlight. The Wind's keyboard is fantastic, too. We were just as happy writing long documents as we were sending tweets. ConnectivityHigh-speed 802.11n Wi-Fi comes as standard with the Wind, so you can (in theory) throw files around the air at speeds exceeding a 100Mbps wired connection. Bluetooth makes an appearance, as do three USB ports, a four-in-one memory card reader, and a VGA video-output port so you can pipe the graphics through to an external display. Performance and battery lifeThe Wind is the first netbook we've seen that has an 'underclocking' button. Hit this, and it reduces the clock speed of the 1.6GHz CPU by half. Most users will find this mode a little too sluggish for anything other than reading text documents, so the Wind is most likely to be used as the netbook gods intended -- running at full speed. Battery life on the standard Wind U100/U110 is pretty lame, thanks to its three-cell, 2,200mAh battery. It'll last you around two hours, so we'd recommend keeping the power supply relatively close by. Should you buy it?The Wind is a solid netbook in most regards. It's comfortable and easy to use, is well-designed and looks the part, too. It lets itself down with mediocre battery life, but it's relatively affordable and quite stylish.
Samsung's first foray into the world of netbooks was largely unexpected, as the company once believed these devices were a passing fad. It's now jumped on the bandwagon without reservation and its NC10 has become a firm favourite among mini-laptop fanatics. Design and usabilityThe NC10 is the only laptop we've seen to use an antibacterial coating on its keyboard. By covering each button in ionised silver particles, Samsung has bestowed the NC10 with the ability to sterelise over 650 types of bacteria, so one needn't feel guilty about using it on the loo. The NC10 also has a bright, non-glossy display, but we do take exception to its mouse trackpad, which is a little too thin and lacks multi-touch support. Its keyboard, you'll be happy to hear, is fabulous. ConnectivityThe NC10 is fairly standard in this regard. It packs three USB ports, an SD card reader, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which is about average for this class of device. It lacks any sort of digital video output, but it's still possible to hook up the NC10 to a big-screen display via VGA, if you so desire. Performance and battery lifeThe NC10's performance is virtually identical to the vast majority of its rivals, but that's probably a good thing. It runs coolly, quietly and goes about its business with little fuss. It's battery life is particularly impressive -- it lasted for 5 hours 37 minutes in our intensive CPU drain test and will last as long as 7 hours with more prudent use. Should you buy it?We can't find much wrong with the NC10. It may not set the world on fire with its specifications or design, but it has impressive battery life and is at least as good as its rivals in most other respects. We've talked to a posse of NC10 owners and they echo our sentiments -- it's an impressive piece of kit.
It's getting serious now. Taking the bottom step of the podium is the Eee PC S101, the most stylish netbook we've ever come across. Aimed at the fashion-conscious, this bad boy packs a glossy mocha-brown lid, Swarovski crystals (which don't look in the slightest bit tacky, unusually) and a smaller, thinner chassis than its Eee brethren. Design and usabilityThe S101 has a large, comfortable keyboard, which feels great in use, and looks fabulous thanks to embedded sparkly bits. The only sticking point is the relatively small return key, which is of the flat, rectangular variety instead of the larger square type you get on most UK keyboards. The mouse trackpad is large, supports multi-touch gestures, and is positioned in such a way as to avoid accidental contact with the user's palm. The 10-inch display, meanwhile, has a matte finish, so it's usable in most light conditions. ConnectivityDespite the S101's relative thinness, the machine still has three USB ports, D-Sub VGA video output and an SD memory card reader. 802.11b/g Wi-Fi also makes an appearance, as does Bluetooth, but there's no integrated 3G modem -- if you want that feature you'll have to buy a third-party dongle. Performance and battery lifeThe S101 uses a 1.6GHz Intel N270 CPU and 1GB of RAM, so it's no faster or slower than the majority of its rivals. Battery life was decent, though -- its four-cell, 4,900mAh battery lasted 3 hours 23 with the CPU running at full tilt, which is long enough to enjoy a couple of feature-length movies. Should you buy it?The S101 is probably the best-looking netbook on the market and we can pretty much guarantee it'll turn heads. It may not be as impressive as its rivals in terms of battery life or price, but it's the perfect choice if your mission is to make the Joneses look poor.
