Samsung N120 - Now Available

Upon reading some posts about Amazon's white n120 inventory discrepancies, I decided to risk the wait and "pre-order" from them than newegg.com. I also have prime and have asked for one day delivery. Here's hoping it arrives this week.

 

It should be feasible using a network crossover cable between the two network ports (and much cheaper than a special USB cable. You will need to set up network sharing for the optical drive and you may need to assign fixed IP addresses if you directly connect the two computers (they will also need to be in the same workgroup). Alternatively, if both are connected to a home network then you just need to set up the network share.

Well said. Time to look for my censor's pen.

John

 

buy.com has the white one in stock at the moment. just got an email from them. its also $437.

 

I got the email for the black one in stock so I ordered with the free shipping. Hope it doesn't take a long time to arrive.

 

My apologies to all. It's just irritating to have someone, who didn't carefully read or understand what was stated, to adamantly tell me my needs are pointless. As you said, we're all entitled to our own opinions.

Back to the Samsung N120. I'm very happy to hear that it is a silent worker. My HP Pavilion drives me nuts at times when the noise can be unbearable. Well, it's good to know Samsung didn't fit a subwoofer to only to mask the fan/drive noise. Haha...

 

these things are hot. already sold out on both amazon and buy.com both colors. sheesh.

 

This is great news, I hope you both get yours very, very soon cause I want to read all about what you think about it.

Yeah, I have an HP business machine that the hard drive grinds like crazy when it is working, the fan is pretty loud as well, though I guess I've gotten use to it, but this N120 really isn't detectable to me. I like that little subwoofer too, I think when people read subwoofer though they envision this thumping bumping bass and of course it is nothing like that. I just adds a little more dimension to the music.

Does not surprise me one bit, I have always said if they could come up with one of these things with a full size keyboard it would sell like hot cakes. I have been using the heck out of mine and it is just so nice to type on. If only I could spell! hehehe

 

Yea, that sounds very easy and I'm glad I won't have to buy an external optical drive. My only question now is do they need to be connected through a router or can I connect them directly (one ethernet cable plugged into the two)?

I'm just anxious and planning out the day when my N120 actually gets here and I can test all of this out, haha

 

Also what kind of antivirus/firewalls do you guys run on your netbooks, if any at all?

 

I just run avg, its free and of course I only use firefox. Also its not a huge resource hog!

I finally got coreavc, ffdshow (for subtitles) with media player classic installed with a few tweaks and my samsung nc10 can now play full 720p mkv files just fine. If I disable ffdshow I can still manage to play 1080p 8-9gb mkv files!!

These little netbooks are AMAZING!

 

I trashed the McAfee crap they shipped with it and put on Avira Antivir.

 

Does anyone know how to get into the Bios on the N120, or how to bring up a boot menu?

 

I prefer Avast myself it has a very small footprint in term of system resources and of course it is free. It actually offers better protection than many of the other free anti-virus programs. I personally don't use a firewall as I am usually behind a router that has a hardware firewall built in.

Press F2 upon boot and you'll get into the BIOS!

 

Press Esc at the BIOS splash screen to get a list of boot options (available boot devices plus the option to go to the BIOS setup).

I've never seen Esc mentioned in the Samsung user manuals - i discovered it by accident.

John

 

OTACORB, are the keys on the N120 flat or curved. If flat, does that hinder the typing experience at all?

Can you notice a different typing experience from the NC10?

 

Hello All. I've been following this post since last week. It helped me confirm my decision to purchase the N120. This is my first time at the Rodeo with a netbook. When I decided to place my order last Wednesday, I was quickly saddened to find everyone was SOLD OUT Then I snatched up a unit on e-bay and I'm thrilled to say it arrived today! Less than a week to ship from PA to CA. I've been researching different products on-line and visiting them in local stores for months. I ordered this one sight unseen (other than pictures) with high hopes.

I can say without a doubt, this machine is more polished than anything else I looked at. I'm 100% thrilled with it so far. Whoa, the screensaver just kicked in. I'm like, "Where's the piano music coming from?" Nice touch. I'm all relaxed I'm a touch typist with fairly large hands and I took to the keyboard like a duck to water. Every other netbook I tested at the store felt "funny" and cramped. No adjustment time needed with this one. The keys are ever so slightly curved but it's not an issue. As far as the sound, sure, we're talking tiny speakers but absolutely workable, loud enough and pretty full. Not as tinny as others.

