ASUS N10Jc, A Performance Netbook
Introduction & Overview
ASUS is one of the key drivers of the netbook arena, at least in the sense that they are often the first to bring new features and platforms to market. Not only did they launch the very first commercially available netbook, the Eee PC 701, they can also lay claim to having the first Intel Atom powered notebook, the Eee PC 900A, as well as the first 10" netbook, the Eee PC 1000. Since the first Eee PC hit the market just over a year ago, we have seen a relatively constant stream of new products flow out of the Eee PC team at ASUS; both a blessing and a curse.
Oddly, ASUS has actually been criticized for their massive, burgeoning netbook product line. In a period of about a year, they have released over a dozen netbook models and sub-models, but the real problem is that there is often very little to distinguish one model from another. However, ASUS doesn't seem to be bothered by the criticism since the netbooks just keep coming. In fact, the stream of new models coming from ASUS may have just doubled.
Until recently, all ASUS netbooks have come from the Eee PC team, but now the ASUS notebook team seems to be joining in on the fun. They have released the new N-series of business notebooks which range from the full-size N50 15.4" and N80 14" models powered by 'proper' Intel Core 2 processors down to the N20 12.1" ultraportable. The smallest model of the range is the N10, a tiny 10.2" model powered by an Intel Atom N270 processor on the 945GSE chipset. Sound familiar?
Oddly, ASUS has actually been criticized for their massive, burgeoning netbook product line. In a period of about a year, they have released over a dozen netbook models and sub-models, but the real problem is that there is often very little to distinguish one model from another. However, ASUS doesn't seem to be bothered by the criticism since the netbooks just keep coming. In fact, the stream of new models coming from ASUS may have just doubled.
Until recently, all ASUS netbooks have come from the Eee PC team, but now the ASUS notebook team seems to be joining in on the fun. They have released the new N-series of business notebooks which range from the full-size N50 15.4" and N80 14" models powered by 'proper' Intel Core 2 processors down to the N20 12.1" ultraportable. The smallest model of the range is the N10, a tiny 10.2" model powered by an Intel Atom N270 processor on the 945GSE chipset. Sound familiar?
;)
The ASUS N10 - The First Corporate Performance Netbook
While at least on paper, the ASUS N10 looks like a standard netbook, is
priced like a netbook (albeit a high-end one), and has the key
specifications of a netbook, according to ASUS it isn't, exactly.
ASUS is calling the N10 the first "Corporate Netbook".
| "Because of its
small size, long battery life, advanced functionality and
all-encompassing warranty, ASUS is positioning this model as a new
class of netbook – a corporate netbook that offers advanced security
features and the best warranty in the industry – including one year of
accidental damage coverage." - ASUS |
In fact, the N10 sports the same warranty package as ASUS' high-end ultraportable business notebooks. In terms of security, the N10 has a biometric fingerprint scanner and ASUS SmartLogon facial recognition technology. The N10 also supports ASUS' Express Gate technology, which is a quick-boot Linux environment that boots from cold in about 8 seconds. The last and perhaps most interesting feature that makes the N10 more than just a standard non-corporate netbook seems to be the inclusion of switchable discrete graphics in the form of NVIDIA's GeForce 9300M.
While the 'Corporate netbook' moniker sounds like a lot of marketing fluff, there is no doubt the N10 offers up some interesting features for a netbook, like the discrete graphics, Linux quick-boot and full-sized warranty. We got our hands on an ASUS N10 and put it through its paces. Read on to find out if it's the netbook you've been waiting for.
While the 'Corporate netbook' moniker sounds like a lot of marketing fluff, there is no doubt the N10 offers up some interesting features for a netbook, like the discrete graphics, Linux quick-boot and full-sized warranty. We got our hands on an ASUS N10 and put it through its paces. Read on to find out if it's the netbook you've been waiting for.
