Editor's note: the NC10 is exclusively sold by Optus in Australia and as such no outright RRP was available at the time this review was written. Contract pricing is listed in the review.
Design and features
Those with a keen eye for netbook reviews will no doubt feel dèja vù as their eyes pass over the specs and features of the NC10. Is this simply a piano-black version of the Samsung N120? We asked ourselves the same question when it hit our desks, and though we've discovered a few cosmetic differences — the NC10 is 11mm shorter in width, for example — the major point of interest is the NC10's availability in Australia, where mobile network operator Optus has an exclusive to offer the NC10 on contract, similar to a mobile phone plan.
At the time of writing, Optus offers the NC10 in one of two 24-month contracts; an AU$49.99 per month plan with 2GB of wireless 3G broadband each billing cycle, or 5GB per month for AU$69.99. Surprisingly, this is only AU$10 per month on top of a stand-alone monthly wireless broadband with identical data allowances, which seems like excellent value. The NC10 doesn't sport a built-in optical drive, but if you think you need one Optus will toss it in for a couple of extra bucks each month.
This is all made possible by the inclusion of a built-in 3G HSDPA modem and antenna — something not included in a Samsung N120, or many popular netbooks for that matter. Giving a netbook access to a 3G network is like putting a saddle on a horse, it just makes sense. Portable web browsing is arguably the number one use for a netbook and a built-in 3G SIM makes this possible without the need for a USB dongle hanging off the side or an open Wi-Fi network to leech off.
We like the Optus broadband interface on the NC10 too. Similar to the software that installs when you use a USB modem, this interface shows the amount of incoming and outgoing data and tracks the length of each session. It also indicates the strength of the signal it is receiving, though unlike the USB modem software, this interface doesn't give an accurate reading of signal strength, only a graph showing coloured bars.
In terms of internal and external features, the NC10 is like an identical twin to the N120. Each has a 160GB hard drive, an Atheros wireless chip, three USB ports, 100MB Ethernet and VGA video-out sockets, plus headphones and microphone jacks around the edges of the unit. The NC10 ships with Windows XP installed, plus McAfee Antivirus for that added piece of mind. Those planning to tote around their NC10 around the city can do so in style with a soft carry pouch bundled with the PC.
Performance
With similar 1.6GHz Atom processors and matching 1GB of RAM, it's not surprising that the NC10 and N120 perform at about the same level. We were more surprised to see almost matching battery test results, with the NC10's 5200mAh battery pulling in at five hours, 22 minutes and 13 seconds when playing an XviD video file with power management switched off and screen brightness at its maximum. This result sits it just under the N120, which lasted an extra seven minutes when tested in a similar fashion.
During our tests we were happy with the connection to the 3G network, though if you read our review of the latest Optus USB modem then you'll know this experience can vary significantly depending on where you use it. We saw speeds in the realms of the 1.5Mbps speed Optus advertises in Sydney's CBD which is fine for basic web browsing.
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