The decision was down to two. Option 1: eee pc 1000HE. Option 2: Samsung N120. First thing I noticed once set up had finished and I was running the desktop, the screen brightness is great! I happen to like a nice bright screen and the 1000HE just didn't go high enough. I have a lot of sunlight in my office and even at Best Buy, the 1000HE was noticeably lower at the top setting. I know there are aftermarket tweeks that can be done but I'm a novice and don't want a software learning curve just to get my screen as bright as I want it.

The matte finish on the case is very attractive. Just try to find a finger print or smudge on it. Not gonna happen. The screen is glossy but, as others have said on the forum, it's not distracting. I'm sitting directly in front of a window with light on my face and, while reflections are present, they're definitely not overwhelming. I actually like the contrast of the glossy screen to the matte finish of the frame.

So, that's my initial out of the box impression of the N120. I've got a lot more playing to do before I have a time tested opinion but hopefully this has been an interesting read for some of you still considering this unit. Thanks to all the previous posts, I'm now a happy netbook owner!

 

lazipcode, glad to hear you're happy with it. I didn't even think to look at eBay last week. May I ask how much you got yours for?

I also narrowed my choices to: 1) PC1000HE; 2) MSI Wind U120; and 3) Ready to buy the NC10 Special Edition. Luckily I learned of the N120 before placing the order.

Got the notification from Amazon that my order shipped today. Woot! But it won't arrive until next Tuesday

 

Don't know where you live or if tax is an issue but Newegg has them in stock, order 2-day and you'd get it by Friday likely. I ordered Monday at midnight got it Friday with standard shipping, however my X460 came in 2 days from CA to FL.

 

I also instantly removed McAfee. I tried Avira, wanted to like it, but hated it constantly wanting to update then reboot. I removed Avira and installed Avast. It just runs in the background, only when it updates a little window pops up in the bottom corner, a woman's voice says it updated. Everything else (scans) run silent.

Goodbye little N120, it is time for your migration to Thailand, you'll be missed.

 

There is a slight curvature to the keys, but in my opinion for the most part they are pretty much flat.

There is a certainly a difference in typing especially if you are a fast touch typist. I find that I can zoom with the N120 vs the NC10 which wasn't really bad in and of itself. I am much happier with the larger keyboard.

Thanks for your take on the N120, I agree with your review and I think this is one of the best netbooks out there to date. There are those that will argue the matte vs glossy display comparison, but honestly unless you've used this thing you really can't just generalize and say the gloss screen is bad or the only thing wrong with the N120 as some have clearly done. Matte screens are great, but in my opinion the vivid colors and dark blacks you get on the gloss screen outweigh the minor amount of reflectiveness that you get. I've seen several reviews now and all of us have drawn the same conclusion this particuar glossy display just isn't like most other glossy screens which are like mirrors and so highly reflective. It seems to strike a good balance between being greatly vivid, yet not overly reflective.

I also think many miss the point on the subwoofer. We had one guy say that is dumb because it will vibrate the hard drive causing problems. It goes to show you that this persons perception was this thing was going to thump and bump, when in reality it just adds a bit deeper dimension to the sound only making especially music sound fuller.

Thanks and I hope folks will continue to keep their views on this great little netbook coming!

 

One if the very first things I'd recommend anyone doing that buys one of these is to immediately remove the resource hog McAfee.

Your conclusion about Avast is right on. I've tried several of these over the last few months in attempting to find the one that needs the least amount of attention, updates automatically and yet has a very small resource use footprint. AVG is okay, but it too always seems to require reboots and honestly doesn't offer the same level of protection in their free version as Avast.

I highly recommend Avast. I liked the free version so much, I ended up buying the family subscription, which covers my home server, and 10 additional PC's. I've got it on my netbook, desktop and another notebook, my son has it on a couple of his computers. The price was direct cheap and it gives a few extra protections related to networks etc. Probably not even necessary for most. It also fully supports Windows 7 for those you who are considering installing RC1.

 

Well, I ended up paying $470 total on ebay. A bit more than other sites but I was itching to get it quick No regrets so far.

 

My Buy.com order just got backordered this morning after waiting 2 days for it to ship. I cancelled.

 

I got mine last week. I LOVE it. What a difference over the NC10. The white matte finish is very nice. Can't say enough about the keyboard and mousepad, all that room down the bottom for the wrist is great. It's very comfortable to type on. They did fill it with a little more crapware -- Messenger, a few other things I took right off. I immediately upgraded to 2gb, and the battery is just so good. I do a 35 minute commute to and from work and power this up right away and it's lasted all week. I loaded Word, Excel and PPT and am running really good.

