The NC20 comes as a low-power notebook boasting an ultraportable design. Combining a Via Nano U225 processor with 1GB of memory and a 160GB hard disk drive, the NC20 is expected to... more
move. The superb look and feel of its slim and elegant chassis is accentuated with unique styling, and mirrored by the high quality of its components and material...
move. The superb look and feel of its slim and elegant chassis is accentuated with unique styling, and mirrored by the high quality of its components and material...
expertly crafted so you can achieve even more on the move - and still look good! The superb look and feel of its ultra-compact and elegant chassis comes with the reass...
expertly crafted so you can achieve even more on the move - and still look good! The superb look and feel of its ultra-compact and elegant chassis comes with the reass...
cheaper style cases. Every case is hand stitched together, then sealed to prevent the tearing at the seams, also all cases have easy access to all buttons and features of your device. Removable 360° swivel belt clip is included. Keeping back of the case totally flat when not in use
stable, shock-absorbent core and the high-quality, durable nylon reference. The ideal companion on your Netbook, the bag is reliably stable against scratches and protects clashes. prevents from an additional zipper lip on the inside. Simple, pure design at the smallest possible size: If necessary, the netbook with pocket can also stowed in a backpack.Product characteristics:Nylon referenceShock absorbent coreProtection against scratches by additional zipper on the insideDelivery:Shock Protection bag for Samsung NC20
fabric has passed a 100,000 wear and tear rub test. The fire retardant backing uses the latest graphite granule technology, which as well as a safety benefit, prevents the corduroy loosing its shape over time. Sleeves have a layer of cushioning for added protection and a waterproof microfibre lining. As recommended by the Daily Telegraph "If you're not looking for a fully fledged laptop bag, or you want something a little more compact, then these covers from Wrappers are a great solution. The corduroy feels lovely and is surprisingly tough." Our products are manufactured responsibly, designed to conserve resources, stimulate the local economy through local production and save energy with ten times the carbon used by the Post Office/Royal Mail in distribution offset by Wrappers
I'm writing away on this little netbook at this very moment, which is the newest model from Samsung following on from the very successful NC10. I own the white model but this machine is also available in glossy black.
Reasons for Purchase
My main use of a computer tends to be for emailing and surfing the web. At £375 from Amazon this seemed expensive for a netbook - which this machine is- but I was hoping for a better build quality and for it to be quieter than a cheap notebook at about this figure. The VIA processor appealed as promising a long battery life and the 12.1" display looked to be good, the lack of a CD rom drive is not a problem for my use but might be something you want to consider.
A netbook is designed to be portable, lightweight with a good battery life; notebooks unless high-end generally being heavier, bigger and with greater power consumption.
The machine comes with 1 gig RAM but is upgradeable, though you will have to replace the RAM to do so, perhaps Samsung could have been a bit more generous here.
Actual Use of this Machine
When the NC20 arrived I immediately thought it was a nice looking machine. The white plastic looks classy and is of good quality, and the keys were bigger than I was expecting. The shiny metal strip down the side looks nice and this is a light and very compact machine, 29.2 cm x 21.7 cm x 3.1 cm and weighing in at just 1.5kg so perfect for using on the go. The battery life should be 4-6 hours, I would say from my use this is the case.
Personally I like the glossy screen and find the resolution (1280 x800) very good. This machine comes pre-installed with XP and trial anti-virus software which I actually uninstalled and replaced with AVG Free. Other technical features, according to the manufacturer are "3 in 1 memory card reader, 3 built-in USB ports, and Bluetooth 2.0". It also has wireless LAN 54G and not the new wireless N-standards, for surfing the web this is more than adequate - no connection issues with my netgear router thus far.
I have yet to use the integrated 1.3MP digital motion camera, which is discretely located at the top of the screen. For my use on the web this netbook is fast to boot up and runs well.
The carry case that came with the machine is basic, of suede feel, but adequate.
Minor issues to consider
Like I have already said the build quality of this machine has proved to be good - it is very quiet, and pleasant to use. It does not get too hot in use either.
I do have a couple of issues with the keyboard. As this is compact the shift key on the right hand side has been made a small size, whilst the left hand one is a normal sized. This seems a little left-handed biased to me, if you are used to another keyboard you find yourself hitting "\" every time you want to use shift at first, and this is annoying.
The arrow keys also don't seem to be of very good build compared to the rest of the keyboard, when you press them they just seem a bit like something you would find on a child's toy - not very impressive.
