Netbooks: Sub-20K and 20K+

MSI Wind U130

When compared on looks, the Wind U130 gets a complete
makeover with respect to the voguish high-end Wind U160. The 100 gram lighter
U130 (with adapter) came to us with a minimalist white profile that vaunts a
250GB SATA HDD which is the maximum amongst the netbooks under the 20k price-tag
and DDR II 1GB RAM.

The 10-inch VGA LED screen is a non-gloss, which is always
the preferred one to have. The keyboard key placing works well and the large
squarish touch-pad adds convenience for the scroll and is the best in its
segment. The netbook comes with 3 USB 2.0 ports, a D-Sub VGA out, a 802.11b/g/n
wireless LAN and the standard mic-in and headphone-out sockets.

 Another point to be considered is that the competitively
priced Wind U130 comes with a 2 year warranty from MSI as compared to the 1 year
warranty from Dell and Simmtronics. The netbook is balanced in features and
performance, scoring PC Marks 1407 and has a decent enough battery backup.

Verdict: Competitively priced with necessary
features and good performance.

Dell Inspiron Mini

The intelligently designed dual colored Dell Inspiron Mini
comes with a wedge shape design and an upper lid that rests smartly on the deck
making the hinges almost unnoticeable. The posterior of the base neatly shapes
the battery in (than the usual bulge) giving it a solid monolithic design. The
otherwise standard privilege from Dell to customize its product comes as a
welcome feature to the netbook segment with Inspiron Mini. The options available
are on operating system (Windows XP SP3 or Windows 7 Starter) and the screen
(10.1 inch WSVGA TrueLife or HD TruLife).

The netbook comes with the standard DELL marked glossy
black (7 optional colors otherwise) upper lid cover incorporating an equally
neat overall design inside. The black non-chiclet keypad has comparatively
larger keys compromising the spacings in-between and makes typing a bit
discomforting initially. The elongated rectangular touch-pad makes the cursor
scroll a bit inconvenient. With the usual array of I/O ports, the Mini is high
on performance but loses on some basic features like underside heat vents,
touch-pad design and warranty.

Verdict: A smartly designed performer at the given
price.

Simmtronics Simmbook

WThe Simmbook comes with exceptions like the Intel Atom
N270 which pales as compared to the newer Atom N450 and Ubuntu 9.10 OS that is
available at no extra cost. Beyond doubt, the netbook pinches the least on your
pocket and tries to make a good effort to provide the basic features and
performance of a netbook. The Simmbook's glossiness extends from the lid to the
deck making it more prone to fingerprints. The “matte finish” backlit LED VGA
screen is an intelligent exception.

On the positive side, it is amongst the few netbooks that
provides an easily upgradeable HDD panel at the rear besides the usual RAM
panel. The keyboard is of good quality with minimal typing errors when it comes
to key placing. However, the battery backup is average.

On the negative side, the netbook loses on the creaking
hinges and the right- left click buttons placed at the extremes of the elongated
rectangular touch-pad. The worst is that the netbook heats up making it
uncomfortable to “lap-place”.

Verdict: A decent performer at the least price with
some negatives on features.

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Entry Level and Mid-Range Notebooks

MSI Wind U160

As you press the blue-illuminated power button,
side-profiled on the cylindrical hinge of the U160, MSI vivid white logo lights
up the radiant golden scratch resistant lid to add to the external aesthetics,
while the sleek “pricey” netbook boots up the Windows 7 Starter Edition to make
you experience the sharp 10 wide-screen backlit VGA LED display. The chiclet
keypad was comfortable to work on, as compared to its U130 variant, but the
otherwise attractive looking seamless rugged tactile touch-pad was
disappointingly unresponsive. Also, the glossy screen made it highly reflective
and finger print sensitive. However, the 2 channel stereo speakers besides being
placed beneath the netbook were loud on sound reproduction. Further exploration
revealed a single DIMM 1GB RAM slot, making it possible to upgrade with a single
piece of RAM. For security, the netbook comes bundled with Easy Face Manager, a
face identification login software.

The MSI U160 comes as an undisputed winner by conquering
the domains of performance (PC Mark Score: 1569), battery back-up (over 6 hours)
and average power consumption (approx. 29W).

Verdict: A true performer which is also stylish.

Samsung N210

The Samsung N210 comes as a strong contender in the 20k+
netbook segment, being equipoised on performance, features and price. The glossy
exterior of the lid bezels inside a matte finished 10.1 inch LED backlit screen
and opens to a chiclet keypad which merges neatly with the black base and
touch-pad with just a bit of silver chrome that runs stylishly, contouring most
of the netbook's interior perimeter.

Powered by an Intel Atom, the typical netbook processor,
clocking at 1.66GHz, the book comes with 160 GB HDD which is the least in the
segment. The speakers placed upfront above the keypad give the best sound
quality and the web-cam gave sharp and natural colors though blurring-in-motion
exists negligibly.

There are two striking features in N210. One, HyperSpace
"Instant On" OS, which opens a customizable dashboard making you on-line and
providing multimedia and notepad utilities. Two, “Easy SpeedUp Manager” that
instantly facilitates you to switch to silent (high battery backup,least
performance), normal and speed (high performance, least battery backup) mode.

Verdict: A feature rich performer that comes at a
decent cost.

Acer Gateway LT2107

The LT2107 opens a fresh configuration gateway to netbooks
with 2 GB RAM, leaving behind the rest in the shootout in this respect, though
the Intel Atom processor remains standard. The power-on and Wi-Fi buttons neatly
fit-in near the hinges. The viewing angles of the 10.1 LED back-lit screen,
incorporated in the cherry glossy exterior lid, are at par with competition.

A unique feature comes in the form of a responsive
multi-gesture touch-pad that has a side-scroll but the netbook lacks a chiclet
keypad. Another negative comes in the form of placement of heat circulation
vents when compared to the side profiled vents in most of the netbooks which
might be a concern while it on the lap. The high definition audio speakers also
give an average sound reproduction.

The other major letdown is the approx 4 hour battery
back-up which is a good 2 hours down from the benchmarks of its segment rivals.
Overall, it does offer a good package at the price, but faces stiff competition
from the Samsung N210.

Verdict: The notebook is well-balanced on both price
and performance.