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Samsung NF310 Review
Product Summary
The Samsung NF310 is a netbook. Not a great netbook. Not an awful netbook. It’s a typical netbook with the type of features users have become used to in a small, basic computer. That being said, it does what a netbook is built to do and has a more attractive design than some its competitors. Samsung definitely didn’t branch out or make any effort to set itself apart from every other netbook on the market. It does everything the Asus Eee (and others like it) does, but costs about 100 bucks more. Sadly, there just isn’t much incentive to go with this netbook over one of its less expensive competitors.
The Features
Think about what you expect from a netbook and the Samsung NF310 has it. 10” LED backlit widescreen capable display with 1366 x 768? Check. Intel Dual-Core Atom 1.5 GHz processor? Check. 1GB of RAM, 250GB of storage? Check and check. 9.4 hours of battery life is impressive, but it is only about an hour more than some of its similar-featured competitors. This isn’t enough to tempt users to spend the extra cash. One area where it has a slight advantage is in networking department. Like most netbooks the NF310 supports Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and wireless LAN, but it has the added feature of being BluTooth 3.0 compatible. It comes with a sound card, microphone, and SRS Premium Sound and SRS 3D audio technology. For watching video the NF310 is supported by Intel GMA 3150 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 4.0 and its integrated webcam allows for video chatting via Skype, Google Talk, and the like. No optical drive on this computer, but it does have a 4 in 1 card reader that works with SDHC, SDXC, SD, and MultiMedia memory cards. It also has most of the standard ports, including 3 Hi-Speed USB ports, an Ethernet port, and a VGA port. Sorry, no HDMI port to be found. Finally, the NF310 runs on Windows 7 Starter, which is fine for the basic functions most users will use this computer for, but not exactly the most comprehensive operating system either. Again, for a price of $355, the Samsung NF310 needs a little more umph.
The Design
Samsung’s NF310 definitely wins in a beauty pageant against similar computers such as the Asus Eee. Its curved, wavy design is sleek and attractive. And though 1.2” is a little thick for a computer that has only a 10” screen, its 2.9 lbs in weight make it extremely portable and easy for those who commute or move around the house and office a lot. Its Titan Silver color and Matte screen are also nice touches.
What Users Say
Those who have already purchased the Samsung NF310 like the HD display and high resolution; though they are disappointed they can’t transfer that same high quality picture to their HDTV since there is no HDMI port. Others like the 3D SRS sound system and long battery life. As far as streaming quality goes, there are mixed reports. Some say the video is choppy and not pleasant to watch; others say it handles video streaming well. The same goes for the “bloat-ware” that comes pre-loaded on the computer. Some were happy that there wasn’t a lot of this unwanted software; others said it took over two hours to remove these programs. Most suggest that you upgrade to the 2GB of RAM as soon as possible, and still others wish that Window 7 Starter was not the operating system for this netbook. Many users said they would recommend this to a friend, though not many sounded terribly excited about the speed, size, price, or utility.
Final Thoughts
When looking at netbooks, the first question you need to ask is, “What do I need this computer to do?” If the answer is gaming, downloading mass quantities of music, photos, and videos, or streaming HD movies smoothly, this (and other netbooks) probably aren’t what you are looking for. However, if you would like something simple for doing basic internet browsing, listening to music, keeping up with family and friends on video chat or email, and keeping track of personal finances, this computer can serve all of those purposes. The only problem is, that other netbooks can also serve these purposes and for less money. If Samsung expects users to pay an extra $100 for their version of the traditional netbook, they should at least offer $100 worth of additional features. A faster processor, a better version of Windows 7 OS, or perhaps more RAM or storage would be nice incentives. But, alas, Samsung has not added these features to entice you, and so I must say, go with the cheaper version of the same computer.