Case could be stronger, especially around the monitor .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I needed a laptop for business and photo editing and this one caught my eye- literally!
It is a stunning glossy black and looks very sleek. My only worry about the appearance is that the shiny case could easily get scratched if you are wearing a ring and i think that it would show up very easily.
For looks, this is something for people that want something very stylish and easy to carry around, but how good is it?
We all know that many things are all style over substance, but thankfully this isn't one of those times.
For my needs, i don't need something with alot of graphics processing power, but it must be able to edit photos and run DVD's in addition to running business apps. This can often slow the most basic laptops down when they only have integrated graphics and small amounts of memory. However, the R20 i bought from Comet actually has 1GB of memory which is the minimum required to run Vista Premium Home edition (this machine came with Vista as opposed to XP as listed in the spec for product information on this site).
You will find that most R20's are now equiped with Vista as the operating system, which is good as it looks better and is more secure. The downside to Vista on laptops is that it seems to drain the battery much more quickly than XP ever did, but that will be down to the strain of displaying the fancy new graphics and menus.
As this isn't a review of Vista, i shall limit what i say about it, but it is certainly worth having if you go for the premium version. I beta tested the Ultimate version and had no hesitation in upgrading when it came out, but that was on my PC. For the laptop, the premium version is adequate, i just wouldn't waste my money buying something with the basic version.
Vista does take some time to get used to, because of the new way it does things and it can sometimes be a little confusing, but don't worry, you will soon get used to it.
In addition to Vista, the device comes with Cyberlink DVD solution, which is easy to use.
Back to the R20- The graphics are helped along by the ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 integrated chipset which is quite a revelation. Most integrated solutions are totally useless and struggle with anything but the most basic of tasks, but this one is much quicker.
Don't expect it to run the latest games and it might struggle with video editing, but for displaying Vista and photo editing, along with watching DVD's, it is more than upto the job.
The screen is only 14.1" , but it has a resolution of 1280x800 which is nice and sharp. The screen is also a glossy affair which gives bright images with good colours, but it can be a problem outdoors on a bright day, due to reflections making it difficult to see the screen.
This is one of the negative points of laptops with glossy screens and is a negative for a computer that is otherwise very much designed for carrying around with you. Whereas many laptops are just too heavy and bulky to be truly portable, this one is only 2.39KG and it only measures 336x238x40mm.
The processor is a dual core 1.73GHZ model which is quite speedy and i never found myself waiting too long for it to do things, even when doing several things at once. This is of course due to it having two cores which is better than having a single core machine. trying to do everything at once with a single core and only chugging along slowly.
There is a built in card reader which is ideal for me, because it reads 6 different types of card, one of which is the XD card that i have in my new Camera. For the full list of compatible cards and the spec of the machine, just click on product information below the picture, but remember that the machine now comes with Vista and there are different models available, including one with a core 2 duo chip and 160GB of storage for about £60-100 more, depending on where you buy it. This version that i have cost less than £480
With an 80GB hard drive, it has adequate storage for normal use, but you will need to copy photo files onto DVD's if you do lots of photo editing.
The machine doesn't get too hot even though it is quite compact and the only real problem with it, is the fact that it doesn't feel too tough. But although it feels fragile, i think it will be ok if it is well protected. I can't see Samsung making a product that will fall apart, and lightweight materials can be very strong. Still, i do worry about the screen area being a little weak and i wouldn't like to knock it against anything harder than a feather.
This machine is perfect for my needs and would suit a business person or a student that requires it for course work or Office work and likes multimedia, but doesn't play games on the laptop or do any video editing.
One other little feature of the laptop is the inclusion of nano particles of silver in the palm rests and the keys which prevent the build up of Bacteria. It doesn't sound too important, but it may prevent a few coughs and sneezes according to Samsung. Good if it works, not doing any harm if it doesn't!
For a link to the website showing the various specs of the different R20 models (all specs are bundled together, so it can be a little confusing):
who just likes their technology to look good this is the ultimate lifestyle accessory that's guaranteed to get you noticed. With its dark, dynamic aura, the R20plus...
who just likes their technology to look good this is the ultimate lifestyle accessory that's guaranteed to get you noticed. With its dark, dynamic aura, the R20plus...
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