[N310] New N310

[justinl]

Just thought I'd mention that I am now sitting here looking at a new Black N310. Initial impressions are excellent, it was delivered to my office and everyone that saw it wants one! The case material is very tactile, the keyboard one of the best netbook keyboards I have come across, and the screen quality is excellent. Build quality is also top notch. I will have a proper play later on and let you know my thoughts. I also have a NC20 so will be interesting to compare the speed etc...

Feel free to ask any questions

[Ysabel]

Welcome to the forum.

Would be interested in your comparison with the NC20.

[jez]

Wow! Congratulations on your new purchase justinl! I would love to read some thoughts regarding N310 and NC20 too.

How is the size? Keyboard comfortable? I assume it performs very similarly to the others!

Any photos? I created a flickr group a while back: N310 Photos


And thanks very much for sharing on the forum

[justinl]

I had a further play with the 310 last night. Everyone knows the specs of the netbook which is standard with most others therefore I won't go on about the performance as it is the same as most others. The Hardware however is where is stands out in my opinion. The build quality is excellent. the mat "rubberised" non-slip material is very tactile, doesn't leave fingerprints and actually makes it feel more comfortable to hold, I would also imagine it would be more scratch resistant than the traditional plastic case. The case design is rounded so it seems smaller than the normal netbook.

The screen quality is very good, typical LED display however as I am sure you have seen the glass/plastic covers the whole frame. It is very glossy and therefore reflective however it isn't too bad and in an office environment the screen is easily readable. The Keyboard is one of the best netbook keyboards I have used, the key spacing is spot on and allows proper touch typing. The key feedback is good and the trackpad is responsive and works well.

Overall I would definitely recommend the N310 if you want a netbook slightly away from the ordinary. The N310 is also very quiet in operation and runs cool. I will post some pics later on so you can see the size difference between this and the NC20.

[anthonymoss]

Justini - is it worth the extra £90 or more over the NC10? The hardware is pretty good on that already. What led you to the N310? Did you consider the N120?

[justinl]

[quote1241720151=anthonymoss]
Justini - is it worth the extra £90 or more over the NC10? The hardware is pretty good on that already. What led you to the N310? Did you consider the N120?
[/quote1241720151]

Hi Anthony,

Well I am in the lucky position of basically purchasing these to trial, there is alot of international travelling done at my work, they only need to access Citrix through the internet to access the network so the laptop doesn't have any load on it. Rather than give out traditional laptops that either weigh alot especially when traveling or spending a large amount of money on lighter ones, I am using cheap and cheerful netbooks.
Anyway back to your question, I haven't used the NC10 so I can't compare it, as for the N310 compared to the N120 I went for the more expensive option as I wanted something that was compact for travel, decent battery life, excellent keyboard and a build quality a notch above the standard netbooks. Compared to the NC20 the build quality of the N310 is better as well as the materials used, the keyboard is also better due to it's design. The only reason I would choose the NC20 over the N310 is the screen resolution, however you are then compromising on size. If I had to use my own money to purchase a netbook at the moment I think I would choose the N310, while it is more expensive and the styling isn't too everyones taste, in black it is very smart and I think with the keyboard and design it is worth the extra money.

[hockeydude]

I for one would be very interested in knowing how the keyboard on the N310 compares (size wise...actual dimensions) to the NC10. I ask because, they look like they're the same basic shape, so maybe it would be possible to switch the NC10 keyboard with the one in the N310? That would be amazing.

[fcat]

can you let us know what battery life is like as i heard its like 2 hours!!
cheerd

[justinl]

[quote1241764150=hockeydude]
I for one would be very interested in knowing how the keyboard on the N310 compares (size wise...actual dimensions) to the NC10. I ask because, they look like they're the same basic shape, so maybe it would be possible to switch the NC10 keyboard with the one in the N310? That would be amazing.
[/quote1241764150]

The design is totally different so I don't think you would be able to switch the keyboard, and to be honest why would you want to go to that expense?

[justinl]

[quote1241764223=fcat]
can you let us know what battery life is like as i heard its like 2 hours!!
cheerd
[/quote1241764223]

I'll confirm later but it is around 4.5 hours I believe, no idea where you got the 2 hours from?