Samsung Sens G10 : A laptop with no battery

Across that other, bigger pond, Samsung's been busy. Apparently, it's just released the new 17-inch Sens G10 laptop, which on first glance looks pretty slick, what with its SATA 200GB 7200RPM hard drive, and a pretty little 700:1 contrast ratio. However Samsung is still somewhat confused on what constitutes a laptop. We normally think of them as being portable, which implies a battery. The Sens G10 requires an AC adapter for no real reason, which forces you to use it as a desktop. No word on the price yet, nor why this is better than getting a prefab desktop to throw together with a 17-inch LCD.

[AJerman @ Aug 28th 2006 12:58PM]

The worlds first laptop without a battery that you can't bring with you anywhere so it's basically useless compared to a regular desktop that would probably cost much less!!!!

[potato @ Aug 28th 2006 12:58PM]

Because some of us live in situations where we move around a lot, where we'd like the screen size and performance that rivals a desktop without having to cart the equivalent size around.

I move around a lot, once every 4 months, and each time I move it involves flying across the continent (or between continents), this makes having a desktop completely impractical. A machine like this is as good as a desktop to me but retains all of the portability (in terms of being able to move it without renting a van) that I need.

[Fred @ Aug 28th 2006 1:00PM]

Hey, at least that's one less thing to explode, and burn down your house/conference/airplane.

[Max @ Aug 28th 2006 1:02PM]

I find that rather weird - although I suppost potato has a point, all the features of a desktop in one package, but you may as well bung a battery in there anyway.

[Fuzz @ Aug 28th 2006 1:05PM]

It's better becuase there is no risk of it assploding on you.

[tekdroid @ Aug 28th 2006 1:12PM]

No word on the price yet, nor why this is better than getting a prefab desktop to throw together with a 17-inch LCD.
---
You'd be hard-pressed to find a desktop that's:

1) as silent as a laptop (mmm, silenceeee)
2) as energy-efficient as a laptop (leave an average current-sucking desktop machine on most of the time and you'll be surprised how much it adds to your power bill)
3) as portable as a laptop (yes, even though it only takes an AC Adaptor, using it in different rooms and on your bed, etc. is something a full-blown desktop machine just can't do - easily ;)

[duder @ Aug 28th 2006 1:13PM]

I really like having a laptop, but I never use the battery becuase I work way longer than any battery can last. Most places have 120VAC access anyways...

[jpxdude @ Aug 28th 2006 1:15PM]

Obviously, its aimed at those that are constantly moving and constrained by space, but without a battery for the sake of hindered performance (most laptops automatically declock processor speed and HDD Efficiency once battery is used, thereby resulting in a significant performance hit for extra juice).

If you've seen how some TOP EXECUTIVES and lawyers live in Japan, its like those funky tiny rooms in the movie Fifth Element, thats because in places like Tokyo, 1 square km of land is worth millions of dollars, so they make the most of it while they can. I build a shuttle machine for similar reasons this laptop is offering, because I never really plan on staying put for too long. The only thing that sucks, is that I also have a 17inch TFT which isn't the most convenient thing to move about as well.

I should be receiving a brand new MacBook to take over, and considering a MacMini for portability later on. The fact that they both run windows, and are sufficiently upgradable to last at least the next 2-3 years is good transitional adjustment time for when i'm married and planning on moving out next year. :)

[Eric @ Aug 28th 2006 1:20PM]

if you don't want a laptop with the added weight of a battery, why don't you just...um....take out the battery. Genius.

[John Laur @ Aug 28th 2006 1:24PM]

If they are going to nix the battery, they might as well integrate the brick.

A long time ago there were Toshiba laptops that plugged in with a standard 2 prong power cable. I thought there was some big advancement on the horizon for AC->DC power supplies as far as size and heat were going... I guess we are yet to see it. Maybe if manufacturers were forced to include the size and weight of the power brick and show it in all product photos we'd see something intelligent out of these companies.

[Alex @ Aug 28th 2006 1:26PM]

I can see the use for this. I am in college and work 2 different jobs. I use my laptop at both my works plugged in. I take it to class and plug it in and at home it is plugged in. There are a few cases that I use battery power alone, but if I could save a few hundred on my next computer, I would od it.

[shon @ Aug 28th 2006 1:46PM]

is that chick supposed to make me want to buy that crap?

[BigT @ Aug 28th 2006 1:48PM]

I don't think that this is such a crazy idea. Just about everyone I see with a laptop starts by finding a nearby outlet before booting up ... whether it be univeristy libraries, airplanes, hotels, airport lounges, etc.

As for just removing the battery, my Thinkpad leaves this giant gaping hole and I would prefer a low-profile instead.

You telling me you guys don't ever bump into the folks who sit on the floor near outlets at every airport Starbucks?

[Marcus @ Aug 28th 2006 2:05PM]

I rarely use my laptop unplugged. And I'm rarely more than 5 feet from an outlet at any given time anyway. I think being tethered to an outlet is a pretty decent tradeoff for the weight difference, as well as lower power consumption and less heat produced.

[andars05 @ Aug 28th 2006 2:20PM]

If you want the power of a desktop just get a desktop replacement. At least then you would have a battery if you needed it.

[Jake @ Aug 28th 2006 2:34PM]

Although I bump into people sitting on the floor and also "rarely" use my laptop unplugged I still do use it unplugged (never say never). Those rare times that I use it unplugged are the times when the battery more than pays for any premium it costs. Trust me, if you HAD to plug in there'd be no available outlets (see Murphy). The two other people in North America who were too cheap to buy batteries would be using the outlets.

