Samsung NC20-21GBK 12.1-Inch Black Netbook - 6 Hour Battery
 List Price: $549.99 |
Product Details
|
Product Description
Customer Reviews
Twine Quit - Samsung Won't Replace Unless I Send PC With Cord to NJ from AZThis is a permissible little PC. Although I wanted light weight, I did not want to go with a tiny 10"-box netbook when I was shopping for a new PC. This was the best-priced 12" computer out there, and from Samsung, which I thought of as a primo identify. I've had good experience with the PC itself. I marked the computer down to three stars for poor warranty services. In particular, my cord quit working after about 5 months. Samsung wanted me to send in both the string and the PC itself, the tech support person saying that only with both could they be sure where the problem originated. Rather than I bought a second cord, for about $80, which proved that the PC has no problem receiving power from a string that is working. I called back to tech support to let them know this fact, and to say that I would be sending in the master cord, only, for replacement. The tech support person then told me that that was not sufficient enough - Samsung "policy" requires me to send in the entire PC with its cord. They do not care that this would demand me to be without my computer for at least 4 weeks (under their fastest shipping and turn-around scenario) for absolutely no why and wherefore. They do not care that it would expose the computer to risk of damage or loss for absolutely no common sense. Nothing else will do. I certainly won't buy a Samsung computer again unless they change their nonsensical "policy." (And, BTW, it was very refractory to buy a second cord for this PC, because the port in the PC body where you plug the cord in is not like the harbour used by any other manufacturer. I could only buy a cord for this PC by going through Samsung's website for a Samsung-approved line. Needless to say, this single-source issue probably contributed to the apex price of the extra cord I bought.)
Too Many...Samsung
Samsung are superb product..but in my opinion. In the Netbook sector, Samsung is going a bit overboard with how many kidney of the same Netbook they created. Different outside, same thing inside. A comparable commodity would be that Samsung is to Netbook as Apple is to Ipod. Every 6 month, the current Netbook is out-of-epoch or is considered a old model and a new one is around. Don't get me wrong...I probably ordered about 5 Netbook so far for my assemblage and 3 for my friends. They are great in terms of Netbook but I hope they would at least stop with the staunch changes. There's nothing wrong with changes...just that they should stay consistent with their outcome. How can I buy a product to only find 5 months later, they don't even shelf it anymore? Anyways...in terms of portability and functionality and habitu usage...it is hard to beat Samsung, even though they were a little late in the Netbook demand. However, what they lack in timing, they backed it up with quality and great reviews. I owned the to begin with NC-10 white matted when it first came out. I'm still happy with my product. Choose they didn't make like a hundred different models because it is really making it relentlessly to use.
Respectable product, horrendous service
Client beware the lure of samsung! Naively unaware, I was seduced by a low price and piece-goods e freight specs into purchasing a samsung Nano notebook computer. I was well satisfied until, one fateful day less than nine months pillar-purchase, the little guy's microprocessor overheated - so I assumed when that region of the computer became too hot to get near and it shut off - completely out of the blue. It rebooted just fine but, lo and look at, the keys (a, s, and left shift key) were nonfunctional. To make a very, very, very long black lie short: I called tech support; was told repair would be suffused under warranty; mailed laptop to warranty repair center in Texas for revamping; waited three weeks only to receive a voice-mail message that the third-celebration repair contractor concluded that repairs would not be covered under warranty because someone had concluded that the expense was related to a purported liquid spill that I know full-well didn't happen; explained what had happened to multiple repair and samsung peons; asked to see photo token of purported liquid spill damage; never received such evidence; had to recurrently call back when multiple "executive customer service" peons repeatedly inferior to call back as promised after trying to reach third-party repair center, weak spot to make contact, and promising to follow up the next day when repair folks might have returned and assume from messages left on my behalf; repeatedly had to go through multiple long waits to ask for be self-evident with representatives who were at best incompetent and impotent and at worst downright naughty; askae to have the laptop returned to me of multiple people over multiple phone calls; waited to have computer returned and called after the max no doubt transit time had elapsed only to learn that the computer had not yet been shipped TWICE!!; and at the end of the day received laptop returned to me unrepaired after over two months with an insulting note proudly attesting that my put back in had been completed as requested and thanking me for allowing them to demonstrate their excellent navy. Not only I the keyboard not repaired but the machine is obtusely and inexplicably four times belittle than before its trip to Texas. I do not exaggerate. Not being in a position at this point to pay for repairs or a new laptop unqualified, I have now been typing all of my emails and other text (this comment included) into Word, using numbers to substitute for all a's and s's and using the "find and put in place of" function to paste them in afterwards. I will never purchase anything more from samsung and hope that I have saved others from making the opening mistake.
