- 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 Processor
- 1GB DDR2 Memory; 160GB Hard Drive
- Longer battery-powered performance of up to 7 hours*. *Battery life based on independent MobileMark test scores
- 10.1″ Non-glare Display; Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150
- Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition
Product Description
The Samsung N150 netbook gives you value without compromise. It starts with a powerful Intel Atom N450 processor and Windows 7 Starter OS. The non-glare 10.1 inch screen gives you plenty of room, while a 3-in-1 memory card slot and 3 USB 2.0 ports make it easy to connect a digital camera, printer and more. At a scant 2.7 lbs, you can pick up and go at a moment’s notice, and the 7-hour battery is good for all day. And what’s life without choices? The N150 netbook… More >>
Samsung N150 10.1-Inch Blue Netbook – Up to 7 Hours of Battery Life
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I ordered the Samsung N150 after much research and have not been disappointed. The main reasons for my choice were: 1. Matte screen, which I prefer over the glossy screens of other netbooks I’ve seen in stores, 2. Battery life, 3. Matte blue finish of cover doesn’t show fingerprints, 4. Positive reviews of keyboard, 5. Super-quiet fan. And so far, all of these features have lived up to my hopes. Other nice features: silky smooth operation of lid hinges, and the built-in webcam and microphone.
One downside as noted by a previous reviewer: the initial setup of the hard drive and software takes a LONG time (one hour, more or less). From what I’ve read, there are other netbooks out there with much shorter setup times. Fortunately, you only have to go through setup once with this netbook. Be patient, and you’ll get through it fine. Just don’t expect to be doing useful work until the day after your box comes in the mail.
Another negative is that the processor seems relatively slow (compared to desktop PCs or full-size laptops) at some operations like booting, doing data transfer, and unpacking/installing software. This is just because of the processor, which has been optimized for low power usage. And I imagine that other netbooks have the same shortcoming, so it’s no particular knock against the N150. It’s the price all netbooks pay for being small and power-stingy.
Having said that, once the Samsung gets itself booted and ready to go, it does fine at web browsing, email, word processing, and video watching. I was able to watch a streaming Netflix video with no problems. Speakers are decent, but a battery-powered iPod speaker like an Altec Lansing iM237 plugged into the headphone jack gives a much better and louder sound.
Suggestions:
1. Allow at least one hour for initial setup. Be patient.
2. Either turn off the automatic “Windows Update” in the control panel, or change the frequency of updates from “every day” to “one day per week.” The automatic update hogs the processor each time it runs, and you’ll be wondering why the netbook is running so slowly every morning.
3. In the Start menu, type “Task Manager” in the search box and put a shortcut for the Task Manager in your Start menu or on your taskbar. Get familiar with the Task Manager because it shows you CPU usage, memory usage, and what processes are running in the background. When the blue “hard disk” light starts flashing and the netbook slows down, the Task Manager will tell you why.
4. In the Start menu, type “gadgets” in the search box, and install the “CPU” gadget on your desktop. The large dial gives a constant readout of CPU usage, and the small dial a readout of RAM usage. Another good tool for monitoring the CPU workload. When the needle is pegged in the red zone (e.g. at startup) you’re not going to get much done. Wait til the needle drops out of the red zone before trying to do any other CPU-intensive tasks.
5. Forget the installed McAfee antivirus program and download the free “Microsoft Security Essentials”. It’s free and it works great. Saved my other laptop from numerous attacks. Also download the free “Malwarebytes” program.
6. Forget the MS Office “trial” software and download the free Open Office, which works just like MS Office and can open MS Office files, and an save in MS Office format. (Open Office also plays better with this netbook than the included MS Works package. I downloaded Open Office and then uninstalled both MS Office and MS Works.)
Some owners have reported that replacing the 1GB RAM stick with 2 GB RAM improves performance. Before going that route, I tried the Windows ReadyBoost feature, which Microsoft says will improve performance in some operations. Exactly which operations is not clear, and when I tried using ReadyBoost with a 4GB USB emory stick, I wasn’t able to discern any difference.
All in all, the Samsung is a competent netbook in a nice package. Two thumbs up.
Update: After upgrading to 2 GB RAM and having used this netbook for a couple of weeks, I like it even better. Upgrading the RAM definitely helped performance. And the matte screen is definitely better than the glossies, and the keyboard is much better than my friend’s Asus eeePC keyboard. The trackpad is just too small for more than occasional emergency use, though, so I use an iHome mid-size wireless optical mouse, which I love and highly recommend. Being freed from the tiny trackpad and the marginal 1 GB RAM makes this little machine a pleasure to use.