Amazon was very prompt, and the ebay seller I was getting it from was extremely kind to let me cancel. He was great, and I would buy from his site again.

Overall miles ahead of the HP or Dell, and an big upgrade from the NC10. Love it!

 

Anyone have a case for this. I have a neoprene case from Case Logic, but I was looking for a bit harder case. The one I had with the NC10 I sold, so...any other suggestions. It had some type of memory foam in it. Still want it light with protection.

Oh...the only thing I don't like--that slip thing that comes with it. It sort of sticks when you put the netbook in and out. I also wish they would have added an internal mobile broadband card ( But all else is fine.

So case suggestions anyone?

 

I'm in Calif. If I purchase from Newegg, not only sales tax is applied but there's also a 'Hazardous Waste Disposal' fee of about $8-$9 is also charged. That brings the total to over $510!!! Thanks to the existence of Amazon I save over $40.

LOL! You're send the N120 to Thailand? Why???

I agree with you both on Avast. I've used it for few years without complaint. It did miss detecting a malware that AVG found. But I really liked the auto-update that normally only comes with paid subscription. The only issue I had was Avast had some conflicts with Zone Alarm firewall (another great freebie). Now I'm using System Mechanic Pro at $40/year.

That's a great price considering how fast you received it. Congrats!

I'll like a hard case too but without the added weight. I guess the stickiness provides a better grip on the outside and lessens the slipping of the netbook inside when carrying it.

 

That's really weird... I've never had Avira ask to reboot. I'm running it 1 netbook, 2 notebooks, and 2 desktop PCs.

 

Thanks! I also found that after doing some google searching, but found the timing to be very touchy to actually get into the BIOS.

 

If you right click on the Avast icon, you can go into configuration or options and turn off the voice that announces updates.

 

I actually like the little thin sleeve that comes with the N120. I use it mainly for the purpose being able to just stick it inside my brief case or when bring it with me from office to office when on location. It certainly won't provide any real level of protection from drops, but does a good job of protecting it from scratches etc.

However, with all that said the case I use when I am traveling with it is the Targus TDC007US, which is actually an ultra mini laptop case. Seems to provide good protection has the place to bring your power adapter if you need too, also includes a shoulder strap (which I remove) and even a place to carry some papers or a thin manila folder. I got mine for $15 at Radio Shack, though I don't think they sell them anymore. The picture below make it look a lot bigger than it really is. Is is only slightly more bulky (better protection) than the cheesy case logic case.

Yeah everytime they update the virus engine it would ask for a reboot, which during the time I had it, seem to happen constantly. I think Avast is a much better product.

 

interesting. so you're saying that the n110 in fact has better battery life than the n120, despite samsung's claims of 9.5h for the n110 and 10.5h for the n120? you say you get 8h with the n120, how low long were you getting with the n110 or nc10 SE with the 5900 mah battery?

 

No, I am not saying the N120 has better battery life at all (though I don't actually have an N110 to test out to know for sure, so it may) I am simply saying in real time use that the best I've been able to get with the N120 is about 7 to 8 hours max. This is using power saver mode, with the display set to probably 4 (which is plenty brite)

Considering that the NC10 SE and the N110 both have the same battery and having owned the NC10 SE the battery life was in the range of 7 to 8 in power saver mode and display setting set to 4.

So, I think the N120 with its 5200 mAh battery will provide as much battery time as the N110 with a 5900 mAh if in fact it operates at about the same level as the NC10 SE. I am not sure how they have optimized the N120 to do that, but that is what I am getting and what I got on previous on the NC10 SE.

Too bad I couldn't have kept the NC10 SE a little longer for some realtime side by side battery testing and/or even trying that 5900 mAh battery on my NC120 to see how much better the battery life would be with it.

It is strange to me that they opted to go with the 5200 mAh instead of the 5900 mAh in the NC120 because I think that is the only way they would be able to get 9 or 10 hours with it.

 

Out of the N120 and NC20 which one should i go for?

I like the bigger screen on the NC20 but it seems the N120 has excellent sound quality, has anybody heard the sound on both the NC20 or N120, is there much of a difference?

 

Either one is good enough for me. That's almost like saving me $100 from NOT having to get an extra battery.

