Mini-Laptop: Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3

Specs: 1.66-GHz Intel Atom N450, 1GB RAM, 160GB/5,400 rpm HDD, 10.1 inches/1024x600 display.

Price: US$ 369

Design: The Lenovo netbook has slick design with size of 10.6x6.6x1.4 inches, weighs 2.6 pounds - lighter than most netbooks. The S10-3 has an island-style keyboard and it is very comfortable. Its touchpad is fairly large (2.6x1.4 inches) but too sensitive and the buttons are somewhat stiff.

Screen: The 10.1-inch display and its resolution of 1024x600 is fine for reading text and playing video.

Instant-On: The S10-3 run version 2.0 of the SplashTop instant-on operating system.

Performance: According to LaptopMag.com, on PCMark05 performance test, its score of 1,193 is more than 270 points lower than the netbook category average. But on Geekbench test, its score of 880 is about 30 points higher than the average.

On 3DMark06 test, its score is 147, about 10 points less than similarly netbooks equipped with Intel GMA 3150 graphics card.

Battery: Its six-cell battery lasts 6 hours 55 minutes, 40 minutes longer than the netbook average for six-cell batteries.

Operating System: Windows 7 Starter Edition

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If You Plan to Buy A Netbook or Mini-Laptop

Netbooks, especially launched this year, have identical hardware specs. The netbook is powered by an Intel Atom N450 1.66-GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive, Intel's GMA 3150 graphics card, a 10.1-inch screen, three USB ports, connector for an external monitor, networking, audio, a flash card reader, and a webcam.

But if you want to buy a netbook, the things you should take into consideration are:

• The size of the keyboard and touchpad - the larger, the more comfortable.
• The battery, 3-cell or 6-cell for longer life.
• The sharpness and brightness of the screen.
• Mobile broadband connectivity; it would be more flexible if you choose USB mobile broadband modem.
• Bluetooth; this feature is important if you have some Bluetooth devices (headset, cellular phone, etc.).

The latest netbooks also come with Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition. With the version of Windows 7 you can’t share an Internet connection, connect to a domain or use any of the machines as a network bridge. You can’t change your desktop image, and it doesn’t support multiple monitors. It also doesn’t come with Windows Media Center for watching TV with an external tuner. But with the operating system you will be able to finish your work using your netbook.

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Latest Netbooks Powered by Atom N450

Many of the latest netbooks or mini-laptops are powered by Intel’s Atom N450 processor. According to testing conducted by Computerworld.com, the processor has 28% better performance compared with its predecessor, Atom N270.

The Atom N450 has 123 million transistors - more than twice the N270 - and can take advantage of 667 MHz of RAM, versus 533 MHz for N270 systems.

The processor delivers extending battery life. According to Intel, the N450 consumes 7 watts of power -- less than half the N270’s 16 watts. This not only extends battery life but also reduces the need to cool the processor.

The processor and Intel’s chipset take up 60% less space than the N270 and its chipset. This allows the N450 to be squeezed into smaller places and could lead to more creative and thinner hardware designs. According to Intel the processor will be used by 80 different devices by summertime.

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