Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 10.1-inch Netbook Laptop PC

Jul 18 2009 - Lenovo's IdeaPad S10-2 is a reworking of their original netbook that doesn't really change much. There are a few changes to the exterior and the new 6-cell battery pack standard. Even with the larger battery pack, the battery life can't quite reach the same levels as some other netbooks. The instant-on OS feature is quite useful for those doing some quick tasks and the speakers are some of the best in the netbook class. Still, there just isn't enough to set the IdeaPad S10-2 apart from a crowded market.

Jul 12 2009 - The Lenovo S10-2 is a redesign of their original netbook that looked to modify a few of the originals features and to try and improve the battery life. The system now comes standard with a 6-cell battery pack that gives it much improved running time over the original S10 but falls short of what the competition has to offer. In a very aggressive streaming video test, it was able to run for about three and a half hours. Under normal usage, this translate to rough five to six hours.

While the battery life may not be as good as the competition, the Lenovo does have the advantage of being lighter and smaller. With the 6-cell battery pack, the system weighs just 2.8 pounds which is well below the three pounds or more than many other netbooks with large batteries weigh. The battery of course does stick out from the back of the netbook but the rest of the system is thinner than the original.

One of the unique aspects of the original IdeaPad S10 was the inclusion of an ExpressCard slot. For the S10-2, they have removed this slot and replaced it with a much more standard third USB 2.0 port. They keyboard is still good for its size but the trackpad is another matter. It is too sensitive that it easily registers that it was touched while typing and frequently registered clicks while the cursor was being dragged.

Two features that many may really like about the S10-2 are the speakers and QuickStart OS. The speakers on this netbook are some of the best I've heard and frankly can actually too loud in some situations. Even though they are loud, they did not distort the audio. The QuickStart OS is also useful for times when you just need to get to a few basic applications such as web, IM, Skype or listen to music without the painfully long XP boot times.