Lenovo IdeaPad S12: netbook or not?

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 24 November 2009 06:16

Your IT - Home IT

Small cars tend to get larger with successive models, with the result that manufacturers end up introducing new model names to recapture the vacated space. Does Lenovo's 12in IdeaPad SA12 suggest a similar process is happening with netbooks?

The current use of the term 'netbook' started with the original Asus Eee PC. Weighing less than 1kg and sporting a 7in screen, it was clearly distinguishable from notebooks - especially as it ran Linux rather than Windows.

Since then, netbooks have, in general, become larger, heavier, faster, and more likely to ship with Windows. About the only factor that clearly differentiates them from thin and light notebooks is the use of Intel's Atom CPU or other relatively low performance chips.

Which brings us to the Lenovo IdeaPad S12, which features a 12.1in screen, a full-size keyboard, and - with some configurations - Windows 7 Home Premium.

The Nvidia ION graphics option is said to allow smooth and quick playback of 1080p HD video on an external monitor (requires HDMI, which is not present on all configurations). Lenovo officials claim this is a first for netbooks. The base configurations use Intel integrated graphics.

Other features include a six-hour battery, ExpressCard slot (eg, to take a 3G card), four-in-one memory card slot, multi-touch trackpad and up to 320GB of storage and 3GB of memory. ION configurations can take up to 13GB of RAM, compared with 2GB for the all-Intel versions.

Lenovo's Quick Start system allows web and email use without having to boot the full operating system.

While the S12 exceeds the "under a kilo" vision, it's still relatively light at 1.5kg, and Lenovo claims it is the thinnest 12in netbook on the market.

Pricing starts at $A799, and the S12 will be available in Australia from December 2009.