Samsung N120 - Now Available

Have you tried installing it? may work

 

Went to Samsung UK. Not listed as software for the N110 (software downloads section). Clicked on to the N120 and it was there as a download.

After the zip files started to extract, a warning popped up that this model did not support the software. Guess thats why it wasn't listed in the N110 bit!

I find it odd, as the two models are the same pc with one just having a bigger chasis (in real terms).

So......... answered my own question eventually! Seems exclusive to the N120.

 

A Samsung rep in the Netherlands said only the BIOS of the N120 supports the feature.

 

Wonder if I can update my bios? I'm now getting in over my level of knowledge... but I can't see why Samsung would just have the software on one and not the other.

Thanks for your help,Phil

 

I would certainly not recommend updating the N110 with N120 BIOS.

Better search for third party battery managers that may offer similar functionality.

 

Anyone running Windows 7 RC on this system have an issue with sound? Specifically, I can't get sound through the headphone jack. I used the native Windows 7 drivers and the Samsung drivers from their site. thanks

 

The "High Definition Audio Codec" driver from the Realtek website works perfectly with the audio system of the N120. It's the first download on the list here: http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/

I have full functionality of the sound system including the headphone jack and all 3 speakers.

 

This Month's PC World (June 2009) page 65 describes using your netbook as an E-Book reader. If you click on Display Settings you will see options for rotation - so the netbook screen can be rotated 270 degrees.. Microsoft has a free reader at microsoft.com/reader

 

Is anyone with W7 RC able to adjust their brightness?

 

That is what I am using and the sound is great with no issues. I've been very pleased with the volume and the overall fullness of the sound with that little so called subwoofer, better than any of the 4 other netbooks I've purchased.

Yes mine adjust with no problem. fn and the page up and page down key will change it.

 

I've been researching for a while now about which netbook to get. I was pretty sold on the nc10, but then I saw the n120. I like it but the keyboard bothered me. For those who do have the n120, can you let me know if the different placement of those certain keys bother you? Thanks.

 

You guys need to appreciate how easy access you have to new products. After being unable to get hold of a black NC10 in South Africa, I had messed around long enough for the N120 to be released. I ordered that on 22 May and should receive between 1 and 8 May according to the supplier. This may be the first one in the country as Samsung has not yet released the model here.

Would anybody be able to point me to a step by step guide to instal XP and Win 7 on a dual boot system for the technically impared?

If this does not exist could anybody that has done it already (e.g. OTACORB) possibly post a list of all the additional drivers etc. that need to be loaded to ensure that all features work 120% in Win 7?

Thanks in advance.

 

I think people tend to make a big deal out of nothing. Which primary keys are in the wrong place? I've seen a few folks mention the windows key and tilde, but how often does one use those keys to the point that it would hinder ones ability to touch type? My opinion.... Not one bit!

 

That's interesting...

Most of my fn + combination keystrokes don't work (except for going to sleep, sound, touchpad, and home and end.)

 

Hi, I've read this thread and searched the forums about "non-square" pixels on the N120. I've read some reviews that complain about circles being elipsies and squares being rectangles. Can any of you who own a N120 confirm this? I'm in the middle between the NC10 and the N120...I'm a little OCD when it comes to my displays though. Thanks.

 

Yes, I've read this and I've even measured. While I can confirm the measurements, I myself see no ellipsis that are suppose to be circles or squares that are rectangles.

Why is it that only a couple of people have noticed this and yet there are hundreds of reviews personal and professional and NOT one mention of this by any of those folks. I can tell you why it is because they do not see it. It is so slight that it simply does not impact ones ability to use the computer.

I am NOT OCD and if you are going to buy this thing and have to test out every box, graphic, text that you read, then you'll just drive yourself nuts don't get it. Thank GOD I have no such issues, instead I can just enjoy this great netbook. In my opinion this so called issue is a non-issue and honestly the larger keyboard, more full sound, battery extender outweigh it by far.

 

OTACORB, thanks for your information. From the screen shots I've seen I haven't noticed anything either but I just thought I would check with someone who owns one. I am in agreement with you on all the pluses of the N120 like the keyboard, sound and also the matte finish of the case. Thanks...and I didn't mean to upset up you

 

I am not upset it just always amazes me that folks will key on what 2 people have said vs hundreds that have never mentioned it. One guy even sent his back because he just couldn't handle it, I couldn't help but laugh that someone would be so OCD (as you put it) that something no one else can see would drive him to do such a thing. I think often times it is more of the idea than the reality. No doubt folks should have all the information to make the best choice for themselves. Anyway I think you'll enjoy the N120, I know I do!

I do agree that matte case is a huge plus because having had so many of these with the shiny fingerprint magnet surface while it didn't drive me nuts, I did find myself having to wipe it down several times a day and with the matte finish I don't have to worry about it at all. LOL

 

After much deliberation and study I have purchased a white samsung n120 for my wife. I am starting to feel envious already .

Is there a list of tips specifically for the n120? Themes such as "How to stream line the computer"; "Is more RAM necessary?"; "How to add RAM or change the hard drive" etc...

If there is no such list, can we develop one? Or maybe there is a list for another sammy that would work with the n120?

Thank you very much!

 

I know this isn't exactly what you were looking for but I created a Word document and then went through every posting on this forum - I copied and pasted postings of interest for future reference.

 

so i haven't been quite as pleased with the battery as i thought i'd be. i don't know much on the topic as this has been the first laptop i've really made regular portable use out of.

i always thought putting it in standby maintained the battery pretty much the same as shutting it off. i put it in standby for about 8 hours fresh off a full charge and when i turned it back on it had already lost 10%. does that seem right?

