Lenovo Ideapad S10-3t 0651-85U 10.1-Inch Netbook Tablet (Black)

The first Time I ever heard of a Netbook was back around 1980, reading a science fiction book. "The Venus Belt", by L. Neil Smith. Sequel to "The Probability Broach." Way before most people even had a clue why they would want a personal computer, Smith was describing netbooks!

This portable tablet laptop was called the Helmer's Gigacom 67G. It could show movies, play music, read books, and play games. It could record video through a built-in camera. It could function as a calculator, encyclopedia, alarm clock, and cigarette lighter. (No, really, I'm not making this up… read the book.) It had (obviously) 67 Gigabytes, and could store immense amounts of data. And Smith's version of a netbook was about the size of a paperback book.

L Neil Smith gave me a vision, and I've waited more than 30 years to see it come true. With Lenovo's Ideapad S10-3t 0651-85U 10.1-Inch Netbook Tablet, I'm satisfied that his vision is now reality. (Well, except for the cigarette lighter part.)

Original Review:

Lenovo Ideapad S10-3t 0651-85U 10.1-Inch Netbook Tablet (Black)

S10-3t Hands On Review Parts 1 and 2:

Hands On Review - Lenovo Ideapad S10-3T 06517HU 10 Inch Tablet Netbook (Part 1)

Hands On Review - Lenovo Ideapad S10-3T 06517HU 10 Inch Tablet Netbook (Part 2)

S10-3t Tweaks and Tips Parts 1 and 2:

Hands On Review: Lenovo Ideapad Tablet Netbook S10-3T Tweaks and Tips (Part 3)

Hands On Review: Lenovo Ideapad Tablet Netbook S10-3T Tweaks and Tips (Part 4)

Netbook Accessories List

Notebook Computers - Netbooks and Tablet Netbooks: Compiled List of Useful Accessories and Upgrades for Ultra Portables

Netbooks are a smaller class of portable computer, generally very light weight, with a screen roughly 10 inches or so. They use less-powerful processors than other computers, and have more limited capability. On the positive side, a good netbook is versatile, portable, and typically has a battery life of several hours.

Lenovo, and a select few other manufacturers, have taken netbooks one step beyond and created Tablet Netbook computers. Now you've got netbooks with the abilities of a tablet pc. A 180° swivel screen with multi-touch. After 30 years of waiting, it's a dream come true! The term for the new hybrid computer is "netvertible".

The Lenovo Ideapad S10-3t 0651-85U is Lenovo's second generation tablet netbook, or 'netvertible'. The Ideapad S10 37U was the first, and there are only 2 visible changes. The 37U came with Windows 7 Starter, and an 8-cell battery, but there were many complaints about getting a limited Windows, and about the weight of the battery. So the 85U has Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit, and a 4-cell battery. Both the 37U and the newer 85U come with 1 gigabyte of Ram and 250 gigs of Hard Drive storage. Expandable to 2GB of ram.

Like Smith's netbook, you can use Lenovo's Ideapad to read ebooks, play music, and watch video, with two caveats.  The built-in speakers don't have a lot of power, or sound quality.  You'll probably want to use headphones for better audio.  The Atom processor can play video, but don't expect hi-def quality.   This isn't a deal-buster for me; remember, you're trading power for portability. 

Same thing for games.  There are some common-sense limits involved.  On the other hand, there are plenty of games that play well.  Since Lenovo's Ideapad is Window's based, it can play Flash games, and access Flash-based websites.  (Try that on an Ipad… lots of luck!)

This is a quote from Lenovo about the Ideapad S10-3t model netbook:

"The Lenovo® IdeaPad™ S10-3t features a 10.1" screen with Lenovo
NaturalTouch multi-touch technology that can swivel 180° to convert
from a netbook to a tablet. With a suite of touch optimized
multimedia applications, the IdeaPad S10-3t makes mobile computing
more fun and intuitive. At about an inch thick and weighing just
2.76lbs, this netbook boasts good battery life and integrated
connectivity features that will keep you in touch with friends and
family wherever life takes you. The IdeaPad S10-3t is packed with
useful technology including DirectShare, for quickly synchronizing
your files with another PC and Quick Start, for fast access to your
music, photos and the web even before booting to the Windows®
desktop. It also comes with Dolby® Headphone surround sound, Active
Protection System™ and much more. All in all, the IdeaPad S10-3t is
the ultimate netbook for enjoying life on the move. Best of all, it's
from Lenovo, makers of the award-winning ThinkPad business notebook."

Straight out of the box, you'll find:

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t 0651-85U

4-cell Battery Pack (up to 4 hours)

AC Power

Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit

Lenovo Natural Touch

Microsoft Office Professional 2007 60-day trial

1-Year Limited Warranty

In slightly more detail:

Lenovo NaturalTouch - A responsive touch screen technology with multimedia applications optimized to take advantage of it's abilities.

DirectShare - For synchronizing files from one computer to your Ideapad without the need for internet connection.

Veriface and VeriTouch Software - Computer security through face recognition and fingertouch.

Active Protection System - hard drive safety - absorbs shocks to keep your hard drive safe.

Quick Start 2.0 "Instant On" function - quickly access your music, photos, video, and the internet without having to load Windows.

Onekey Rescue System - Data recovery and antivirus protection.

I consider the 2GB ram upgrade a necessity. It gives a definite performance improvement. The included manual contains clear directions.  Some people recommend uninstalling any Lenovo software you don't intend to use, though I'd wait a while before getting rid of anything.

Using Windows Readyboost with an SD card in the card reader can also improve performance. An 8GB Class 6 SDHC card is recommended.

This next suggestion is extreme, but I've been told there's a large performance improvement from installing Windows 7 Ultimate (assuming you've already bumped the Ram up to 2GB.) I guess if you don't mind spending the money…

Screen: The keyboard is great for real typing, but for many uses, the touch screen is easiest. Flicks takes some practice, but after a while you'll wish all your computers could 'flick'. Good strong hinge, full 180° swivel. The screen doesn't have a large angle of view, it's best if seen from straight on.

Battery: The Ideapad 85U comes with a 4-cell Lithium Ion battery. Rated for up to 4 hours of use, in practice it's more like 3 hours. The 37U came with double the battery size, but weight was an issue. I guess it boils down to personal taste - do you like more battery power, or an easier-to-hold, lighter machine?

Hard Drive: Lenovo went with an actual hard drive. No SSD option, though price for price, I'd rather have the greater storage space of a hard drive. 250GB is a nice size drive for a netbook. It's a 5400 rpm Sata drive, again, pretty decent for a small portable.

Speakers: As I've mentioned, the built-in speakers are… lacking somewhat. Low volume and a bit tinny, so headphones are recommended.

I made a cheap crack earlier about the Ipad not being able to play Flash.  That was unfair, since the Lenovo Ideapad netbook is not competing head to head.  While Ipads are cool, I wanted the full functionality of a real computer, running Windows, in the smallest package I could reasonably use.  Besides, if you're looking for an Ipad killer, check out the Android tablet.

As I said, I want a Windows computer environment, running in the smallest useable space I can get it.  Price is also an issue.  The Ideapad S10-3t 0651-85U and the 37U are a bit pricy, but worth it for the tablet features.  I did my research, and for me, this is the best of the current batch of netvertibles.  I found many proud and pleased Ideapad S10-3t owners, and only one unhappy one.  The overwhelming majority says "Buy This Netbook!"

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3T(0651-85U)

Part# 0651-85U

Size: 6.9 inches, 11 inches, 1.1 inch

Weight: 2.76 pounds

Battery: 4-cell lithium ion, rated up to 4 hours

LAN 10/100Mbps

WLAN 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN

Data Transfer Rate: Up to 300 Mbps

10/100 Ethernet LAN

Protocols: WIFI

802.11b

802.11g

802.11n

CPU Type - Intel Atom N450(1.66GHz)

CPU L2 Cache: 512KB

Screen:

Widescreen Display 10.1"

Display Type: WSVGA LED Backlit NaturalTouch

Max Resolution:

1024 x 600

Display Feature:

LED Glare&Multi-Touch - multi-touch capacitive (no pen)

Memory 1GB DDR2 667, Max Ram 2GB

Graphics Processor: Intel GMA 3150

Video Memory: Shared system memory

Netbook Camera 1.3 Megapixel

6-in-1 card reader - Media Types:

Memory Stick

Memory Stick PRO

Multi Media Card

xD Picture Card

SecureDigital PRO

Secure Digital

Audio Description: Integrated Audio, Built-in Stereo Speakers

Manufacturer Warranty

Labor- 1 year limited

Parts- 1 year limited