The human race is uncannily intriguing; we have some great examples of individual brilliance offset by legions of idiots, ever willing to take themselves out of the gene pool. Not that they don’t succeed, but there’s a considerable disparity between the number of Darwin Award nominees and that of terminal retards born every minute. Makes me wonder how humanity hasn’t imploded under the weight of its own collective stupidity.

The Notebook — What The Hell Are Its Designers Smoking?

A prime example of what I’m talking about is the laptop computer. I have no prejudice towards the concept of mobile computing, but the laptop has turned out to be anything but that. You can deem it another casualty of purposeless design encouraged by a clueless user base. This lack of design purpose is evident from the hardware crammed into a typical laptop. I don’t understand why anyone requires a 15â€� or 17â€� display, when the screen is meant to be stared at point blank from your lap. Pointless, unless you have cataract, and even then you need an ophthalmologist more than a big-ass screen.

Then there’s the optical drive. There’s absolutely no need for a bulky and power hungry DVD drive when you have both wired and wireless networking, card readers, and USB ports. The less said about power-guzzling 3D accelerator cards the better, because anyone who buys into the gaming laptop fad is a monumental tool with a penchant for carpal tunnel syndrome and the smell of molten plastic. Those who’ve used 17â€� laptops know what a pain it is to lug around the debilitating weight of the whole shebang. I can name a number of things more pleasant than carrying a laptop, including and not limited to self-mutilation.

An Exercise In Redundancy

The modern laptop’s greatest folly is that it tries to be a desktop replacement. There’s a reason why a desktop does everything, and that’s because it doesn’t have to worry about two very important factors — space and power. Ergo, it has to be tethered to a power outlet, which is not at all a problem for it. For the laptop, however, it’s a different ball game. While it may have made a half-assed attempt with slightly frugal equivalents of desktop chipsets, the fact remains that the average laptop would have run out of juice much before you could finish watching a movie, or I could finish writing this article, for that matter. In the end, a laptop still has to be plugged into a power outlet most of the time, and you can’t work on any time-consuming task on the move, however critical it might be. Like the desktop, it’s not nearly mobile when you need it to be, and unlike the former, it eschews comfort, ergonomics, and power for the little mobility that it offers. Metaphorically speaking, laptops today are just as uncomfortable as making a grocery run clad in battle armour. A laptop, then, is redundant.

Back To Square One

It’s ironic how after a decade of cramming the laptop with unneeded hardware, the R&D folks decided to invent a new genre altogether by simply ridding it of excess baggage. Lads, allow me to introduce you to the “netbook“, or as Linus Torvalds puts it, “The laptop done rightâ€�. This really is the gospel truth. The netbook is a textbook example of a purposeful design that eschews gimmicks in the quest for function. At the very heart of its success lies the very efficient Intel Atom processor that lends it a battery life of at least six hours, right upto a whopping 11 hours. It has enough power to tackle most productivity and entertainment applications, as well as the practicality to be used on the move, thanks to an optimal 10.1â€� form factor. What is doesn’t have are the useless space-devouring and power-hungry frivolities of graphics cards, optical drives, and disproportionately large screens. It’s like our government’s recent austerity drive minus the pretentious bull, and unlike said drive, actually does end up saving a truckload of money.

Enter The Buyer

Chances are that you might have considered buying a netbook. There are plenty of good reasons to buy one, not all of which are restricted solely to mobile computing. A typical netbook using an Atom CPU draws between a maximum of 8 Watts (Pineview) to 12 Watts (Diamondville) of total kit power. Heck, even its power supply is rated at a maximum of 30-40 Watts, perfect for those of us whose power-guzzling desktops are perpetually torrenting crap. Perfectly legal crap, might I add.

The frugality of this platform is quite appealing to eco-hippies. I, on the other hand, look at it as a means to save power bills, so I can spend it on other means of increasing my carbon footprint. With a price that starts from Rs 13,500, a netbook makes for a kickass widescreen, high-storage, feature-rich, and powerful replacement for a personal music player (PMP). Think about it: the average PMP that doesn’t suck — that is, one with an at least 8â€� widescreen display, 20+ GB of storage, and which doesn’t require file conversion — costs upwards of Rs 20,000. The holy trinity of power, portability, and affordability makes the netbook a good choice for a number of applications.

Now that you’ve made up your mind, let’s see what options we have to consider while buying a netbook. Truth be told, there’s not much to consider, thanks to Intel’s hardware hegemony and the basic requirements laid down by M$ to support its OS. Since netbooks are designed to be spartan, they pretty much stick to these basic requirements. Almost all netbooks are loaded with a regular 10.1â€� (1024 x 600) display, 1.60 or 1.66 GHz Atom CPU, 1 GB RAM, and 160 GB hard drive, garnished with the usual Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, camera, mic, and card reader for good measure. Basically, this means that the price difference between netbooks is mainly attributed to brand, design, and if the manufacturer has hired Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithink Roshan, or Kareena Kapoor to sell it.

