Jetway Ecomo EM100BV Netbook

Usability:

When reviewing a laptop or netbook, I like to give a section that has my opinion on certain features of the machine.

Display: The display looks great. It has a nice matte finish, meaning it won’t get that nasty glare that some laptops/netbooks have.

Keyboard: The keyboard is a mixed bag. I was able to touch type on it, but I’ve used better. All of the keys are flat and flush, which can make it difficult distinguishing keys when transitioning from a machine that doesn’t have flat, flush keys. This may again be a case of preference here.

Trackpad: The trackpad; I think it’s going to be either a love it or hate it sort of thing. The flush trackpad is something different that sets this netbook apart from others. I always appreciate innovation. Because they went with the flush design and use print to tell where the trackpad starts and stops, I would have liked to see a printed indicator of where the scroll area on the trackpad is. Many laptop manufacturers have this on their machines. I feel it becomes more necessary if you go with a flush design. At first I didn’t really care for the trackpad, as I would continuously run my finger off it, but after a while you start to get used to it. This may be a peeve for some users. The mouse button is also a rocker style. This means that it looks similar to the mouse button found on Macs, but can be used to left or right click depending on how you rock the button. This design is also a love it or hate it.

Indicator LEDs: While they are very unobtrusive, they can also be a little bit hard to see during use as they are located right under the trackpad. I would also have liked to see the power button back lit. It’s a small LED and shouldn’t increase the cost of production significantly. Otherwise the only way to tell if the machine is on, is to look at indicator LEDs, which can be hard to see.

Hotkeys: There are none. I would have liked to see maybe a programmable button, similar to that found on some of the EeePCs.

Sound: The two 1 watt speakers won’t be blowing anyone away anytime soon, but they get the job done. The headphone effects are a neat little feature.

Design: I think it looks sleek. It looks like a business netbook. I wouldn’t be ashamed to take this to a meeting with corporate bigwigs.

Maintenance and Serviceability: Jetway has made it easy for either service techs or end users to replace the RAM and hard drive. It’s a single door on the underside with each section labeled. It can’t get much simpler than that. Having worked in IT, I really appreciate it when companies make commonly replaceable parts easily accessible.

  Previous Page         1. Introduction2. Packaging and Design3. Testing4. Usability5. Analysis and Conclusion6. View All         Next Page