The touch pad for the mouse supports mulit-touch gestures - I found these baffling and annoying in the extreme, if you are not used to them you find touching the pad will see you zooming, going back pages whilst browsing and generally got me confused. I disabled those features, which you may or may not want to do, apart from this issue the touch pad is sensitive enough and scrolling is good.
I have found that the white keyboard has not discoloured so far in use - it apparently had an anti-bacterial coating, I can't really tell if this is effective or not.
Overall
Overall for use as a surfing tool this is a great looking and well running machine. I am able to type with it fairly comfortably, could run basic office applications through it if I wished, and I much prefer it to my previous machine, an acer laptop.
I would recommend this machine despite the minor issues I have with the keyboard, I like the look of the white machine. It is expensive for a netbook but far nicer than a laptop in this ball park which may have features you won't use. It is built well and overall Samsung have done a good job in producing a light weight and attractive machine.
Advantages: Battery life, size and weight Disadvantages: None so far!
I have just purchased a Samsung NC20 from Amazon. I originally planned on getting the NC10 after reading lots of fantastic reviews, but I was apprehensive about the size, being approx 10" screen. Anyway I heard about the NC20, and after seeing a HP notebook of the same size, I decided to wait for that instead...
Amazon have had the white version in stock for a few weeks, but the Black one only came in this week. Customer service was excellent, I ... ...my card, the order only went through at 6.30pm on Thursday...it was then delivered at 8.30am on Friday!!! That's what I call express service! The cost was about £375, so it's not the cheapest on the market, but the reviews of the NC10 swayed me in spending a little extra.
Anyway I've been pretty much glued to it ever since. The following are my thoughts and opinions based on a couple of days use...
The set up was quick and easy, and I managed to ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Good performance, Good connectivity options, Good webcam, 160GB HDD, Upgradeable Disadvantages: Not very good accessories, Picks up Fingerprints, Weird button under touchpad
...button under touchpad
- Resolution could be higher
VERDICT
Overall, I think the SamsungNC10 is an excellent laptop. I like the look of it, the performance, the keyboard, the connectivity options and even the battery life. I would prefer for it to have Draft N wireless and maybe for it to be a bit lighter but those are minor niggles. One thing I would have liked is a higher resolution, even if the 1024 x 600 is perfectly usable, a higher one would give more flexibility in how well certain content is displayed on the laptop. i.e. movies, graphics, etc. Those things aside, I would highly recommend the NC10 or even the newer Samsung netbook models that supercede the NC10 (i.e. NC20). Buy an external DVD drive and you can even use it as a normal laptop as the performance is very good for the price.
Thanks for reading!...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Features: LED-backlit, Super Bright Gloss, Super Bright Gloss, Glossy
Widescreen Display: Yes
Max Resolution: 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )
Display Type: 12.1" TFT
Video
Video Memory: 128 MB
Graphics Processor / Vendor: VIA Chrome9 HC3
Audio
Audio Input: Microphone, Microphone ( Enhanced Digital Sound (EDS) )
Compliant Standards: High Definition Audio, Enhanced Digital Sound (EDS), High Definition Audio
Audio Output: Sound card
Notebook camera
Sensor Resolution: 1.3 Megapixel
Camera Type: Integrated
Manufacturer's product description
The NC20 comes as a low-power notebook boasting an ultraportable design. Combining a Via Nano U225 processor with 1GB of memory and a 160GB hard disk drive, the NC20 is expected to provide its users with a Windows XP operating system. Thanks to its 12-inch display, the NC20 can be marketed as a different product, compared to all those 9-inch and 10-inch netbooks, most of which are powered by an Intel Atom processor, one of the competitors of VIA's Nano.
Input device(s)
Features: Anti-bacteria coating
Type: Keyboard, touchpad
Networking
Compliant Standards: IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0
Data Link Protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
Wireless LAN Supported: Yes
Networking: Network adapter
Expansion / connectivity
Interfaces:
1 x headphones - output - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
1 x display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15)
1 x microphone - input - mini-phone 3.5mm
1 x network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45
3 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 PIN USB Type A
Expansion Slots Total (Free): 1 ( 0 ) x memory
Miscellaneous
Features: Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately), system password, hard drive password
Power
Power Device: External
Battery
Installed Qty: 1
Technology: 6-cell Lithium Ion
Operating system / software
Microsoft Office Ready: Includes a preinstalled image of select 2007 Microsoft Office suites. Purchase a Medialess License Kit (MLK) to activate the software.
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
21.02.2009