Making the number-two spot its own is the luxury crotchtop to end all luxury crotchtops, the Asus N10. This beauty will set your geek pulse racing with its stunning design and clever features you simply won't find on other netbooks. Design and usabilityThe N10 is probably the largest netbook in this countdown, but don't let that put you off -- its 276 by 37 by 195mm, 1.4kg chassis is still very portable. If anything, the larger chassis works in the N10's favour, as it can incorporate a large, comfortable keyboard, which facilitates fast, no-look typing. The 10-inch display is glossy, so it's hard to see if used outdoors, and multi-touch mouse gestures are absent from the trackpad, but on the whole, but the N10 is easy to get on with. ConnectivityDespite being pretty large, the N10 lacks an integrated optical drive. Instead, Asus bundles an external DVD rewriter that connects to one of the machine's three USB ports. Built into the chassis, you'll find an ExpressCard/34 slot for connecting a third-party 3G modem, VGA and HDMI outputs for connecting to a big-screen TV, a fingerprint reader for logging in without a password, a webcam and face-recognition software, and a digital S/PDIF audio connector for hooking it up to your home-cinema system. Performance and battery lifeThe N10 uses the same core components as you'll find in most netbooks, but has a real ace up its sleeve -- switchable graphics. A switch on the left side of the chassis lets you choose between the default Intel integrated graphics solution you get on just about every netbook, or the far more powerful Nvidia GeForce 9200M chip, which allows 3D gaming and improved video processing. Battery life with the discrete card enabled was a mere 2 hours 48 minutes, but with the integrated solution, it lasted a more respectable 3 hours 20 minutes. Should you buy it?The N10 is the most powerful and well-equipped netbook on the market today. It's portable enough to compete with its smallest competitors, yet powerful enough to beat larger ultraportable laptops at their own game. Ignore it at your peril.
The third iteration of the Eee PC 1000 series is the largest Eee to date. Ease of use normally associated with full-sized laptops, high-speed wireless capabilities and an all-day battery life mean it takes the gold medal in our netbook countdown. Design and usabilityThe Eee PC 1000HE is one of the larger netbooks on the markets, so it's hardly surprising it's also one of the heaviest. 1.4kg is hardly back-breaking though, and the upside is that it has a 10-inch display that's easy to see and a 1,024x600-pixel resolution that's high enough to accommodate the majority of Web pages without the need for horizontal scrolling. Like most other 10-inch laptops, it also benefits from a keyboard 92 per cent the size of a standard laptop keyboard. Each key is also isolated, so the gap between each one is reminiscent of the spacing on a standard desktop keyboard. Connectivity802.11b/g Wi-Fi comes as standard, as you'd expect, but the 1000HE also possesses 802.11n high-speed wireless. This operates at a maximum theoretical throughput of 108Mbps, as opposed to the 52Mbps you get with 802.11g, and has a wireless range of up to 300m -- 200m more than 801.11g. 3G is not available on the 1000HE, but you do get three USB ports, one of which can house a USB 3G modem. Performance and battery lifeThis is where the 1000HE truly excels. Asus claims the device can last for 9 hours on battery power alone, but in our tests we managed to eke out a an astonishing 10 hours 32 minutes of use. Admittedly, the 10 hours was achieved while running trivial applications, but even with the CPU working consistently at full throttle, the 1000HE lasted 5 hours 48 minutes -- more than most netbooks do when they're idling, the slackers. Should you buy it?The third iteration of the 1000-series Eee is easily the best. Its detractors will say it's not as pretty as the Samsung NC10, or as lightweight and compact as the Dell Mini 9, but they're missing the point. Its keyboard is fabulously easy to get along with, its multi-touch mouse means navigating the Web is simple, and best of all, it has a battery life rivalled only by the sun. You'd be an idiot not to buy one. Source: CNet UK |
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