LenovoIdeapadS10-3
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Dual-core Atom-powered Gigabyte and Lenovo netbooks up for sale in Australia
As promised, we've been keeping an ear to the ground on Intel's new mobile, dual-core Atom processor, and as luck would have it a number of netbooks are popping up with the new CPU baked in...well, at least in the land down under. Australian e-tailer Pena.au has 10.1-inch netbooks from both Gigabyte and Lenovo listed on its site with the fresh 1.5GHz Atom N550 processor. The Gigabyte T1005M convertible -- or netvertible, as we like to call it -- is much like the T1000, and still has a 1,366x768 pixel capacitive touch display, USB 3.0 ports, and an eSATA jack. It sounds like a pretty impressive little system, but it's listed for 905 Australia dollars, which translates to about $800 US. That's a bit steep, but Aussies looking for something more affordable have the N550-powered Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 to choose from as well -- although that too is listed for a pricey $699 Australian (about $617 US). We're assuming the dual-core CPU adds about $50 to $75 to the average single-core netbook selling price, but here's hoping that the prices are a bit lower once they hit this side of the hemisphere.
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 and S10-3t hands-on
Don't worry Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3, we didn't forget about you -- even if we are totally smitten with your futuristic sibling the IdeaPad S1 Hybrid. The 10-inch S10-3 throws away the design of the S10 and S10-2 for a thinner body and a decorated lid, and we've got to say the 2.4 pound netbook felt quite light and sturdy in our hand. Under the lid we're loving the same chiclet style keyboard that we saw on the Skylight, though the touchpad with integrated mouse buttons is a bit small for our tastes. For $399 ($379 on Amazon) the S10-3 seems like it could be quite a worthy 10-inch netbook competitor, though we will have to see what its Intel Atom N470 and three-cell battery (there's an optional six-cell) provide in terms of battery life. The $499 S10-3t tablet version is going to take a bit more of a sell though. The convertible netbook (fine, netvertible) is thicker and heavier than the S10-3 largely due to its hinge and thicker touchscreen. But regardless of the somewhat awkward design (especially with a protruding six-cell battery strapped to its back), the capacitive touchscreen was quite responsive to our touches and gestures, and we're pretty impressed with Lenovo's Natural Touch interface that its got running on top of Windows 7 Home Premium. We also like that you can choose to flip the screen around and that the orientation will adjust automatically thanks to the accelerometer. But don't take our word for it, hit the break for a look at the finger-friendliness in in action. %Gallery-81638%
Lenovo's S10-3 hits Amazon for pre-order
Really want one of Lenovo's latest IdeaPads as soon as possible? Willing to pay a little premium for the priviledge? Check out Amazon, where you can now plunk down 380 of your hard earned dollars to get first in line -- or close to it, anyway. The S10-3 was said to be headed for retail sometime this month when it was announced, so a pre-order at this point isn't particularly surprising, but a price that's $30 higher than MSRP is. A little. We wouldn't be particularly inclined to click the little shopping cart next to a listing without a picture or a proper model name, but more power to you impulse orderers.
Lenovo set for January launch of Pine Trail-packing S10-3 netbook and S10-3t multitouch tablet
It's been awhile since Lenovo last updated its IdeaPad line, the S10-2 dropping over the summer, but we're hearing that the third iteration of the platform is set to be unveiled in the very near future. The model we spied at the FCC last month is confirmed to be the S10-3, possessing Atom N450 (Pine Trail) internals, a 10.1-inch screen, WiFi, 3G, and integrated GPS. More interesting is that there is an S10-3t model coming as well, a convertible tablet version which you can see the underside of above, thanks again to the FCC. It will feature a multitouch screen to make the most of its Windows 7 install, and hopefully won't be crippled by Starter Edition like another tablet we know.