 

I would expect standby to use even more power.

I always use hibernation.

John

 

The system will use power in standby. When it is in hibernation, or turned off it does not.

 

well an even dumber question then, when in hibernation, how do you turn it back on? i haven't tried it out in the longest time and seem to recall when i put it in that mode i couldn't get it back on and had to actually remove the battery to restart.

 

by pressing the power button..

 

Correct and it will appear to be booting as normal, except it will say Resuming Windows and of course you will be able to take up where you left off.

 

I think it's possible to set it to automatically hibernate when it's been in standby for longer than 30 minutes. That's a good way to do it.

 

Yes, I have mine set to standby after so long and then beyond that it will automatically go into hibernation. In XP or Win 7 that is how it is automatically setup unless one has changed the defaults.

Many people thing like a desktop if you press any key it will wake up, but on these netbooks and notebooks (newer ones anyway) it does require that you hit the power button to bring it back to life.

 

Trusted Reviews have posted a comprehensive review of the N120.

John

 

Hm not the typical 9/10 they normally give samsung netbooks STILL really good though

Yes!! Finally good speakers though thats awesome this will make youtube on the go pretty tight im glad to hear......kinda weird though that this has awesome speakers but the Q320 is average haha

 

Review by Laptopmag: "With a roomy keyboard and more than 7 hours of battery life, this netbook is a winner."
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/samsung-n120.aspx?page=1

I wonder how they came up with "1024 x 600 resolution higher than most netbooks".
Edit: Lol it was not a typo, the actually meant it: "The 10.1-inch screen delivers a native resolution of 1024 x 600, which is a welcome change from several netbooks we’ve seen recently with 1024 x 576 panels".

 

I'm sure that some manufacturers have taken to putting 16:9 displays in netbooks. After all, isn't this what the customers want?

John

 

I thought it was a cost saving measure.

 

BTW, I see there are 2 updates showing in the Samsung Update manager.

Paul - UK

 

so if i'm getting maybe around 4 hours of battery time total, should i be concerned i have a faulty battery or was i just expecting too much? i'm on an outlet most of the time so it's not much of an issue but i've seen the n120 advertised with up to 9 hours of life so i'm not sure what to think of it. 9 hours on minimum settings? i keep my brightness maxed out, internet on, winamp playing a good amount, and that's about it.

 

Burman, what does RMClock say your fully charged capacity is?

 

Yes. The 9 hours is with maximum power saving.

Maximum display brightness uses a lot of power. You can learn a lot by looking at the power drain when running on battery. Use RMclock or Mobilemeter (which draws a useful graph) and see how the power varies with different usage conditions such as display brightness, wireless on/off, Winamp on/off, web browser open/closed. Note that flash, which clutters many web pages, is a resource hog and any animated flash adverts can drain the battery while the web page is open, even if you go off line. I use Firefox with Flashblock to reduce this problem.

John

 

I forgot that I started this thread a while back.
I went out and bought a dell studio xps 13

which I am now looking to sell for either the N120 or the new acer 11.6 inch that is not out yet.

the 11.6inch acer has a 1.2ghz solo core processor with 250gb of hard drive..

Can the N120 handle HD Video?

 

Atom + GMA950 can play 720p with CoreAVC. It's can't play 1080p not Youtube HD.

What Acer is that?

 

http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/07/acers-11-6-inch-aspire-one-goes-legit/


Link to it there.. it is available for PRE-ORDERS but it is not out yet.. but I think it has a slower 1.3 processor

The N120 cannot play youtube hd?

Kinda sad.. but not a deal breaker

I plan to hook up an external dvd drive to burn dvd's and dual layer +R's.. should be okay?

 

Actually it's been out for a while. I wrote a review here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=384275

No problem.

 

Two Questions:

Can you buy something that goes over the 10inch screen to make it more anti-glare?

Is the 10inch screen hard to read? Do you have to move your face forward to see anything? or should i buy the slower NC20 for the 12 inch screen?

 

The 10" screen has bigger pixels so the default font size is bigger. However, there is less real estate than the 12.1" display.

John

 

Anyone ever speed tested the wired network capability of their N120?

Mine seems dismal. If I can believe the performance application, it's copying data over my network at 2.3Mbyte/sec average. Task manager shows 77-80% network utilization and CPU usage is about between 15-20%.

How can ~20Mbit/sec be 80% network utilization of a 100Mbit/sec link, and why does it use so much CPU?

 

What happens if you copy a big file? Try zipping up all that material into one file.

John

 

These were 4+GB ISO files, so small files weren't the cause. I also have a 500GB 5400 RPM WD HD in my N120, so that's not the limitation either. Copying from an external USB 2.0 HD is gets about 35Mbyte/sec, which is the max for USB external HD's.

I have a full gigabit network with a HP Procurve switch, I can pull >10x that no problem with my desktop machines. My two other notebooks with 100Mbit/sec Ethernet are also much, much faster.

 

Hope this forum isn't dead so thought I would ask if anyone is using G Data Internet Security? It was just reviewed in PC World and got very high marks.

 

Maybe it's been posted already, but notebookcheck have a review of the N120. It seems to be a mechanical translation of the original in German, but is intelligible and contains some useful data.

John

 

anyone tried a 720p video mkv or avi reduced to fit with cccp or mplayer?

 

I have an N120 review unit and the review should be up this week - keep an eye on the front page.

So far I'm very impressed - I have managed over eight hours of battery life and it has great quality. Coming off of a Lenovo S12, the keyboard is not as good but still very impressive given the size of this machine.