Review Roverbook Neo U101 Netbook

    It just so happened that the niche of netbooks is now haunting anyone - neither manufacturers nor customers. Every day they announce something new, release, improve, invent ... But not always the news “from the oven” comes to me. Today I’ll talk about what was just there. Well, not always fresh models come across :)

    image

    So, meet me - a netbook with partially domestic roots. Roverbook Neo U101 ! Detailed review, traffic .

    The device went on sale last year, in the era of the dawn of netbooks as a class. Therefore, to some extent, the Roverbook Neo U101 can be considered a competitor to the Asus EeePC 701. Now, of course, both models are outdated, however, even for them, due to the attractive price, they can find many applications.

    image

    The competitive model from Asus was covered on the network in sufficient detail, therefore, you can compare these two models, relying also on my review.

    The heart of the netbook is an AMD Geode LX800 processor with a clock frequency of 500 MHz - it has a built-in graphics processor, 128KB of L2 cache. The machine is equipped with a 60GB PATA hard drive and 512 megabytes of DDR memory. The image is displayed on a matte 10.2-inch TFT-screen with a resolution of 1024x600 (16: 9). Netbook comes preloaded with ASPLinux OS, however, the supplied disk contains all the necessary drivers for switching to a more familiar system. Of the interesting features, the built-in Wi-Fi module and the PCIMCIA slot can be noted. Well, now that I have briefly introduced the essence of the matter, I propose to get acquainted with how everything really is.

    Equipment


    In a small colorful box with a convenient carrying handle, in safe foam for transportation, the following items were hidden:
    - Netbook Roverbook Neo U101 ;
    - AC adapter and power cord;
    - Detailed documentation in Russian;
    - Disks with software.

    image

    As for the documentation - once again I note it. As an example to other instructions, it contains all the necessary information - on the device, on safety of use, on care, on solving problems, etc. There is even a glossary of terms! Naturally, all this is in our native language.
    The adapter should also be noted - it has a “mouse-like” shape and a small green LED. He has a removable fork, which is apparently done for a more compact size during transportation.

    image

    Appearance


    The appearance that the Neo U101 netbook has, it was possible to surprise someone a couple of years ago; Today it’s the easiest netbook to design. Primitive angular shapes, clear edges ... but overall it all looks pretty good.
    Matte paint is not as susceptible to prints, although susceptible. Weighing 1.2 kg (with battery), the dimensions of the device are (in mm) 260 × 195 × 33. Very compact.
    On the top cover, in addition to the large silver logo of the company, there is nothing. A similar minimalism prevails on the opposite side - there is nothing apart from the battery locks (Li-polymer, 3800mAh capacity, 7.4V), the system compartment and 4 rubberized legs.

    image

    The top of minimalism is the back side of the netbook, there is nothing at all :)

    image

    On the left side there is only a power connector and a PCIMCIA slot, into which you can put a lot of interesting things. I believe that this is a very successful addition to the netbook and only for this you can put a separate plus in the results.
    On the opposite, right side, there are much more functional elements. Among them are a card reader (MS / MMC / SD / SDHC), two USB ports (2.0), a VGA port for connecting an external monitor, a network 100-megabyte RJ-45 hole and a lock hole. Separately, I note the presence of a built-in Wi-Fi module and the fact that there is a sufficiently large distance between USB ports, which can help to avoid many inconveniences with connecting external devices.

    image

    On the front side there is a button for turning on the netbook (located on the left) and two audio sockets for connecting headphones and a microphone. In addition, six small and partially unnecessary indicators are visible.

    Opening the netbook (this is done no more than 150 degrees), you can see the very picture that many expect from EeePC - a matte screen (10.2 ”, 1024 × 600) and a thin matte frame around it. In this case, the frame is solid (but, it seems, not metal), so you can not worry about the screen. A good webcam is located above it, through which you can communicate reasonably on Skype. There are also built-in speakers (below the screen) and a microphone. The speakers, by the way, have very good sound, but in all netbooks I prefer to insert headphones - it is strange that no one puts them in the package.