Diamondville Or Pineview?

On the hardware front, most netbooks offer a choice between two platforms: Diamondville (Atom N270 and N280) and the just-released Pineview (N450). Diamondville netbooks are cheaper by a couple of thousand bucks, and you can even bargain for a further reduction, since retailers are eager to get rid of the latter to make way for the newer Pineview netbooks. Unless you’re a total spec-geek, it’s prudent to choose the Diamondville, because the Pineview has no significant advantages over it. The N450 has 64-bit architecture, which makes little difference in real-life performance parameters and might even be detrimental to memory resources due to the increased word addressing length. It’s also the first mobile CPU to sport a single chip design by integrating the memory controller and IGP (graphics chipset) on a single die. This little tweak brings the total kit power dissipation down from 12 Watts to 8 Watts. Not bad at all, but certainly not worth the premium it currently commands.

Some models deviate a little from the standard by including SSD hard drives (Solid State Drive, commonly referred to as a “flash drive” — the same technology that goes into USB sticks), a GB of extra RAM, Windows 7, and a HD-ready display with a resolution of 1366 x 768. You also have cheaper products with 512 MB RAM, which come preinstalled with Linux distributions, usually Ubuntu — one of the best distributions around. These netbooks make for great download machines. The expensive ones are based around the NVIDIA ION platform, which replaces the Intel GMA 950 IGP with the GeForce 9400M graphics chipset. These netbooks can handle full-HD 1080p content out of the box, but they have a larger form factor (11.6″ and more), and guzzle more power (20 Watts). However, there’s a cheaper, more power-efficient mod to enable your netbook to run 1080p content at under 10% CPU usage. That’s something we’ll cover in another article, so check back often. In the interim, let’s check out what our local netbook market has to offer.

Samsung NP-N128

The Samsung NP-N128’s price — Rs 15,000 or so — makes me wonder if it’ll fall apart by the time the battery is charged up for the first use. No worries on that front though, because although the quality of matte plastic used isn’t on par with its more expensive rivals, it’s still solidly built. The N128 should take all kinds of travel abuse without any issues. As expected, at the heart of the device lies the antiquated 1.60 GHz Atom 270, which however is not found wanting with the typical applications meant to be run on a netbook. It handles regular video and Flash content at liquid smooth framerates, until you feed it video content with resolutions upwards of 720p. That’s the only drawback of the N128 from the performance perspective, because the Atom N280 and N450 muster up enough power to run low bit-rate 720p videos without dropping too many frames.

The screen is a regular 10.1â€� LED LCD with a resolution of 1024 x 600. LCD displays have always been Samsung’s forte, and it shows with the excellent sharpness, contrast, colour depth and viewing angles of the N128’s screen. It’s also one of the few netbook displays that sport a matte screen, which eliminates glare, as well as being sufficiently bright for outdoor usage. The audio quality from the Realtek HD Audio codec is great; however, the speaker itself is weak and monoaural. Battery life is around six to eight hours with its six-cell battery pack.

The other features are run-of-the-mill with a 160 GB HDD, 1 GB RAM, ethernet, and Wi-Fi b\g. It also has every standard netbook I\O port, which includes three USBs, one D-Sub out, a three-in-one card reader, and a pair of 3.5 mm jacks for the headphones and mic. Samsung deserves due credit for not omitting any of the features found in significantly more expensive netbooks. The keyboard however is generic, which means you don’t get those fancy “island” or “chiclet” keys. Although it’s not cramped, the small key size does take some time getting used to. The keys otherwise have a positive tactile response and do not wobble.

The touchpad is well appointed with software-enabled gestures and multi-touch support, a pleasant surprise at this price point. The left and right clicks are actuated by a rocker panel, which is responsive enough. If I may nitpick, a dedicated Wi-Fi switch is sorely missing. All in all, the Samsung N128 is good value for money. There’s nothing significantly lacking in it, apart from the slightly underclocked Atom N270 processor, but the N128 makes it up with a brilliant screen and an above average touchpad. It’s a good buy if you’re willing to sacrifice a bit of style and eye candy.

Rating: 3.5/5
Pros: Cheap; Great matte display; 6-cell Li-Ion battery; Good build quality for the price; Great touchpad.
Cons: Slower Atom N270 CPU; No Bluetooth.
Bottomline: A good mix of value and competency makes it an attractive buy.
Price: Rs 15,000 plus taxes
Contact: List of authorized retailers.
Specifications: DOS; Intel Atom N270 (1.60 GHz, 512 KB L2 Cache, 533 MHz FSB); Intel 945GSE + ICH7M; 1 GB DDR2; 160 GB (5400 rpm SATA); 10.1� WSVGA (1024 x 600), matte, LED backlight; Realtek HD Audio; Atheros 802.11 b\g Wi-Fi; 1.3 megapixel webcam with internal mic; 6-cell battery; 272 x 188.5 x 29.8 mm; 1.28 kg; Ports: 3-in-1 card reader, RJ-45, 3 x USB 2.0, D-Sub out, headphone out, mic in, 40 Watts AC adaptor.

HP Mini 110

The HP Mini 110 is my favourite netbook of the lot for three main reasons: it has the best keyboard found in any netbook, an optional HD screen with a resolution of 1366 x 768 and unparalleled quality, and a free mini PCI-e slot with full support for the Broadcom Crystal HD decoder, which is the mod I was talking about earlier. The 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N280 handles applications without a sweat and manages low bit-rate 720p video playback without any frame drops. Boot-up time with the preinstalled Windows XP Home SP3 is a speedy 30 seconds, and is also the case with the hibernation, sleep, and wake-up times.

The rest of the specifications stick to the basics, with 1 GB DDR2 667 MHz RAM and a 160 GB SATA HDD. The lack of on-chip Bluetooth support is compensated with a diminutive Bluetooth USB dongle that sticks out by just half a centimetre. I personally prefer it that way, because I generally do not use Bluetooth devices, so it saves me the trouble of pressing the killswitch every time. There’s nothing remarkable in the I\O department either. The Mini 110 sports three USB ports, a D-Sub out, multi-card reader, and a single hybrid jack for both headphones and mic. Sound from the external stereo speakers is sufficiently loud, and the output from the 3.5 mm phono jack is devoid of any hardware enhancement, which is perfect in any audiophile’s book (that would be me).

The resplendent 10.1â€� HD-ready (1366 x 768) LED display is the veritable jewel in the crown of the Mini 110. It’s incredibly bright at 282 nits, almost twice as much as some Acer Aspire or ASUS Eee PC models, and can therefore be used in broad daylight without any eye strain. The anti-glare texture is neither as coarse as matte, nor as shiny as glossy displays, but instead a perfect blend between the two. The black levels, contrast, and colour depth rival that of more expensive panels. This resolution on a display may be a bit taxing for some, but it’s a personal preference. I prefer the coverage offered by the 1366 x 768 screen when browsing the web; especially the high-resolution images of my favourite “exotic” sites. In my opinion, any display that accommodates Sophie Howard’s ample assets without the need to scroll is god’s gift to mankind.

The Mini 110 may not be the slimmest of the lot, but it looks stunning when in action due to its extra-large keyboard set flush with the chassis. The build quality is quite good, including the chrome-finished power and Wi-Fi switches, embedded with LED indicators. The glossy top cover looks classy and lends an expensive feel to the device. Battery life is under par, with only two to three hours for the three-cell pack and between five and six hours for the six-cell pack. The latter sticks out from the bottom like a tumour, making any kind of sleeve unusable. It’s best to remove the battery when travelling; it seems like a bad idea to stress its retention hinges with the bump and grind of a city commute. On the flip side, the same six-cell battery pack aids a generous air flow beneath the chassis, and inclines the keyboard for a perfect typing stance. This means you can use it while relaxing on your bed without worrying about heating issues caused by blocked vents.

What cannot be left unremarked is the 110’s superlative keyboard. The keys are larger than those on my desktop keyboard, and it covers the entire breadth of the netbook without wasting any space on a bezel. You can even touch-type with this keyboard; all thanks to a design that eschews the gimmickry of “chiclet” or “island” keys for optimum space management. Having said that, the touchpad has been shrunk ridiculously, and furthermore, the left and right buttons have been relegated to the sides, making for a very counter-intuitive design. However, that’s a small price to pay for a package that’s otherwise very competent. The chances of finding a Mini 110 with an HD screen are quite rare, but if you do, it’s unparalleled value for money. More importantly, probing the Croma store manager (in more ways than one) in my neighbourhood revealed that the Mini 110 is being palmed off at a major discount to clear stock for the Pineview-equipped Mini 210. This explains how I got an HD model cheap for Rs 16,500, despite the “official MRP” being a few thousand higher, and as opposed to Rs 20,000+ for a regular Mini 210 with the SD screen. I’d pick the 110 over the 210 any day. In fact, I put my money where my mouth is and bought one.

