If there is a segment in consumer electronics where it is difficult to stand out, it is netbooks . The race to the bottom line, as well as strict rules of component suppliers regarding the maximum specification, means that the material of most machines following the same tired ground. To differentiate, some brands have opted for super-slimline design, and extended life of the battery; Gigabyte, meanwhile, took a more unusual route. Booktop M1022 their netbook comes with a desktop docking station; Mobilx.hu our friends were good enough to send us a review unit to try
Docks are certainly not unusual in the world of laptop, and many users -. especially in business situations - have been Slotting their laptops in the docks in small groups for years now. Docks for netbooks, however, are less common, although the principle remains the same: to have a compact machine, in the case of the M1022 10.2 incher, to travel, and then connect it to a full size display, keyboard and mouse with a single connection when you are back at the office.
Gigabyte took the midfield with the Booktop Wharf. With three USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, VGA output, power supply and line-out jack, it offers more than the mouse / keyboard connectivity but offers nothing that the same M1022 did not get. The netbook is sitting upright, connected by a proprietary socket, and there are power buttons and battery on the front of the dock so you can control the M1022 when the screen is closed. 160GB. There's also WiFi b / g, 10/100 Ethernet and Bluetooth 2.1, with a 6 cell battery, three USB 2.0 ports, VGA, audio in / out, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and an ExpressCard slot. OS is Windows XP Home, and any measure 265 x 180 x 27.2 to 31.3 mm and weighs 1.3 kg.
Build quality is very good, both the netbook and its docking station. The usual items of concern in budget machines, such as hinges are sturdy and firm, and we are pleased that the M1022 can be opened to almost 180 degrees. As you will expect the platform to support your right netbook, it is reassuring that the transparent foot plate provides a lot of support to prevent side to side rocking. Physically drop the M1022 in the cradle took some time to perfect; the cavity is not a tight fit, which means that there is some movement trying to line up the projecting plug with the port of the netbook, but even after several days of fumbling there was no flex or movement in the cap itself. As long as you do not get accustomed to slam home M1022, we believe the platform should take up most of the treatments.
The keyboard also feels well put together, and the layout is generally good. There is a right shift key substantially located, often because of compact netbook cards ", but strangely there is a second key backslash right of the up arrow. Regarding the trackpad, who suffers from the palm remains shallow and puts his clumsy, thudding buttons on each side instead of underneath as we prefer. Yet there is little flex, even in the center of the 'board, and there are various useful shortcuts through the row of function keys for brightness, volume, and Bluetooth and WiFi toggle independent.
Looking up in the display, and while it's a glossy screen is not nearly as prone reflection on other recent laptops we've seen. The advantage, of course, a coating of the glossy screen is that it can make colors look richer, and the M1022 certainly does a decent job at that. Running at 1024 x 600 resolution, like most netbooks, there are the usual balance of the size and zoom web page, but there is a reasonably clear and satisfactory panel.
If you prefer a larger screen, however, connect the M1022 to a desktop configuration is much simpler than most netbooks. Thank you to the dock, you can leave your LCD screen, keyboard mouse, wired network connection and speakers all connected, and connect them with much quicker than dealing with separate son. It is also tidier, allowing you to route all the cables neatly out of the way, and of course you can connect a USB hub if you need more than three ports on offer. Since the M1022 is closed when you connect, no more monitors to overcome the confusion; you just have a new screen (assuming we greater) to use.
We can not help thinking that Gigabyte has missed a trick with the Booktop M1022 dock, however. There is no additional ports that the netbook itself does not offer, and you're still limited to 10/100 Ethernet instead of Gigabit. More than that, however, we would have liked to have seen a USB device port on the dock, which could be used to enable the M1022 connect to another computer and treat it as an external drive. In this way, copying documents and other files through would be a case of connecting a USB 2.0 cable. Yet we are pleased that the ExpressCard slot of the M1022 is still accessible even when the netbook, it docked, meaning that you can continue to use a fashionable 3G data card there.
The biggest argument of the Gigabyte Booktop M1022, however, is how it is realistic, using a netbook based on Atom N270 as a basis for your desktop. It is unlikely that Gigabyte expect someone to do the graphics, audio or video editing users more powerful laptops in full screen mode can be done when their machines are docked. Instead, you're looking at the same Internet access, basic document editing, email, and you would do on a netbook, only with more comfortable devices. We saw the same benchmarking figures for the M1022 as with almost all other basic netbook Atom N270 with the same specifications that passed through our test bed; low 800s in Geekbench, which measures CPU and RAM performance.
Yet this usage scenario describes a lot of PC owners, and there are many people out there happy with what their netbooks make for them. Couple the convenience and portability of a well put-together machine of 10.2 inches with the flexibility of the eyes and devices in full screen mode easily by hand and it is a convenient bonus. Gigabyte suggest you will see about 7 hours of use of the standard 6-cell, 7,800mAh battery; which is ambitious estimate usual, but we saw more than five hours of casual browsing over WiFi, typing and emailing.
The Booktop M1022 starts to make sense when you drop your expectations of laptops that come with a docking station. Rather than allowing office use a powerful laptop, Gigabyte provides a more comfortable use of a niche product. If you have considered a netbook, but lamented the undersized keyboard and display, or a nettop, but can not cause you to sacrifice portability, the M1022 offers the best of both. You'll pay for the privilege - Mobilx.hu importer, who generously lent us our review unit, have Gigabyte Booktop M1022 listed for $ 470 (excluding VAT) or € 331 (excluding VAT) to which you can add 3G integrated -. via SlashGear
0 comments:
Post a Comment