PS–If you do install Microsoft Security Essentials, be sure to follow their instructions for uninstalling other antivirus programs first (in this case, McAfee). I apparently failed to do so, and eventually noticed an oscillation in CPU usage as shown by the Task Manager when the CPU should have been idle. A Google search suggested a conflict between two competing antivirus programs. I went back and uninstalled McAfee by using the “appwiz.cpl” command per instructions on the Microsoft Security Essentials site, and problem solved.
Rating: 4 / 5
I’ve rolled out three of these netbooks for work, the following are my observations of this model.
Pros
+ Virtually silent fan. I’ve set up an Acer netbook that had a fan that sounded like a mosquito so the quiet fan on this model is a plus.
+ Great construction quality. The plastics are very high quality.
+ Excellent keyboard. The keys are the right size (especially the right shift key which is a problem with other brands), and it’s very easy to type on with just a minimal adjustment period.
+ Matte screen (personal preference, but many of my users prefer matte screens as they are easier on the eyes and you can use matte screens outdoors without too much difficulty).
Cons
- Setup is a chore, the built in software wants to partition the drive upon first boot, so be prepared to let it sit and do setup for at least an hour after first boot. This might be confusing for some, and annoying for most people.
- There is a lot of Samsung programs that you may want to remove after the setup is complete.
- No recovery disk, just a recovery partition.
- Really not liking the Samsung ‘recovery system’.
Neutral
= Same old 1024×600 screen. I’d love this in a 1366×768. This netbook does allow you to run the screen at 1024×768 by crunching the pixels slightly, which helps, but I’d rather see a 1366×768 option.
= Windows 7 Starter. I’m glad the world is moving on from XP, but not being able to change the wallpaper without a third party utility seems like a petty feature to disable.
General comments
* Microsoft Security Essentials is an excellent anti virus program, and it’s free. Combine with Malware Bytes you are very well covered.
* The Samsung N150 is probably the best choice of this generation of Atom N450 1024×600 screen netbooks.
* I reformat ours by backing up the security certificate and the product key and using a universal Windows 7 boot disk.
* Update 3/12/2010 – previously mentioned Atheros card problems aren’t really a problem. The card only supports 2.4ghz bands (no big deal), and the connection problem I was having was a glitch in our campus wireless system which was fixed. Wireless performs just fine.
Rating: 5 / 5
I wanted a compact, portable, no-frills laptop to take to work and on the road, and this netbook has fulfilled those expectations perfectly. The screen is easy to see even in bright light, the keyboard is quite comfortable, the blue cover doesn’t show every fingerprint, and despite the complaints of some reviewers concerning the limitations of Windows 7 Starter, the OS is completely functional and easy to get used to. I’d like to have my own desktop wallpaper, but I’ll get over it. The only problem was an AC adapter that stopped charging after a week, but Amazon sent a replacement which arrived the next day – probably the least painful resolution to a problem that I could ever imagine. I’m happy with both the netbook and the service.
Rating: 5 / 5
Pro’s: The netbook is light and sleek. The battery charged rapidly. The keyboard and display were both outstanding for a netbook.
Con’s: I received a model with the Atheros AR9285 wireless adapter. I was surprised when it couldn’t connect to my home network’s Netgear router over WEP. Then I tried my neighbor’s, then my other neighbor’s, then the guy down the street’s… I could only connect to 1 out of 8 various networks I tried. (I attempted all troubleshooting steps, including updating drivers, changing wireless security schemes, resetting routers, even reloading windows!) Windows reports that there are ‘issues with the adapter or router’. Searching the internet finds that others are having similar issues.
I can’t recommend this as a reliable netbook due to the unresolved wireless adapter issues.
Rating: 2 / 5
This is a compact, nifty net book. I have only had this for two months, and I have had No problems yet. I added a mini-mouse and an external DVD recorder, and both work great. I hooked it up to my high speed cable internet, and it works great. Also, I tried the Wi-Fi at a local coffeehouse, and it works great. (I have not tried the built-in web cam yet).
I followed the advice of several other reviewers by (1) uninstalling MacAfee antivirus/antispam (and replacing it with Microsoft security essentials); (2) uninstalling MS office trial software and I replaced this with a copy of Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003 which I bought on-line for about $60. (This has Word plus Excel plus PowerPoint). I then downloaded a free “compatibility Pack” from Microsoft which lets me open Word + Excel + PowerPoint files from Office 2007; (3) turning off the automatic windows update in the control panel; and, (4) adding two “gadgets’ on the desktop, i.e., a large clock and large calendar.
The only drawback to this net book is that it is noticeably slower than my desktops, because of its slower ‘atom’ processor, and because it has only one gigabyte of ram. You can’t change the processor, but I plan to install a 2 Gig of ram module to see if that speeds it up (but I have not done this yet). Other than this, the $300 was well spent.
Rating: 4 / 5