 

The bigger screen is nice and the Via chipset in some ways is a bit faster and in others not so much. I personally like the size lighter weight, along with better battery life and as you said the sound quality via the N120. I could have purchased the NC20, but opted for the N120 and it is a decision I've been very happy with.

I know for others having a bigger screen is more important that sound or better battery life and so the NC20 is certainly the best choice for them.

 

I got my N120 delivered in one day from Newegg. Yea.

I notice I can't remove the Bluetooth icon from the desktop. Anyone figure out how to remove it. I can start bluetooth config from systray or programs menu. I'd like to get it off desktop.

 

I got mine today from Newegg and got the memory from them as well. Installed it and all works well. I have loaded a ton of programs on it and so far everything is acting nicely. No glitches.

 

ah great! thanks for the info. i meant my question to mean that you thought the n110 (or nc10se) had better battery life than the n120, not the other way around. still got the answer i was looking for though. 7-8 hours of real life usage on both, so around equal.

like you, i'd love to know how they optimized the n120 to do that and why they didn't just use a 5900 mah battery for even longer battery life. i know i'd pay for it =]

 

Thanks very much for your reply, in the end i ordered the NC20 yesterday, i should get it today.

I've heard people like the NC20's bigger screen because it gives much less vertical scrolling than 10.1` netbooks, the sound quality is supposed to be quite decent on the NC20 louder than the NC10 though no subwoofer like the N120 so not quite as good.

Will probably pick up a N120 as well in the near future to compare them both nothing beats seeing them for yourself.

You say the Via chipset is faster on occasions, do you know how the Via chipset compares to netbooks using the intel gma chipset for games pre 2004?

Been looking on the net but there isn't much info just it's slightly slower though in real world performance terms i`m not sure if you will see much of a difference if any for older pre 2004 games.

 

Yeah I think it all boiled down to pricing point, which makes me wonder if initially they were going to include the 5900 mAh battery, but at the last minute opted to go with the cheaper 5200 mAh battery. I am pretty sure they try to produce them at a certain price point to be able to sell them at a certain price point as well.

Congrats on your purchase, I've love to hear what you think about the NC20 once you get it.

I do agree with you that the only real way to know for certain about some of the difference is to have them both and run them side by side. I was able to do that between the N120 and NC10 SE. Most folks automatically make the assumption that the matte display is better (I guess in the grand scheme of things that has always been the case) but in regards to the N120 I think the crisp vivid colors outweigh the low level of reflectiveness.

Now I did see John report that the NC20 was very reflective, I'd love to know how it compares to the N120 because in my comparison with the Acer Aspire One and HP 2140 the N120 was not even close to being as reflective. It was almost like those machines had a sheet of glass on the top of them.

In regards to the via chipset and pre 2004 games I really have no idea. Sorry!

 

My NC20 review includes comparisons with the NC10 including the various components of PCMark05. The NC20 is clearly ahead in 3DMark06 and (which didn't make the published review) comfortably ahead in 3DMark05 (326 to 241). However, it is debatable whether a 50% improvement in performance will turn a game from unusable to usable.

John

 

Got my n120 Wednesday and here are my two cents. This is my first netbook, so I have nothing to compare it to really, though I have seen an Asus 1000he in use.

Style:

+ The matte casing is extremely nice. Don't have to continuously wipe it off, plus I personally like matte casing more. The glossy screen is really not as glossy as it could be. it is nice and in the middle in terms of gloss, but I still probably would have preferred a matte screen though that may be because those are the only kinds of screens I have ever used. The gloss screen may grow on me with time.

+ The N120 may be a little wider than most netbooks, but in my opinion it is worth it. I like to have something to grab onto, but at the same time you can't really notice it is wider unless you are comparing it to another netbook side by side. It isn't too thick, like most other netbooks if maybe a little thinner. Not noticeable at least. And the 6 cell battery fits perfectly in there and doesn't bulge out unattractively.

Performance:
+ I upgraded to 2gb Ram right out of the box. The computer is nice and fast for its size.

+ The keyboard is nice and big, and the trackpad is amazing, not too fast and not too slow though I prefer to use a mouse. If I didn't have one, the trackpad would suffice just fine.

+ I've had no problems with my bluetooth or nano logitech vx. Both connect easily and have no problems in that regard. The sound, in my opinion, is what you would expect with a netbook. It can get loud enough to hear it, but really I have nothing to compare to. Though in the end I can more than live with the sound, very nice.

+ The battery is somewhat schizo, leaving me with drastically different times and different percentages. Though I would say I can get a good 8 hours out of it just creating word documents, searching the web and checking my email, maybe even listening to music.

