New yetbook Samsung NF110-A01 - this is a vivid example of how an unusual and attractive appearance can become the main advantage. The technical characteristics of the netbook are quite standard for this category of devices, but the design qualitatively distinguishes it from competitors, and an acceptable price is the key to successful sales.
Any experienced marketer will tell you that it is not cores or megabytes that are bought in the store, but, first of all, the impression. There are, of course, some buyers who are experienced users who clearly know what they need and choose a product in terms of price / technical characteristics. But there are relatively few of them. From which it follows that simply picking up, putting together the components and making them work by today's standards is not enough. It is necessary to make sure that the final product is perceived by the buyer as a whole, looks beautiful and interesting. If this condition is met, 90% of buyers will agree to lose a little in the amount of memory, in the battery life, sacrifice some kind of secondary connector, which may be desirable, but not critical. Especially often this approach to the choice of goods can be observed in the fair half.
Design
Samsung NF110-A01 first of all, it will be of interest to those people who tend to choose a technique on the principle of "like / dislike". It is the appearance that is its most significant advantage, since it makes you draw attention to yourself even if a person just walks by.
The secret of the WOW factor lies in two things: the first is the combination of colors, the second is the shape of the case. The color scheme of the netbook differs from other Samsung models. The main trump card of the NF110 is the combination of black and white plastic. This netbook resembles a seashell: if the outside is finished with a not particularly catchy black gloss, then after opening, a bright white interior with a pearlescent hue appears in front of the user's eyes. Someone may be critical of the glossy cover of the lid, but if it were matte, the device would most likely significantly lose its effectiveness. The inner surface is mostly matte, the only exception is the screen frame. It reflects pretty well any light sources, thanks to which it effectively contrasts with the matte display. An even more obvious design feature of the NF110 is the shape of the case. When you look at a netbook for the first time, you might get the impression that the screen has a curved shape. Of course it is not. This impression is due to the fact that the edge of the frame is curved and the side of the case follows this curve. When open, the netbook resembles a car seat (of course, if you ignore the proportions of the body).
Hardware part
The netbook is powered by an entry-level Intel Atom N455 processor that is also the latest generation of modern energy efficient CPUs. If we compare it with the predecessor Intel Atom N270, then there are not so many differences between them. The most noticeable improvements include the fact that the new Intel Atom N455 adds support for 64-bit instructions, so you can put the corresponding OS on the netbook, and if you expand the amount of RAM to 4 gigabytes, then all of it will be available for use. If we talk about the technological production process, then it has remained the same. The N455 crystals, like the N270 crystals, comply with the 45 nm standard, which means that the processor's economy has remained at the same level. Moreover, according to representatives of the company, the heat dissipation even increased and amounts to 6.5 W, in contrast to 2.5 W in the younger model. The reason for this is the transfer of the graphics core from the chipset to the processor.In general, systems with the new processor still consume less power, thanks to improved frequency control algorithms and the addition of DDR3 memory modules, which are more economical than DDR2 memory. The NF110 has one 1 GB memory stick. The hard disk capacity is 250 GB. Wireless adapters have also been slightly improved. The netbook has built-in Wi-Fi modules with support for the 802.11n standard, which, in turn, significantly increases the speed of exchange and data transfer and Bluetooth, corresponding to version 3.0 + HS. A feature of this Bluetooth standard is that the maximum data transfer rate on it reaches 24 Mbit / s, but this is not implemented in a standard way. First, the device determines how much and what type of data needs to be transferred. If it turns out that the volume is large enough, the Bluetooth adapter initiates a normal connection, but, at the same time, the information transfer will be carried out according to the 802.11 (Wi-Fi) standard. In the case when it is necessary to save energy or the amount of transmitted data is small, the transmission speed is reduced and the sending is carried out via a standard Bluetooth channel. Simply put, the Bluetooth interface in this model has become an order of magnitude more universal. On the one hand, it can be almost as fast as a Wi-Fi interface, but on the other hand, it can be more economical and work like earlier versions. Speaking of hardware, it's worth mentioning the webcam, as well as the built-in acoustics. The webcam has a resolution that is quite standard for budget netbooks, which is 0.3 Megapixels, but the integrated speakers support SRS Premium Sound technology. The speaker grilles are located above the keyboard, so that the sound will not be muffled even when the netbook is lying on a blanket. The sound quality of the NF110 is not peak fiction, but above average. But I was pleased with a good volume reserve. There is hardly a louder 10 ”netbook. The detail of the sound is at a level slightly above average, the high frequencies were pleased - they are clear and legible, but the low ones, unfortunately, leave much to be desired. The screen quality is pretty good. Like most netbook screens, it has fairly modest viewing angles in the vertical plane, but the screen is bright enough and has a matte finish, due to which, with long work, the eyes are not so tired.
