- Intel Atom N470 1.83GHz processor
- 1GB DDR2 memory
- 250GB hard drive
- Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 graphics
- 10/100Mbps Ethernet, wireless LAN 802.11b/g/n
- Windows 7 Starter
With its tapered edges and a razor-thin side profile, Samsung’s latest all-black N230netbook exudes business chic, putting it in a class above the sea of drab-looking laptops in the market.
In terms of raw performance, however, this 1kg device is middle-of-the-road. Compared to older sibling N220, which uses the Intel Atom N450 processor, the N230 comes with the slightly faster Atom N470 chip. However, this netbook does not feel zippier than the N220 in typical tasks like Web browsing and word processing.
In the PCMark05 benchmark test that grills PCs with a suite of computing jobs, the N230 scored 1,433 points – marginally better than N220′s 1,250points and Prolink Glee UW2′s 1,364 points. The UW2 is powered by an Atom N450 processor.
The Samsung N230 handles video streaming from sites such as YouTube and CNET TV well, but high-definition video clips trip it up.
Its 10.1-inch matte screen serves up a default resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels, but this can be bumped up to 1,024 x 768 pixels with Samsung’s bundled Easy Resolution software.
The matte display makes it more comfortable for reading Web pages or e-books outdoors compared to glossy screens. However, compared to the Glee UW2 netbook I recently reviewed, text quality is not as sharp.
You will find a bunch of quick-access function keys on the Samsung N230, including one that lets you turn off the display in an instant to prolong battery life. On machines without this key, you would have to gradually reduce the screen brightness to zero to switch off the display.
Samsung has included a comprehensive suite of software with the Samsung N230, including the Fast Booting software that shortens the time it takes to wake the computer from sleep mode.
The three-cell battery lasted for about five hours when I used the netbook for mostly Web browsing and online document editing.
Checkout the details: Samsung N230 Series N230-11 10.1-Inch Netbook
by: Aaron Tan is an infocomm professional