Samsung NC10 Netbook

Examination:

The first thing we immediately liked about the Samsung NC10 netbook was its large keyboard. The keyboard in fact is nearly the size of a standard notebook keyboard. All standard keys can be found and are nicely sized, but extra keys for media functionality and other desktop tasks have been removed. We do not mind these extra keys being removed in exchange for a simpler design and larger layout. The touchpad though on the NC10 is quite small. Once we increased the sensitivity of it though, it did not end up being a major issue. Along the front edge of the netbook are all of the LED indicators along with the card reader.

There are two metal hinges supporting the Samsung NC10 screen. Near the hinge on the right is the integrated microphone. At the top of the display is the 1.3 megapixel web camera.

On the left side of the Samsung netbook is the DC power connector, 10/100MB Ethernet, and two USB 2.0 ports. On the right side are the microphone and headphone jacks, one USB 2.0 port, and the VGA output. There is also a Kensington lock slot and power button on this side of the netbook.

At the bottom of the netbook there is a variety of ventilation areas, the battery slot, and there is a slot for easily accessing the DDR2 memory compartment. To replace the HDD or access any other components with the NC10 is a bit more tedious as it requires the removal of about a dozen screws and then to snap off the plastic. We had done this when performing our solid-state disk tests, which was a bit harder than we would have liked, but still was relatively easy. Shipping with the Samsung NC10 is a 6-cell 5200 mAh battery, which others have been able to get to last six to eight hours with this netbook.

While the exterior of this laptop is made of plastic, we are pleased with the build quality and the finish on the blue exterior is quite nice.