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Lenovo Ideapad S12 Affordable and Portable
The Lenovo Ideapad S12 netbook is the largest netbook that Lenovo offers featuring a 12.1'' screen. The S12 comes with all the netbook essentials a Intel Atom processor and a starting price tag of under $450. 
This new Lenovo Ideapad S-series netbook comes with some great options for upgrade. Yes, this netbook can run Windows 7 and for the price of $649 you can have Windows 7 home premium, enhanced graphics, 320GB hard drive and 3GB of Ram. All of which will still weighs 3.5 pounds. 
Read on for our impression of the Lenovo Ideapad S12. 

 
  • Windows XP Home Edition
  • Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics
  • 1GB DDR2 RAM
  • 12.1-inch widescreen display (1280x800) with LED backlighting
    • 160GB 5400RPM hard drive
  • 6-cell Li-ion battery (11.1V, 52Wh)
  • Broadcom 802.11b/g wireless
  • White color (also available in black)
  • Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.5 x  0.9 – 1.4 inches (W x D x H
    • Weight: Starting at 3.42 lb w/ 6-cell battery
  • One-year limited warranty
  • Intel Atom N270 processor (1.60GHz)
    •  
    The model we will be discussing costs $429.00 and can be purchased at the Lenovo online store. Product Page  
     

    Build and Design

    The Ideapad S12 edition is Lenovo's second edition of it's netbook line. The build type didn't stray far from the original Lenovo Ideapad S10.The new S12 features the same style of chassis and the rounded corner design. The thing that netbook designers have to work at is design because the specifications can only be so high for a netbook computer. The design element that the S12 features is circle design on the lid cover.
     
    The lid on the S12 has a shiny finish while the bottom has a matte finish. The entire netbook is made of ABS plastic but it's still quite sturdy. The only sign of real flex on the S12 is with the screen and that only if you put pressure on it intentionally. 
     
    The Shiny outside transcended onto the screen which is one of the S12 short comings. The shiny screen makes for a fingerprint and dust magnet, be sure to have a cloth for cleaning if you plan on touch the screen. 
     

    User Experience

    The Keyboard and Touchpad

    The keyboard on the S12 was superb, it features a full-sized keyboard which is most netbooks don't have. The buttons on the keyboard offer very good feedback and there is no flex with this keyboard as well. At the top of  the keyboard you will notice some media keys for the volume and headphones. There are also dedicated page up and down buttons as well as a "Fn" or function key which I like a lot.
     
    The touchpad is small and so are the bottom buttons but that's if you compare them to a full-sized laptop. Other than the small area on the touchpad and the small buttons the touchpad is very good and so are the bottom buttons. 
     

    The Display and Sound

    The S12 features a 12-inch widescreen display (16:10 aspect ratio). The 12.1'' screen has a max resolution of 1280x800 and also includes LED backlighting. The contrast and brightness of the screen are great. The LEDs are really an improvement compared to the old CCFL lighting. The picture quality is great at the right brightness level (either 7 or 8; 10 is the maximum brightness).
    There are some problems with the S12's display. One being that it only tilt's back about 20 degrees, they should have made it more flexible so you can have more available viewing angles. The other problem is the shiny screen, as you can imagine viewing in a brightly lit area is unpleasant. The last problem is the viewing angles, you can't stray to far from the screen without deterioration of picture quality.  
     
    The speakers as you can imagine aren't the best on this little laptop. They aren't very good at movies or music so I recommend you use some headphones for this if you want to watch a movie or listen to music.  

    Conclusion

    The Lenovo Ideapad S12 is a great little netbook but it really doesn't offer much that other cheaper netbooks don't already offer. I can recommend it but there are still better choices out there for you to chose from. However they don't all have 12.1'' screens.
     
    Pros:
    • Pleasing design
    • Solid build quality
    • Excellent keyboard and screen
    • Five hours of battery life
    Cons:
    • Touchpad could be a bit larger
    • Screen could tilt back further
    • Back of the lid could use a bit more protection
                                                                                     
     
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