Devoted trade off between net/note books.
I very recently couldn't rationalize purchasing a 10" Netbook, the screensize is way too slight for my taste in performing office task in Word or Excel for great periods of time. Some say purchase both a Netbook and Notebook for different tasks, but SOME of us aren't made of in dough, and would like to have one portable Net/Notebook for all their needs. I bought my NC20 nearly 6 months ago; back then there wasn't such a elephantine selection of 12" Netbooks as there is now, and at the time the NC20 was perhaps the best on the market, and I credit it still is one of the best 12" Netbooks available.
For me the most attractive feature of the NC20 is the 1280x800 home screen resolution, the higher vertical resolution compared to other 12" 1366x768 exactitude Netbook screens is a lot more useful imo, than having a lot wider screen (though your soup may vary depending on use). I work in Microsoft Word a lot, and a higher vertical persistence is just more useful to see more of the page, most of the time a wider screen would righteous go un-used. With Wi-fi turned off and the screen brightness toned down a bit (around 70% cover brightness, very readable), the NC-20 does get the advertised 6 hours of freestyle life, great for Office productivity; expect around 4 hours for weighed down web usage.
Having owned the NC20 for nearly 6 months now, I can't help but intuit a little bit of envy for all the new, more powerful netbook configurations, such as the Consumer Ultra-low Voltage (CULV) Marrow 2 Duo "Netbooks/Ultra-Portables" and other ION-powered machines. However, I'm happy with my grasp, it does what I need it to do well (Office work), and is still powerful enough for everyday webrowsing and watching archetype videos on Hulu, Netflix, or Youtube. Compared to the most recent 12" Netbook releases, the NC20 is a bit underpowered, but if you can live without streaming 720p satisfaction (it can play encoded 720p content from the hard-drive perfectly, but isn't powerful enough for streaming 720p from the web), for $400 I would whole-heartedly recommend anyone pay for the NC20!
I also have installed Windows 7 Home Premium on my NC20, and everything (namely the Aero interface) works smoothly; also Samsung has updated all their software and drivers for Windows 7 on their website.
Exactly Right
After many months of explore and having my NC20 for two months, below are some points for consideration. Please keep in mind my NC20 has 1GB memory.
Pros:
1. Typing savoir vivre is phenomenal for netbook - Windows key on right side of space bar is non-issue; FN key's distribution is just fine
2. Battery life is as advertised - I get 5.5hrs+ daily with light duties including word processing, surfing and an infrequent
video; have not drained battery with watching dvd only
3. Only 3.3 pounds
4. 12.1" vet is sharp with good contrast although colors appear to be "washed out" as some mavin reviews note; I could not get
used to 10" screen regardless of notion
5. Wireless G is solid
6. Handles multiple browser pages but I don't regularly have more than three up at any one all at once
Cons:
1. Wireless G and not N - maybe Samsung's biggest omission
2. Trackpad can be punctilious especially in low light conditions when required to "feel" vs. "look"; divoted mouse handle would be
helpful; overall size of trackpad is great however; nothing that wireless mouse won't talk to
3. Not necessarily a con as simply an adjustment - if you use NC20 as companion to more powerful laptop/desktop, it'll take some age to get used to the limitations of the processor (I have a Dell XPS 1530 as primary laptop)
Inclusive, my NC20 is one of the best purchases I've made. The build quality is excellent so far. The glossy shield has not been much of an issue. If you know you don't like glossy screens, don't choose this one. I also have an outer Targus dvd drive which works well. The NC20 is no longer available on Samsung's website. However it continues to be at online and I've recently seen it at a great price...$150 off record. Even if I paid full price, the NC20 is a perfect blend of form and function. It excels at what it's presumed to do. I will gladly trade portability for a more comfortable user experience anytime.