[Mark @ Aug 28th 2006 2:44PM]

this kinda makes sense for probably a surprising number of people, those that only use their computer at home and at the office, they still need a portable but there is always power available, so getting rid of that extra weight and bulk can only be a good thing for them

[Mojo_Yugen @ Aug 28th 2006 2:54PM]

So how many people will buy this, take it on a plane, open it up, try to turn it on and think "hey! My laptop isn't working!"

Yea, I think there are people that dumb. (wait, they are selling this in the US, right?)

[Nana @ Aug 28th 2006 3:13PM]

In the future, this will be the only type of laptop allowed on planes. (Either that or you'll be forced to check in your laptop battery with your check-in luggage.)

[mongo @ Aug 28th 2006 4:08PM]

wouldnt it make sense for them to sale an external battery brick with this? then ud just need the filter and stuff inside, and have the option of leaving it behind. id totally get this thing for college. all my lectures and classes are wired for ethernet and power, so why not? alternately sell a clip on external battery that clips onto the back like those fugly dell long life things.

[CLShortFuse @ Aug 28th 2006 4:16PM]

Why!?! Why would they sell a desknote with a 17" that has a 4:3 ratio! Where's the widescreen?

[Carmen SanDiego @ Aug 28th 2006 4:25PM]

Are you on the run, potato?

[potato @ Aug 28th 2006 4:31PM]

Ironic to have that question asked by Carmen SanDiego herself eh? :D

Nah, part of my university degree involves work experience (you Americans would call them internships), and since most (reputable and famous) software companies tend to be concentrated in certain cities (NOT where my school is, unfortunately), I find myself moving a lot.

My entire life fits into 2 pieces of checked luggage and one backpack containing my laptop and external HDD.

[dan @ Aug 28th 2006 4:51PM]

I think that the laptop is a good idea. It's definitely not the thing for everyone, and not for me either - I like to work off my battery a lot.

But with laptops getting more powerful, many people do just use laptops as desktop replacements, to have everything in one package. Having it bundled up is nice, since outlets are still available if you want to sit down to work at a Starbucks. And, for people in college, a computer may get moved in and out 8 or more times a year. (Assuming you want your computer with you over breaks.) It is nice not having to pack up a moniter and a heavy desktop.

[Joe Blow @ Aug 28th 2006 5:13PM]

I didn't read all the comments but I know for a fact that part of the reason laptops are so expensive is the battery and making the components battery friendly (run for an acceptable amount of time off battery). This is much better than a desktop in that you can simply close the lid and throw it in a case and lug it around very easily. Since outlets are USUALLY easily accessible, these will probably sell quite well. I believe there are notebooks that take desktop processors and memory but don't have a built in battery. These do-it-yourself notebooks have been available for at least a couple of years now.

[TIMMAH! @ Aug 28th 2006 5:14PM]

"Obviously, its aimed at those that are constantly moving and constrained by space..."

Actually I don't think it's aimed at the laptop market at all. While the portability is nice, I think it makes more sense from an IT and asset management perspective. Instead of a desktop, an employee is issued one of these things which obviates the need to track monitors and monitor cables as separate assets. I'll bet these things cost a bit more than a standard desktop setup, but less than a laptop (since they are eliminating the battery and charging circuitry.) However from an IT TCO perspective, it's probably cheaper issuing these than having to deal with the various desktop configurations.

[oven @ Aug 28th 2006 5:32PM]

I agree with Timmah, at my school there are lecture halls with laptops bolted down to each seating position. They are stowable sideways for convienence but never get unplugged. A desktop computer would be too big to use in this situation but the school still had to pay for the battery in the laptop in the computers they use, I believe this is the most likely market Samsung was targeting

[Ping @ Aug 28th 2006 10:12PM]

You could just buy one of those external battery packs when you really need to be mobile without an outlet.

[BdgBill @ Aug 28th 2006 11:40PM]

Finally!

Every laptop ad loves to show people sitting in the park with their laptops. Whatever these people are doing, they are not doing it for long.

On every laptop I have owned, after 6 months the battery lasts just about long enough to boot the machine and produce the message that the battery is dead.

I would much much rather have the brick integrated in the machine and have a simple ac cord plug into the laptop.

[-Tj- @ Aug 29th 2006 12:02AM]

My question is how are you supposed to use Standby and Hibernate to move the unit around while not plugged in?

I almost never go without plugging in, but sometimes it's just too inconvenient to have to shut down fully every time I have to go to a different class or meeting, or switch seats, or anything that requires a quick change of location. Not to mention the "internal battery backup" you have if the power goes out. I'm willing to risk the exploding battery for the convenience.

Like Eric said. Just take out the battery from a normal laptop if you don't need it.

[Scooter @ Aug 29th 2006 1:05AM]

It's an interesting idea. Maybe Samsung will also develop fuel cells or some other portable power solution. How about this: integrate battery functionality (storage) into the power brick, and then just de-couple the brick-to-wall cable when you want to go a roamin'? Would be a great after-market solution for this machine (and others).
I have to say this one is damn ugly with the 4:3 screen.

[slocko @ Aug 29th 2006 3:58PM]

i replace all my desktops with laptops long time ago. if this would have been available it would have saved me some money.

it's not that i needed the space, but i am big on effiency and having a laptop is just a more efficient use of space.

[Andy @ Sep 12th 2006 10:27AM]

Price in Korea? $950. Equivalent desktop hovers around the same, except, this one goes where you go. I think that's neat.