    image

    Keyboard- she's so ... IBM-style) square buttons. Latin letters are white, Russian is yellow, and Fn functions are blue. It’s quite possible to print - the layout is pretty good. But there are also unpleasant moments, the most obvious of which is the left-handed Ctrl and Fn. Show me the person who invented it) I would also swap the right Shift and End, as well as a large Enter would replace with a "small + slash". F1-F12 would also be nice to separate a small gap.

    image

    Touchpad- It is not multi-touch, but the most common. From the same material as the whole body. What is nice - not pressed into the device’s case, so the dust will only be in the gap between the case and the touchpad. It is quite convenient to use it, only in the dark it is not so easy to “detect” because it is tactilely the same as the rest of the case.
    In the presence of two separated buttons of small height - the click is soft and quiet, very convenient. But still, sometimes there is a slight lack of size.

    Inclusion and work


    The netbook turns on unusually (I'm used to the button under the screen) - moving the "lever" to the left. The operating system (Windows XP) boots in about 40-45 seconds, which is pretty good. As for the operating system - initially there was ASPLinux, which it was immediately decided to replace with the usual OS.

    image

    On the network, I met information that the netbook starts to “whistle” when connected via an AC adapter. In my instance, such a phenomenon was not observed, but what I understood - I met this in other devices. So, usually the device does not whistle, but the adapter itself) So, if you have such a phenomenon, look for a more expensive “breadwinner”.

    Performance


    Everything would have been quite nice if this parameter of this laptop didn’t limp on both legs. More precisely, I’ll say this - it is limping on both legs in synthetic computational tests, but in everyday work it performs quite well. Therefore, we can conclude that the stumbling block is the central processor.
    In order not to be unfounded - here's the video where the operating system boots up - you can see that the download speed is not inferior to other, more powerful netbooks. Work in a file manager, Internet surfing - all this more than works reasonably well. But here are the tests ... :)



    So, the first thing I did was run the SuperPi 1.5 test - a program that forces the computer to read the Pi number to the desired decimal place. Throughout the world, it is customary to conduct this test to the millionth mark, which I did, after calculating all the smaller values.

    image

    As you can see, the result does not shine at all, more than 6 minutes - I have not seen anything like this. Modern netbooks do this a little faster - on average, for one and a half to two minutes. By the way, the world record at the moment is 6.75 seconds from our compatriot, DeDaL .

    The next test, which I compare the performance of netbooks and laptops, is the program CPUFreeBenchmark 2.2 . CPU based netbooksThe Intel Atom 280 passes the test in 60-70 seconds, but the U101 took ... no more, no less - 263 seconds .

    image

    Do not stir speed perfection and built-in hard disk MHW2060AT from the company the Fujitsu - the program HDTune 3.50 maximum speed was equal to 27.2 mb / c (on the average - 22.2, at least -. 4.4 Graph linear read quite strange, restless - like a hard drive was worried before the test)

    image

    image

    So it goes!

    Control weighing


    Pros
    - Small size and weight;
    - Strong matte case with a good build, matte screen;
    - Convenient touchpad, large distance between USB ports;
    - Almost silent work;
    - The most detailed documentation;
    - Adequate price (from 9000 rubles);
    - Beautiful girl-designer in the main office

    Cons
    - Small keys - you will not especially accelerate;
    - Left Fn and Ctrl are interchanged;
    - Low productivity;
    - Pre-installed ASPLinux;
    - Short battery life (2.5 hours).

    Total


    In my opinion, to compare this netbook with what is now appearing on the market is silly. It was relevant when the class of netbooks was just born, with the advent of Asus EeePC 701 - it's just that I was late with the review. I must say that although this is the first netbook from Rover, it turned out to be very good - at least in comparison with 701 I like it more and it doesn’t have many mistakes made by a pioneering competitor. And if now the 701th model costs from 6000, then the price of 9000 rubles for U101 (for PCMCIA, a brushed metal case, a larger screen and other little things), I think is quite adequate.
    For texts, chatter in ICQ, listening to music and for leisurely surfing in the internet, this device is more than suitable therefore it can be considered as a cheap alternative. If something more resource-intensive is required, then be careful - high expectations will not justify themselves.
    If Rover will continue to bear their difficult cross, then I think they still have a bright future. I will follow the news, enough to live by stereotypes)

    Good luck!

    Also popular now: