As some of you know, the Asus EeePC 701 was reviewed a few months back by TechRant’s own Linux Geek.  Now you may think that all Netbooks are practically the same, but they are very different.  Since the OLPC program was launched and the EeePC released to children in developing countries (via the Give 1 Get One Program), several manufacturers have tried to grab their share of the market by releasing notebooks in various sizes and colours. 

Though similar in size ranging from 7″ models to 10.2″, they have different hardware specs (though a majority are similar).  The Samsung NC10 runs on the newly developed Intel atom architecture boasting a clock speed of 1.6GHz of Hyper-threading goodness.  The EeePC 701 has a Celeron M 353 under its hood clocking at 0.9GHz. 

Memory wise, the NC10 has a 1GB of RAM as standard whereas the EeePC has only half of that.  Both netbooks come with XP preinstalled (Though a linux version is available for the EeePC, but to make things fair, I will compare the XP versions).  Having only half a gig of RAM may make the netbook rather sluggish at running multiple applications though luckily RAM is user upgradable on both netbooks.

At being only 0.4KG heavier, the extra weight is acceptable and welcomed for the extra power Samsung has packed into this tiny device.  The keyboard the NC10 has is 93% full size (compared to the 701 which has an 83% keyboard size), making the reduced keysize barely noticeable.  Though the backspace key and right shift key has been cut short and I always end up missing them making typing on this thing a tad tedious (but not as tedious as typing on an iPod Touch).  The keyboard on the NC10 is also coated with silver ions, giving it anti-bacterial properties, though it works scientists are still unsure whether it is actually safe for human use….

The monitor is 10.2″ wide, displaying a resolution of 1024*800.  Compared to the EeePC and its 7″ screen and resolution of 800*480, websites would be harder to view on the smaller resolution as most websites are now designed with the 1024*786 resolution in mind.

Connectivity wise, both netbooks come with WLAN (802.11 b/g) and an ethernet port (RJ-54 10/100) which are two pretty bog standard means to connect to the internets.  The NC10 also offers built in Bluetooth (2.0 + EDR) which allows you to connect to a mobile phone and surf the internet almost anywhere.  It is also a means of easily transferring files between bluetooth enabled devices.  Both netbooks also have the standard USB 2.0 ports (both have 3), a VGA port, headphone + mic ports and a SD card reader.

The sound quality is absolutely terrible on the NC10 and its stereo 1W speakers are barely powerful enough to be heard in a normal working environment.  At home I usually connect it to my desktop speakers, but when im out and about I have to use headphones.  Though it is a capable media player, you wont get very far with its built in speakers.

As part of the size shrinking and weight reducing process, netbooks do not come with disc drives.  This can be a tad problematic for those who store a lot of data on optical media.  There are various ways to work around this problem.  The easiest would be to purchase an external optical drive and simply stick it in the USB port.  The next option would be to use a computer with an optical drive to transfer all the data to the netbook via a removable hard drive or flash drive.  The most complicated option is to configure a computer with an optical drive to share it across the network, though once set up data transfer is as simply as copy and pasting.

The battery life on the NC10 is rather impressive.  In battery saving mode the battery can last between 6 to 7 hours (this is equal to a trip across the Atlantic from New York to London).  The long battery life means I can last longer between charges and it also allows me to leave the charger at home even though the charger itself is rather portable.

The NC10 uses a SATA 160GB HDD (running at 5400RPM) whereas the 701 uses a 4GB SSD (Solid State Drive) which has no moving parts whatsoever, the 701 also comes with an optional 30GB pocket-sized HDD for those who require more storage and also comes with an 18 month complimentary 10GB Eee Storage, which is an online storage solution.  Solid State Drives have multiple advantages over the conventional HDDs.  Because they have no moving parts, it makes them shockproof and it also means more efficiency as less power is consumed altogether.  It also offers faster boot times, but if youre willing to sacrifice these advantages for substantially more storage space then HDD is the way to go.

With only a 7″ screen it makes the 701 very portable at being only the size of a typical paperback book, so it will happily fit in a handbag or rucksack.  The NC10 on the otherhand is much larger in comparison.  So deciding on either is a juggling trick choosing either portability or functionality. 

If price is a huge factor in deciding which netbook to get then you are better off getting the cheaper 701 which averages at around £200 from most major electronics retail stores.  The NC10 is much more expensive averaging at £300. If you want to stick with Asus, the 1002HA is the Eee version of the NC10 and comes it at around the same price.

So all in all, the NC10 is a nifty little device and can do most of the tasks required for a power user.

Cooper - GadgetGeek

I can now sit at Starbucks with a Grande Caramel Machiato and pretend to be doing important work and gloat at the iPhone user next to me…