What's confirmed:
S10 is 512MB soldered onboard + 512MB on the RAM slot.
You can take out the 512MB, put a 2GB RAM in. it will be then 2.5GB in theory, but the hardware limitation will means max is 2GB RAM - it is recognized as 2GB in BIOS and Windows XP.
My mini-review:
The S10 does not use glossy surface and thus easier on ugly fingerprints. It has a matte cover with some fine texture that does not make it look utterly plain. The cover design is simple and plain – which wont make it stand out with the white or black version. Only the Lenovo logo would let others know it is a Lenovo netbook. The pink colour though, would be a nice hit with ladies. It would also capture your attention amongst all the black/white/silver netbooks around. I would think that there would be guys who like it too.
in terms of build quality wise, S10 is quite solid. The whole package feels sturdy and compact. It feels heavier than others at about 100grams, but the sturdy feel makes up for it and should not be a concern for most users. the keyboard personally, is the best among the netbooks. that is subjective of course, depending on what you like on the keys, but Lenovo notebooks have traditionally always better keyboards than other brands.
the LCD display is not going to wow you or such. it is bright enough and comparable to other brands. no need for special mention here. the web camera works as it shall. quality is average, not the best, but nothing to fret about too.
The touchpad is a bit tad too small. those with big fingers may find it not pleasant to feel the edges of the touchpad with just a small movement. in terms of sensitivity, it is good and feels better than the HP. The multi-point touch, whereby you can use 2 fingers to zoom in or out of webpages or applications (similar to the ipod touch), is a nice feature especially for people with poor eyesight. of course, the small touchpad could make it somewhat irksome for people with big fingers.
for battery life, like ASUS hybrid engine, it can adjust the energy savings according to performance level you want. i clocked in 2h 47min on a full charge to 5%. that was with Wi-Fi on surfing net, playing MP3 in iTunes. it is considered within expectations for the normal road-user.
some people would argue that having only a 3-cell battery is not enough, but imo, a 6cell battery is more of a bonus from the ASUS 1000H or 901. Simply because, using the S10, or any other current netbooks, for nearly 3 hours, one could feel tired working on the small screen and small keyboard.
essentially, a netbook is for the kids - whom would have no issue with small display or small keys. for the adults, it is something you wanna use for quick work and surf on the move - it is not something i would wanna use extensively for 3 hours or more in a cafe. for that, i would prefer a bigger display like 12".
of course, with a 160GB HDD, the S10 is prime for users to store many things, including videos. so some may argue that they can watch videos on the move, hence a longer battery life is appreciated. the good thing is the 6-cell battery option would be available later. otherwise, users should go for ASUS 1000H or 901. having a 3-cell also means the netbook is lighter - and it is meant to be that way.
gaming on Maple story, WOW, and cabal is fine with medium to low settings. CS also ok. though i wont understand why would people game on such a small display... just no "WOW" factor and definitely not ergonomic.
for HD videos, it can playback 720p ones smoothly, no issue. for 1080p, there would be lag and it is not recommended at all.
multi-tasking is generally fine with the 1GB RAM. all applications are responsive, even for full acrobat and office 2007. the only slow-down noticeable would be when transferring huge files over USB - it seems that using the USB always take up a lot of CPU resources.
As for heat issue – I feel that's over-exaggerated in the web reports.
I have used extensively Acer One, ASUS 900, 901, 1000H, HP mininote, and now Lenovo S10. in terms of heat, HP is the worst, follow by ASUS 900. the Acer One, ASUS 901, 1000H and Lenovo S10 all have similar heat.
The heat can be felt especially when you are downloading a huge file, or transferring big file sizes over USB. if just normal surfing or working on office apps, it is just lukewarm, but wont make you wanna take your palm away. i do not use temperature measurements on any of the set, but the heat is definitely ok for anyone to work with. Unless you are very sensitive to heat, there is really no concern about this.
The S10 also has a One-Key recovery system like all other Lenovo IdeaPad series. The One-Key recovery system is similar to the ThinkPad’s recovery system. Users can restore to factory default in the event of OS corruption. This is a nice feature that does not need the use of an external CD drive to re-install the OS. Users can also create a set of product recovery discs for future, in case you change HDD, or somehow the internal recovery system does not work.
one thing of note is that it offers an expresscard slot - meaning you can plug in expresscard devices like 3G card or such. this is an advantage over all other netbooks.
Overall, the Lenovo S10 is one netbook that does not stand out from others too much. But its good build quality, nice keyboard, plus the option of pink colour, would make it a worthwhile purchase that users shouldn’t regret. It definitely does not lose out to others like ASUS 1000H, 901, Acer One or MSI Wind. As to which one is the best, it it is really a matter of preference.
* on a side-note, Lenovo is giving out free additional 6-months warranty for the product launch. It means the totally is 18months regional warranty, which is a huge plus. A sleeve will also be given out for the early buyers. For both, stocks have not arrived (the 6 months warranty needs to be registered with a hardcopy form). but if you are buying one, you can leave your details with the dealers and they should be able to inform you when they arrive. Lenovo has not mention how many of those warranty upgrades are available.
