tech: LG X110 Netbook

On the chopping block today its LG’s first netbook to be released into the UK, the X110. Can this dethrone the Acer Aspire and MSI Wind as the king of Netbooks?

The LG looks very fancy indeed, with a white finish and contrasting interior trim. It has a 10″ screen with a decent 1024×600 resolution. Under the hood you’ll find all the usual netbook gubbins, including a decent 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, and a generous 160GB of hard disk storage, not flash as you might find elsewhere. Windows XP is the os of choice here, with no Linux option.

What makes the LG a little different from most netbooks is that there’s also room for a 3G card to slip in for integrated internet on the go.

By pulling out the battery here, you can slip in a SIM card and get cracking using the included software. Now what’s slightly unusual about the X110 is that is actually only available from mobile retailers. You can buy it through phones4u on the high st, and the machine is free with a Vodafone, Orange or 3 mobile internet plan.

Unfortunately these broadband plans are about double the price you’d pay from the provider direct, so you’ll pay around ¬£840 for the contract and laptop, whereas the contract is only worth ¬£360. We’d recommend just paying the ¬£313 to get the laptop on its own and buying a separate broadband contract.

Now in terms of use, this machine is absolutely gorgeous.

The keyboard is almost full size and is an absolute pleasure to type on, we found we could crack along very happily on this. The trackpad button is a little small but still certainly usable. And with the usual array of memory card and USB ports, you won’t find yourself unable to do anything that you’d expect.

In fact really the only downside to the LG, apart from the lack of purchasing options, is the slightly ropey battery life. In general use, you’ll get about 2.5 hours out of this, which really isn’t quite enough for a machine of this size - we’re used to netbooks like the MSI wind which can easily pull out over 4 hours. Given that this is a portable machine, the weak battery is a bit of a downer. However, if your commute is less than 2 and a half hours and you were thinking about getting a 3g contract anyway, then this is a smart netbook for general use and gets a well-deserved 4s.

For the best of the rest:

Trusted Reviews:
First impressions are certainly positive. The X110 is based on the MSI Wind, but is far more than a simple rebadge like the Advent 4211. The entire chassis, including the keyboard and touchpad, have received a major overhaul and it’s all for the better. Furthermore, its overall shape is now less curved and sleeker, and the plastics used feel slightly stronger. Unlike the logos on the Wind and Advent, the LG one is modestly positioned on the corner of the lid.

Deal Giant:
LG X110 is a beautifully designed netbook packaged together the most advanced components and technology available. LG X110 comes with the blistering Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor along with 1GB of RAM for powerful processing.

Laptop Reviews:
“Give me the ball! I want to play too!”, cried little Trinity in excitement. “Here, try to get it from me.”, said Sam, her older brother, as he dribbled the basket ball and dodged away. “Hey, that’s not fair. Father, look at Sam. He will not let me play.”, she said with a big frown on her face. Mr Rivers, their father, who was sitting on a park bench nearby, looked at his little daughter and smiled. He had been attending to his official work using his LG X110 Notebook. He paused for a moment, walked up to his children, bent down and put his arms around them and said, “Sam and Trinity, when you share things between yourselves, you will both be happy.