BEST TOP 10 NETBOOK

Eee PC S101

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 usability

The 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.

Connectivity

Despite 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 life

The 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 I 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.

Places to buy: AMAZON.COM

By Cnet.co.uk