+ My only problem here was trying to create a network with my existing laptop. I struggled for 4 hours before I gave up. This may be to my lack of computer knowledge, or it just may have been a problem with my 7 year old laptop. In either case I'll try that again later

Software :

+ There is some bloatware on the computer, though everything is useful. I would agree with others here and say get rid of McAfee right away, don't hesitate, and pick up something like AVG or Avast.

+ Running Daemon tools for a virtual optical drive works great with the ISOs I create from my laptop. This lets me install anything from a cd in form of ISO. In any case it works great and have had no problems. Daemon tools is very lite and has no footprint really. I did set it to not start up on my start up though.

+ Itunes works great, Napster works great, and Downloading is the still fast.

+ Every program I have installed or run has performed very well, but I haven't tried to run anything I know that a netbook can't handle.

Gaming :

+ I have installed Unreal Tournament GOTY, Unreal Gold, Fallout Tactics, Jagged Alliance 2, Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, Starcraft, and Sins of a Solar Empire. With everything on medium or low (sometimes even high) these games will run great. I got the first 4 of my games from GOG.com as most everything on there will run on the netbook and everything is DRM free and under $10!!

+ I haven't installed Steam, but am going to avoid it if I can just for the footprint aspect and startup aspect. Though I have heard and seen it work well on netbooks as long as the game you are playing will work.

+ Most games from 2004 and before will work. Just check the specs and make sure the netbook can handle the recommended specs. Most 3d things can be accommodated for.

Overall :

I highly recommend this netbook. I give it two thumbs up, 5 stars our of 5 and any other perfect marks I can. I'm glad I purchased this netbook as my first.

 

Another great personal review! I LOVE IT!

I think you started out with one of the best netbooks on the market today!

I have purchased and used prior to giving them to staff, Acer Aspire Ones, Asus Eee PC 1000HE, HP 2140, Samsung NC10 SE and so I have a good reference in terms of most of the better netbooks out there and in my opinion the N120 out shines them all in terms of the keyboard and sound wise. Plus as you said the glossy display really isn't nearly as glossy as others that are out there. I think like me it will indeed grow on you as I was totally pro matte prior to getting it.

Thanks for your review!

 

I got mine a week ago and really like it also. I especially like the keyboard. I plug in my AT&T usb modem and I'm good to go anywhere.

I upgraded the memory to 2gb. Didn't notice a difference yet, but I'm not using it with tons of apps running, etc.

Anyone upgrade the hard drive on this system or know where procedures for doing so are located?

 

You have to take all the screws out of the bottom of the machine except the one for the memory. Then slow pry the case open working your way all around it. Once inside you can get to the HD.

There's actually an empty mini PCI-e slot inside that's labeled for HSDPA and there's even a SIM card slot inside the system. So you might be able to set it up for internal 3G access.



Also, as you can see the .1 "subwoofer" is basically a joke.

 

Thanks for the information! Can you confirm that the HSDPA function actually works with AT&T and has anyone actually used this? What software or configuration would allow using the HSDPA/AT&T broadband function?

Will look at upgrading the HD with a spare 320GB I have. Thanks

 

Well after using a considerable number of these netbooks, I have to say this particular model with that subwoofer certainly is the loudest and more full sounding than any of the others. So, I hardly see where it is a joke, unless you are comparing it to a 10" subwoofer on a car or home stereo system.

 

so i'm sure this is already well addressed but how is the n120 glossy screen outside in sunlight vs that of the matte n10? i had a special edition on order that was cancelled and have been waiting to find a way to get an SE based on matte preference in screen but if they've managed to put out a glossy that still has reasonable anti glare i'd be open to it.

 

No idea on this one. I've never looked into it. I assume you would need to get the hardware and software from another netbook or notebook that has 3G capability.

I plan to put my 500GB 5400 RPM SATA drive in mine once one my Intel SSD comes. The Intel SSD will replace the 500GB that's currently in one of my other notebooks.

 

You know I've never tried this thing outside, but I will do that and let you know. Maybe some others that already have will chime in before I get too. It suppose to be rainy and cloudy all day tomorrow, so I don't know if I'll get around to it then or not.

I know in all the other areas I've used mine, which has been coffee shops, hotel rooms, various offices, home etc, I've had no issue with the glossy display being to reflective. It does seem like I remember someone saying they felt it wasn't bright enough for outdoor use, but that may have been on the NC20.