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The Samsung N150 belongs to Samsung’s new series of netbooks that feature the next generation of Intel Atom processors. This particular model is powered by an Intel Atom N450, which is a single core Atom processor with a clock speed of 1.66 GHz. While this netbook offers a hardware upgrade from previous models, it’s the slick design and rock-solid build quality that will take this netbook places…..

A netbook with an Intel Atom N450, Windows 7 Starter edition, 250GB of hard drive space and a 10.1-inch display is nothing to write home about. Even the $349 price tag is average. What might be more attractive to buyers is the 9 hours of battery life Samsung claims this net book will give you. It too is available now at … you guessed it … Best Buy.

The N150 Plus (N150-11) makes a good first impression with its glossy lid. It’s an attractive deep red and black with a subtle dot pattern, though it picks up fingerprints in a hurry. The N150 Plus fits comfortably in our hands; at only 10.4 x 7.4 x 1.4 inches and 2.8 pounds, it feels lighter than it looks.The 2.5 x 1.4-inch touchpad is around the same size as other N series netbooks, but it feels cramped.

The N150 Plus’ 10.1-inch, 1024 x 600-pixel LED-backlit matte display offered bright colors and deep blacks despite the lack of a glossy finish. We used the netbook in the sun and didn’t notice any glare. All of the usual netbook ports are here: power, Ethernet, chargeable USB, headphone, and mic on the left, 3-in-1 memory card slot and power switch/slide on the front. The remaining two USB ports and a VGA port sit on the right side.

The N150 Plus (N150-11) makes a good first impression with its glossy lid. It’s an attractive deep red and black with a subtle dot pattern, though it picks up fingerprints in a hurry. (The N150 is also available in multiple colors for less cash, including Bermuda Blue, Gloss Black, Flamingo Pink, Matte Blue, and white). A dark red strip wraps around the sides and front of the machine

Under the lid we found a matte deck, bezel, and display instead of a glossy red/black deck. This looks a little dull but eliminates the annoyance of fingerprints. The battery raises the N150 Plus’ chassis about a quarter of an inch in the back, making for a comfortable typing angle. Small speaker grills sit just under the front lip of the system.

After playing a Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes, we recorded temperatures of 81 degrees Fahrenheit on the touchpad, 87 degrees at the center of the keyboard, and just 84 degrees on the underside in the middle, all of which are acceptable. However, the back left area by the vent reached up to 99 degrees, which caused a little discomfort when the N150 Plus was in our lap.

The 2.5 x 1.4-inch touchpad is around the same size as other N series netbooks, but it feels cramped. That’s because the default settings for the scrolling areas on the pad take up more area than necessary, and we constantly found ourselves accidentally scrolling or jumping to different places in browser or word processor windows.

Thankfully, you can turn off edge scrolling and stick with two-finger scrolls or reduce the scroll area to suit your usage. The Smart-Pad utility  also has settings for several multitouch gestures, including three-finger swiping.

The 0.3-megapixel webcam above the display captured acceptable still images and video, though we had to tweak the settings  to achieve better color and contrast balance. Each time we moved our Skype buddy noticed significant blur—even the movement of our mouth was blurry.

N150-11:

• 10.1-inch LED-backlit, WSVGA non-glare display (1,024 x 600 resolution)
• Intel Atom N450 Processor
• Windows 7 Starter OS
• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• 1GB of DDR2 667MHz memory
• 250GB hard drive
• 3W stereo speaker
• 0.3-megapixel webcam
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Connectivity: Three USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet
• Island keyboard
• 9-hour battery life
• Dimensions: 10.5- x 7.4- x 0.97-inches
• Weight: 2.73 lbs.

However, several mini-notebooks cost less than this $349 model—including the $329 N150—and the touchpad could be better. So should you spring for the Plus or pass?

Resources :laptopmag.com,techpinger.com,notebooks.com