Trying Out Netbooks: Lenovo IdeaPad S10

[thiggins]

Interesting... the one here came with the security torx - the one with the indentation to make regular Torx and flatheads not work.

I find that I can cram a small (jewelers) into the space between the center "security" post and the sides and get it loose if it's not in too tight.

 

[vnangia]

I find that I can cram a small (jewelers) into the space between the center "security" post and the sides and get it loose if it's not in too tight.

Oh, absolutely, and I'm sure that if I look around, I'll find the right head. The point is the principle of using the security Torx heads, which to me suggests that MSI is reluctant for people to mess around with the inside, whereas Acer not only uses standard Philips head screws, but also provides disassembly guides right on their support website.

Anyway, I've been playing on and off with it for a few weeks now, and while I like the feel of the system better - less of a fingerprint magnet - it's been damn near impossible to use the touchpad's buttons. There's also no way to tune the sensitivity of the touchpad, as you may have noted, making it impossible to use in any position except sitting at a table, which sort of defeats the purpose of these ultraportable machines. It's also lasting a tad bit shorter than the Acer, which I find interesting, considering the Acer's powering an external BT transceiver and running Vista, to the MSI's internal BT and XP. Perhaps Vista is a little more aggressive in turning things off?

Anyway, looking forward to the rest of the series.

 

[thiggins]

Dell just informed me that the Mini 12 XP version that was supposed to ship today has been delayed. I just sent back the Vista version since the 21 day return period would have expired while I was at CES this week!

The short story is that I think that the Mini 12 is a keeper. Although it's not perfect and the keyboard and mouse buttons could be better, it is much more comfortable to use than a 10" netbook. The stupid "Obsidian Black" finish should have been named "Fingerprint Magnet", however. It just escapes me why manfs insist on putting glossy finishes on mobile devices. Takes about a day and they look like crap!

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

The point is the principle of using the security Torx heads, which to me suggests that MSI is reluctant for people to mess around with the inside,

Torx are quite common in the IT industry. If you do work on servers..big popular names such as HP Proliant servers, even their very popular business desktops such as the Evo/DC series.

 

[vnangia]

Torx are quite common in the IT industry. If you do work on servers..big popular names such as HP Proliant servers, even their very popular business desktops such as the Evo/DC series.

Oh absolutely - Torx I completely understand: excellent torque, even distribution of pressure, and still very difficult to rip the head off, doesn't get much better than that, particularly for sensitive electronic equipment. What I object to is the security Torx, which really, just exists to make it difficult to take the stupid screw off using a standard Torx head. I have a full Torx set for dismantling all manner of IT and electronic stuff, but I don't have a single security Torx head, which is what I needed to get into the MSI book to replace the hard drive or add memory. That's all I was objecting to, not the Torx design itself, or it's use in the IT industry - and hence my comment about MSI using that design of screw, versus the Acer's use of a Philips head, or technically, a Posidrive, screw.

 

[mgraves]

How is the Dell Mini 12 working out?

I see that the HP 2140 with better display is about 6 weeks out.

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/01/21/hp-not-shipping-high-res-display-2140s/

Michael

 

[thiggins]

So far, I like the Mini 12, but it's not perfect.

Big plus is the large display, especially the height.

Minus is the keyboard, which doesn't take advantage of the wider chassis and still scrunches the arrow and . , / keys in the bottom row. Yeesh!
The mouse buttons are big and separate, but have a lot of travel and are sort of spongy.

Runs much better with XP than Vista, though.

I ordered a 2140, which should be here next week. I fell in love with it at CES, despite the stupid side mouse buttons. It is such a nicely made machine and makes every other netbook look like cheap toys. The gigabit LAN port is a nice add, too.

Given my experience with the Fujitsu P7120 that has been my travel companion for two years, I think HP has missed the boat on the display resolutions, however. The 7120's resolution is 1280x768 in a 10.5" (diag.)
screen. This is a bit too small for my older eyes.

I think the 2140's 1366x768 screen in 10.1" (diag) will be waay too small, no matter how sharp it is.

With a 10" screen, 1024px wide is the sweet spot. I'll see if I miss the 24 vertical px.

Last good bit of news is that the configuration that cost me $654 now is $479.

 

[mgraves]

Any comment on the HP2140 thus far? I'm waiting for the high res display to come available later this month. But it's getting hard to wait with new models from Acer and others looking like a new generation of netbooks.

 

[thiggins]

Any comment on the HP2140 thus far?

Hasn't arrived yet. You might find the higher resolution screen too small. At least that has been my experience on my Fujitsu P7120.