14 DAY TRIAL // Not long ago, Advanced Micro Devices finally unleashed a processor meant for netbooks, among other things, and Intel also unveiled some new CPUs with support for DDR3 memory. As such, the stage has been more than set for PC makers to take turns at showing off their new systems. On the other hand, the Pine Trail platform's main representative, the Atom N450, is still far from obsolete, which is why Samsung saw nothing wrong with putting together the N230.
The portable is not very different from those of its kind introduced so far. It has a 10.1-inch LED-backlit liquid crystal display (LCD) with a native resolution of 1024 x 768, as well as chrome inserts on the display hinges and a chiclet keyboard. Additionally, it is colored glossy black and has an Intel Atom N450 chip at its heart.
As consumers must know very well by now, the N450 has a clock frequency of 1.6GHz. On Samsung's netbook, it is paired with 1GB of RAM and the Intel Graphics media Accelerator (GMA) 3150 integrated graphics.
The configuration also includes a hard disk drive with 160GB of storage space, as well as a webcam. Unfortunately, the folks over at AVING, who managed to take a few close-up shots of the laptop while at the World IT Show, couldn't get the full rundown on the connectivity and I/O options.
Of course, being an entry-level mobile PC meant for on the-go computing and web browsing, it can be assumed that WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G are available, at least as optional components, as should Gigabit Ethernet and USB connectivity. As for details that are, more or less, clear, the black netbook should become available sometime next month, though the price is still a mystery. The product number is NT-N230-JP51B and the operating system pre-loaded onto it will be Windows 7 Starter.