Samsung arrived relatively late in the netbook craze, but as you will clearly see, it quickly takes its place as one of the top units available. That’s a pretty strong assumption, don’t you think? Spare me the time, and I’ll tell you exactly why.
Obvious from the name itself, the Samsung NC10 is a 10.2″ netbook. It’s one of the bigger models out there; as I believe that there is such a thing as a netbook that it ‘too small’, this immediately makes me sort of biased toward it. So far, though, this unit feels like an ordinary ten-incher at 1.3kg.
In a market where first impressions are important, Samsung knew how to stand out. It is by far the most beautiful netbook that I have encountered, save from the pricey Asus S101. I’m not saying that some of the other units like MSI Wind are ugly; in fact that particular machine looks impressive as well. But there’s just something about the glossy plastic sheen that implies its rather thrifty cost.
This is not true with the NC10; the unit that I got to toy around with had a clean, matte white finish, and while I am not too fond of the synthetic chrome that runs from hinge to hinge, it doesn’t pass off as cheap. Even if you are one of the people who do not like the ostentatious nature of the matte white, you can simply get an NC10 in blue or black finishes.
There is a tried-and-tested formula to netbooks, and the NC10 shares this formula internally. But even though it has the same 1.6GHz Atom M270 processor and 1GB memory, it performs just as well as, if not slightly better, than the others who share this specification. It also comes with a 6-cell battery that is standard; there’s no need to upgrade here, folks. It’ll last for more than seven hours in standby, and about five hours with heavy use.
Finally, there is the cost. While not the cheapest model out there, the Samsung NC10 is definitely cheaper than what you would expect from a machine with these specifications. Combine that with seven hours of battery life, great keyboard design and a look outclassed only by the Asus S101, and we may have just found the new measuring stick with which to compare all other future netbooks with.
