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Asus N10 Netbook
Analysis and Conclusion:
The N10 currently fills and important gap in the evolution of the netbook, it marks the transition of the netbook from a content consumption device to a standard laptop. No matter how Asus would like to blur the lines between netbooks and notebooks the N10 should fall squarely in the netbook category. Equipped as it is with the Intel Atom processor and an overly small screen for the chassis size the N10 is not capable of serious content creation. It is however the most capable of handling a wide array of tasks of any of the current generation netbooks available at the time of this publication. The addition of dedicated graphics lends itself well to the N10 and buying an N10 without the optional Nvidia 9300M would be like buying a Ferrari with a 4 cylinder engine. You would have essentially neutered the capabilities that the N10 was designed for. While the addition of the 9300M does not turn the N10 into a gaming platform it does give it enough power to keep most users satisfied for light duty.
Pros:
The N10 has the most expandability of any ultraportable in its class and its design is well above par for its pricetag. The wireless and wired speeds are very respectable and it is truely capable of giving a user a much more full multimedia experience than any other netbook to date. The N10 is perfect for the business traveler who wants both battery life and power without having to sacrifice one for the other. Security concerns are well addressed by the inclusion of both biometrics and the included software. As for looks the N10 does not skimp here either providing a classy looking chassis that you do not have to hide as you might some of the early EeePC's. You can feel at comfortable in a business suit in public working with the N10 without anyone thinking it is a toy.
In terms of extra features the N10 seemingly has it all and does it in style which is truly nice for a laptop in its size. The webcam performance is very good compared with the performance on the HP 2133 and the MSI Wind and all of the programs we used were able to detect and make use of it. Additionally the ability to switch to a battery saving mode at the touch of a button without clicking on menus or restarting is a real bonus. On other fronts the N10 is made truely usable by its keyboard which as far as we can tell is the largest in the netbook classification.
Cons:
In an otherwise perfect and high class design the inclusion of a 10.2 inch screen in a chassis clearly designed for an 11 to 12 inch screen is nearly unforgivable. It compromises the look and feel of the N10 but is not entirely a dealbreaker. The 10.2 inch screen is simply beautiful to see its simply a shame that it doesnt fill the frame and looks slightly out of place.
Aside from screen concerns the N10 suffers from a hard drive formatted as FAT from the factory which after a face lift becomes quite a bit more usable. Overall we would suggest that those with the know how ditch the anemic performance of the 5400rpm included drive and invest into a 7200rpm drive for much more responsiveness. Our N10 also suffered from random connectivity issues where the wireless Atheros card would randomly shut itself off without having been disabled by either keyboard or switch. On that same topic the combination of the two often led to confusion as to which was really in control of the card. You have the ability to flip the switch on the side of the N10 to enable or disable WLAN as well as bluetooth and on the keyboard duplicate functionality is present. Unfortunately you can have the switch turned on and still be able to turn it off via keyboard. We found that we often had to use both the keyboard and switch to restore our connectivity when it turned itself off.
Summary:
Although we had some issues with the N10 we have decided to keep it for its positive aspects which well outweigh its negatives. It simply hurts all the more when you see an otherwise perfect product hurt in a few key areas. The N10 is currently the best offering for the truely mobile professional who needs more video power than the Intel GMA can offer but who also wants battery life when 3D power is not in demand.
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