Rating: 4/5
Pros: Bright and vibrant HD LED display; Competent keyboard; Full support for Broadcom Crystal HD decoder; Great value for money.
Cons: Awkward touchpad; Average battery life.
Bottomline: A great keyboard and kickass HD display render it perfect for multimedia as well as productivity applications. Grab this all-rounder if you’re getting a good discount on it.
Price: Rs 21,000 plus taxes
Contact: Find a retailer.
Specifications: Windows XP Home Edition SP3; Intel Atom N280 (1.60 GHz, 512 KB L2 Cache, 667 MHz FSB); Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950; 1 GB DDR2 533 MHz; 160 GB (5400 rpm SATA); 10.1″ HD LED HP BrightView Infinity Widescreen (1366 x 768); IDT Audio; Broadcom 802.11 b\g Wi-Fi; External Bluetooth USB dongle; HP webcam with integrated mic; 6-Cell Li-Ion (55 W-hr) battery; 26.15 x 17.2 x 2.63-3.27 cm; 1.17 kg; Ports: Multi-card reader, 3 x USB 2.0, VGA, RJ-45, Headphone-out \ Mic-in combo jack (iPhone compatible), AC adaptor.

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2

My prior experience with Lenovo hasn’t been pleasant, having used one of its “higher-end” 15â€� models. A poor display and an exasperating keyboard were major areas of concern. One might assume the IdeaPad S10-2 would inherit the same shortcomings. Don’t hold your breath — that is just the case here. The S10-2 is a chip off the old block, with a lacklustre LCD panel and cramped keyboard. The screen is quite dull, so you can forget about using it outdoors during daylight. It’s plagued with poor contrast and mediocre colour fidelity. The problem is compounded further by limited viewing angles. The screen also suffers from a significant colour shift, which isn’t helped by the lid hinges restricting the display from articulating over the last 45^o. All of that translates into a nightmare if you have to use the laptop at hip level.

The keyboard is pretty old-fashioned, of the type hardly used by modern netbooks, and for good reason. Such a design works for larger laptops, but ends up reducing the surface area of the already diminutive keys on a netbook keyboard. The touchpad is too tiny for comfort, but isn’t entirely hopeless thanks to great sensitivity and speed. It incorporates the multi-touch feature, which is however restricted to a simple pinch-in \ pinch-out zoom control. Sound quality is decent through the headphones, and the down-firing inbuilt speakers are fine as long as you keep the S10 on a flat surface. Placing the netbook on the bed muffles the speakers to the point of inaudibility.

On the bright side, the S10-2 isn’t too bad on the eyes thanks to its smooth, rounded edges, and a svelte design. It feels durable with a solid build quality, and has very little flex in the plastics. It’s also pretty well thought out from the upgrade point of view, since oft-upgraded peripherals such as the  HDD, RAM, wireless card, and spare mini PCI-e slot are all easily accessible through the bottom of the chassis. This is a fabulous feature if you are prone to opening up your netbook for regular upgrades or cleaning. As an illustration, I had to take the Mini 110 completely apart to access its spare mini PCI-e slot. It took half an hour and a lot of guts to achieve that, while you’ll only need a few minutes to do the same on the S10-2.

The hardware is comprised of the regular 1.66 GHz Atom N280 processor and 1 GB of DDR2 RAM. The performance, as expected, is on par with the rest of the pack. The six-cell battery pack sticks well out of the bottom, but that’s the price you pay for the excellent 7+ hours of battery life. With the base model, you get a standard 160 GB hard drive, 3 USB ports, a D-Sub out, multi-card reader, and a Wi-Fi b\g card. Bluetooth is also included on-chip, so you don’t have to trifle with dongles.

Summing up the Lenovo S10-2 is quite easy — do not buy it. Its poor display makes it of little use as a multimedia device, while the cramped keyboard and small touchpad aren’t conducive to productivity. It’s also not cheap enough to overlook its shortcomings.

Rating: 2/5
Pros: Looks good; Sturdily built; Good battery life; Upgrade-friendly.
Cons: Poor display; Cramped keyboard and touchpad; Mediocrity personified.
Bottomline: The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 is mediocre and forgettable, without any redeeming feature to justify its purchase. Avoid.
Price: Rs 17,000 plus taxes
Contact: Lenovo retailers.
Specifications: Windows XP Home Edition; Intel Atom N280 (1.60 GHz, 512 KB L2 Cache, 667 MHz FSB); Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950; 1 GB DDR2 667 MHz; 160 GB (5400 rpm SATA); 10.1� WSVGA (1024 x 600), matte, LED backlight; Realtek HD Audio; Broadcom 802.11 b\g Wi-Fi; Bluetooth version 2.1 + EDR; Standard webcam with integrated mic; 6-Cell Li-Ion battery; 1.1 kg; Ports: 3-in-1 card reader, RJ-45, 3 x USB 2.0, D-Sub out, Headphone out, Mic in, AC adaptor.