Brad over at Liliputing has posted a review of the Samsung Nb30 semi-rugged netbook and we have to say we are a little bit jealous! We got our hands on at CES, which I’ve posted above and if you wanted to see our unboxing then its at the end of the review. I’ve been trying to get my hands on one for a while, we even picked one up over at NetbookNews.de but Roland didn’t want to risk the unit for the sake of my curiosity AND what would have been a Very popular video. So Samsung has been unwilling, or just happens to not have review units available for me to test, since I was a little to open about my plans to spill 50cc of coffee on the keyboard as soon as I got it!
Alright, now that my rant is over lets get into Brad’s findings, which happen to fall in line with the views of my hands on time with the “Nicole Ready” Netbook. If you know me, you know I’m very hard on my devices, I don’t buy them protective cases and I put them in my purse with my nail files and key’s with our giving it a second though.
So whenever anything comes out that has a hint of rugged my interest is peaked. The Samsung NB30 has a thick rubberized and textured finish that will with stand unprotected time in my purse or any school backpack. Spill resistant keyboard as I’ve ranted about above in this photo you get a pretty good idea of the trough they have added to catch the liquid, they key’s are a good size for typing and I’d give the keyboard at 4 out of 5 for design, my issue comes in, and this will only be known from sustained use, is how dirty will that trough get and how often will you remember to clean it. Netbook’s are often used a coffee shops eating crumb prone muffins, maybe its the girl in me be it does seem like a bit of a bacteria cesspool unless you keep it clean.
In Brad’s review he did a typing test on which he typed 103 words per minute, which he say’s is as fast as he can type on a full size keyboard. He does note that he might be getting used to the keyboard layout as it is similar to the N210. Still that anyone can type that fast on a netbook is amazing! Hats off to Brad on his awesome typing skills!
It also comes equipped with a hard drive sensor that will shutdown the hard drive for when i kick it off my bed accidentally. Its not build to with stand tablet high drops but should make it off a coffee table of bed with out too much issue, its not a fully rugged netbook meaning the chassis hasn’t been designed for chest level or tablet high drops. But if it were the price would rise a little too high for the netbook category.
As for the trackpad average design with with a single mouse button that is somewhat firm to the touch. Not the biggest plus on a device that naturally is designed with smaller mouse buttons & track pad.
The screen is matte not glossy, which is a plus in my books, Netbooks are designed to be used on the go, outdoors or in well lit areas, so while you sacrifice with some colours not seeming as bright there is no glare and doesn’t turn into a mirror so you can actually see the screen.
If you are looking at machine performance it a standard Intel Atom N450 Netbook. Which means that you can surf the web with multiple browser tabs open. You’ll also be able to do light multitasking like working in word, listening to music, having your messenger & email running.
If you want to bring your netbook to bed to watch a movie of tv show you are in luck as you’ll be able to play 720p HD video but not 1080p. But on a 10″ screen who needs 1080p quality anyways? What is standard on netbooks yet so very disappointing is that you won’t be able to watch HD Flash, so no HD YouTube. Intel should be addressing this in their next chipset release, but until then, it’ll have to be standard quality.
The Battery Life has to be the biggest draw back to the battery life, this 6 cell 48Whr, 4400mAh battery only yeilds 5.5 -6 HR of batter life. We wish they had put in a higher capacity 6 cell battery at 5500mAh or 6600mAh.
So to buy or not to buy this netbook?
1. What kind of user should buy this netbook?
Part-time Students who put the computer in their backpack; Anyone with kids; Anyone who is hard on their devices and doesn’t baby them like children; If you are a soccer mom that goes for a coffee and then in the evening needs to do some work while the kids are at their swim practice, no problem! This netbook is ideal for someone who would sit down and really use it for a few hours at a time twice a day. That’s the usability of a 6 hour battery.
If you need to take to meetings make some notes and keep track of a few things all day, then this netbook is a go.
2. Who shouldn’t buy this netbook?
People who need all day and night computing. 6 Hours of computing will do fine for a few classes but not a full day on campus. If you need to take notes in class and then work on projects in between and are on campus all day, then no, this is not the netbook for you unless you buy a spare battery.
For me it comes down to battery life, 5-6 hours is the minimum a netbook should sport, since they all offer similar performace the battery life and the semi-rugged nature of the netbook are the 2 factors to consider.
