I purchased this NC10 netbook because I had an upcoming hospital visit and wanted a convenient computer that had reasonably good performance and a small footprint. I followed the advice of another reviewer here, and re-installed Windows thereby making one C drive rather than a C and D drive. The only downside, my own fault, is I somehow inactivated the ability to use the Samsung recovery function which had a small partition of its own. Along with the NC10, I also purchased 2GB Crucial memory and that was super easy to install. I already own a small external dvd/cd rewriteable drive made by Lite-on and it can connect to the NC10 via 2 USB ports (if you want the NC10 to power the dvd drive) or via 1 USB port if you use a power plug for the dvd drive.
The netbook performed spectacularly at the hospital, which has a guest wi-fi network. I was able to do browsing, email some web development work, watch DVD's play some simple games, and generally put some fun in an otherwise grim experience. I have a 17" laptop and it was too big to take with me. Everyone seeing me use it, asked about this little netbook and they were impressed. I was glad it had a slot for a cable lock (Targus or Kensington), since it could easily have found a home with one of its admirers.
I have loaded some MS Office components, Adobe Elements, web development tools, Nero, lots of photos, graphics and MP3s with lots of room to spare. I did load some adventure games and the video performance is less than stellar, but in no way did I expect this netbook to replace my other workhorse desktops and laptops. I also have a wireless Windows network set up in the house and I can upload/download information between the NC10 and the other computers in the house.
Pros:
Size, convenience, keyboard, wireless connectivity (I haven't had a single problem anywhere I have found a router), clear screen, appropriate ports, good hard drive performance, good battery life. Plus, Samsung seems to have customized Windows XP and it performs very well on this machine.
Cons:
I'm slightly hard of hearing and find it very difficult to hear any sound from the speakers. It's OK if using earphones. I am not at all fond of the touchpad, so I use my own wireless mouse. Graphics are marginal for gaming. It's not hugely convenient to lug aroung the external dvd drive, wireless mouse (and security cable, and earphones and power cords) but it isn't necessary to have all those items all the time.
Biggest con is that everyone in my family thought the netbook was a foolish and frivolous concept, and now they "borrow" it at every opportunity. I suspect we will be investing in some more.
Yep, I would recommend it to others.
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