Samsung N140

Samsung N140

Last year, Samsung entered the netbook market with a strong contender in the NC10. This system impressed us with its sturdy and comfortable keyboard, good performance, and 6.5 hours of battery life. Now, the company is replacing the venerable NC10 with the $399 N140, an update that includes a more powerful Atom processor, Windows 7 Starter Edition, a larger 250GB hard drive, and a snazzier design. Are all of these improvements enough to keep up with the competition? The 10.3 x 7.3 x 1.2-inch N140 retains many of the design aspects we liked in the NC10. The glossy lid comes in two colors—an elegant Burgundy (as on our review unit) or Sapphire Blue—but it attracts fingerprints easily. Instead of the red stripe outlining the edge of the deck as on the N110, there’s now a silver strip; another thin silver strip border outlines the touchpad. Though the lid is glossy, the plastic surrounding the display, keyboard, and touchpad is (thankfully) matte. One change from the N110 is the placement of the power button. Instead of the button being integrated into the hinge, Samsung opted to place it on the front lip of the system, which we think is harder to reach.