Wednesday, Dec. 02, 2009

Samsung Go

Instead of the square, rigid look that characterizes most other netbooks, this model, designed by the internationally celebrated Naoto Fukasawa, features soft, rounded edges meant to evoke a "pebble worn down by wind and waterfall." You could leave this playful-looking gizmo around your living room without turning the space into an office. The toylike feel extends to the exterior: in contrast to the minimalist Apple logo that adorns MacBooks, Samsung's netbook splashes the company's name, in large letters, across the top. Inside, the netbook is big on battery power, set up to last nine hours on a full charge. You can check the battery level and adjust power-conservation settings easily with well-designed function keys that make it easy to make your way around the keyboard, one of the best on the netbooks we tested. One annoying quirk is that rather than featuring the usual left- and right-click buttons below the trackpad, the Go has a single bar meant to serve both functions. Several programs come with the Go, including Samsung's Magic Doctor, which tries to help with random Microsoft glitches and application crashes.

Price: $350

Weight: 2.8 lb.