Connectors and controls
It makes no sense to describe the connectors in detail. It is only worth noting that all the USB ports, of which there are three, support only the 2.0 interface version, the HDMI interface is absent to the extent that the device does not have a powerful enough processor or a discrete video card to decode HD content. The integrated one is clearly not enough to perform such tasks. The controls are also standard. There is a touchpad, which is slightly recessed into the body, so that the finger does not jump off the sensitive area and at the same time, the feeling of a single plane is not disturbed. A group of indicators, traditional for the manufacturer, is located near the touchpad. As with other netbook models, they display hard drive activity, wireless network activity and battery status. The keys on the keyboard have a typical scissor design, which is more a rule than an exception for netbooks with a small diagonal. Made keyboard without errors, everything works as it should, without visible noise, crackling, sagging and other shortcomings. Test results The PCMark Vantage system test did not bring any surprises. The numbers confirmed that the NF110 is an entry-level netbook with performance that will handle text documents, internet and standard quality video files. There is no need to talk about more serious multimedia, almost every 3D game, even decently outdated, confuses the integrated GMA HD3150 graphics adapter from Intel. Netbook comes bundled with MS operating system Windows 7 Starter.Its only advantage is its relative cheapness. But this is only in comparison with other versions of Windows 7, but if you compare it with free distributions from Linux, especially Ubuntu Netbook Remix, then the question about the price disappears immediately. The question of choosing an operating system is quite relevant, because, due to the small amount of installed RAM, even Windows 7 Starter runs with slowdowns in some places. In this situation, the best solution would be to install Windows XP, but its sale has already been discontinued. But, if a previously purchased system is lying around somewhere, this will be an ideal option. In addition to significantly better functionality, the battery life will also increase by 15-25%. Another way out of the situation is also possible - replacing the memory module. It is very easy to access it, there is a small hatch on the bottom of the netbook, moreover, it is there alone, fixed with a screw, under it is a RAM module. The manufacturer's decision to install a 1 GB memory module looks rather strange. Today, already in retail, the price of 2 GB DDR3 strips is about UAH 250-300, and the factory price is an order of magnitude lower. Such savings does not seem very justified, especially considering the fact that the operating system of the family is used as a preinstalled one. Windows 7. Autonomous work As for the battery life of the netbook, it is worth noting the result is quite good. He was able to work 8 hours in read mode and lasted 5 hours under load. The second value is impressive, since usually even low-cost systems consume a lot of power when processing 3D images. This excellent result was achieved for two reasons. The first is a more economical, compared to other models, graphics core, which has already become part of the processor itself and is made according to the same ones. A process equal to 45 nm. The second is a non-standard battery. It has more capacity than a standard netbook battery of 48Wh. At the same time, its dimensions are also larger, but this does not spoil the overall picture and the netbook does not look awkward. Thanks to the smooth curvature of the bottom, the protruding part of the battery acts as a stand. Competitors The main competitors of the Samsung NF110 are two netbook models. The first one is Acer Aspire One D260. conclusions Have Samsung NF110-A01 there are significantly more advantages than disadvantages. The only drawback is the small amount of RAM. And the advantages include, firstly, an unusual and original design, and secondly, interesting hardware equipment. This is the current Wi-Fi adapter that complies with the 802.11n standard and the Bluetooth 3.0 + HS module. Compared to a standard laptop, the netbook has a rather modest performance, but for a single-core Intel Atom-based platform it performed well. It also implements the strong side of the economical processors from Intel - the Samsung NF110-A01 works for a really long time without recharging. In text reading mode, this figure exceeds 9 hours, and under load it is just over 6 hours.
