Samsung GO N310-13GB 10.1-Inch Midnight Blue Netbook - 9 Hour Battery Life (Reg. $479.00/$479.00)

First Impressions Mike Krath #08-29-2009

I own and use both a Toshiba Satellite notebook for windows applications and a Macbook Pro for apple applications (I prefer a separate windows machine over rebooting into boot camp and also for the additional hard drive space for my multimedia applications).

Recently I saw the netbooks at a local department store, and asked myself why I would want one. The reasons boiled down to:

1. Long battery life.
2. Portability.
3. Light-weight.
4. Ability to play Netflix on-demand movies.
5. Ability to play Real Arcade games (or similar web-based games).
6. Solid build.
7. Somewhat decent speakers for listening to Rhapsody or other subscription based music programs.
8. Responsive speed for Microsoft Word 2003 (not 2007).
9. Chatting with my children who are away at college.

I then went on a week-long research into the different machines, read the reviews, played with them at the store, typing to see which one would fit my large hands, listening to the sound, picking them up to see how they felt in my hand, and how much they weighed. I didn't care if they had the Atom N270 or N280 processor as long as they met my criteria listed above. At first, I didn't care if the 10.1" screen was at 1024 x 600 or 1366 x 768. But after a bit, I began to prefer the 1024 x 600 resolution over the reduced, but sharp, images of the 1366 x 768. With the 1024 x 600, I didn't have to get close to the screen to see what was being displayed. And since I have a tendency to write short paragraphs when composing my next trash-can masterpiece, I preferred seeing part of the page of Microsoft Word over the whole page.

I finally settled on the Samsung Go (Midnight Blue) mainly due to form and the fact that I like Midnight Blue. And the reviews I read seemed to indicate that it would meet all the criteria I listed above.

The first thing I noticed when I lifted the unit out of the box was the way it felt. It has a slight rubber feel to it, and it was a little heavier than (as my wife pointed out) her Macbook Air. But for what I was used to carrying around, it felt great. The keyboard was also large enough for comfortable typing, although, I kept hitting the "=" key instead of the "Back Space" key when I want to correct my spelling errors. This is something that I know I'll get used to -- not correcting spelling errors -- but learning where the keys are when I am typing on a smaller keyboard.

The first thing I did was charge the battery up to 100% as instructed. It didn't take long as the battery already had a charge when I received the unit. I then begin to redownload my Real Arcade games to test them out. So far Luxor 3 and Rebound Lost Worlds have run like a charm. I also installed Starcraft, and didn't have, or expected, any problems running it. I installed Yahoo Messenger and chatted with my children. Made a YouTube video with the included CyberCam. Installed and played around with Microsoft Office 2003 Professional without any problems. I watched two Netflix movies and noticed only a slight stutter in some frames, probably due to the wireless connection (how far I was from the router). When I plugged in the Ethernet cable from the router, I had no problems at all watching the movies. But it wasn't enough of a performance difference that I wouldn't be just as satisfied watching movies using only the wireless connection.

All in all I'm quite pleased with the purchase, and am happy that I selected this netbook as my first netbook.

Now to my only quibble, and it isn't really much, but the sound is...well...tinny. But with headphones, it is quite nice and bearable. I installed SRS Audio for additional enhancement, and although it helped some, for a netbook, I felt it was the best I could do. For watching YouTube videos or chatting or casual game playing without headphones, the audio is adequate. And since I wasn't expecting an audiophile experience when I bought the Samsung Go, I am more than pleased with what sound quality it musters.

So far, my rating is five stars. If anything changes, I'll come back and revamp my review.

And one last thing -- the battery life is amazing. I have seen five hours so far, and I keep running the cursor over the battery icon to see how much more battery life is left. It's more than enough battery life for my portable needs.

Just the Ticket for Travel Thomas Pitts #09-11-2009

This is the third netbook our household has purchased. The Samsung is far and away the best of the lot (previous: Asus and Lenovo). The keyboard is outstanding and the main reason I selected this model. There is a Ctrl button on both sides. The keys are fully separate from one another. This is as close to a full-sized keyboard I've used. Very little hunt and peck, unlike the previous machines.

The Samsung is unbelievably quiet. Even when the fan runs it is virtually inaudible. This is a big plus for me. I disagree with criticism offered by some others of the display. Even though it isn't non-glare there is very little reflection in the glass; there is actually more in the black plastic surrounding the display. The image is crystal clear and doesn't have the fuzziness sometimes associated with non-glare glass. Very bright and sharp.

I upgraded the memory to 2 gb and this is a modest cost that is well worth it. A simple exchange of modules does the trick. Overall the machine is quite speedy for what it is; I use a Verizon modem when away from home or a free WiFi site and get very good results. The internal WiFi card is very fast.

All in all, exactly what I was hoping for: a very light, compact, well-designed machine with an excellent keyboard, to take on my trips out of town one or more times a month. The overall performance is very good.

Highly recommended.

One Word: Amazing Matthew J. Copeland #07-30-2009

I can't express how happy I am with this product. The battery easily lasts 9 hours in battery saver mode, probably 6 or so in regular mode, which to me is great. The keyboard with raised keys is cool and easy to type on even with my slightly big hands. The glossy screen i thought would bother me but it's quite beautiful. It is not only aesthetically pleasing, but the casing is very durable and has a good strong feel especially for such a light machine. All in All, I think this computer is awesome.

Awesome Netbook, Best laptop so far from spec view. Mike Lim "Mike E. Li #08-24-2009

This Product is better than any other netbook compare by the design, I've notice it has Surround and WOW sound system. The sound system can bring more bass as default and echo setting for headset plug. The Picture will be bright, but you can fix the settings. The battery system control option like 80% charge setting to Increase your battery life and that a cool feature. We all know li-ion loses its battery power 15 to 25% after a year. also, the keyboard is fairly close to a regular keyboard length which that is a plus for me. The battery which is 8850mah that includes giving that boost so the cooling will be better. Great Buy, I wonder why other store had not shown this product as display but its worth not seeing it until you own it. Netbook has Webcam that runs smooth. Im still using 1GB about to upgrade to 2 GB, But it still runs smooth after installing word 07 default mcafee antivirus. yeah This is awesome Netbook,With nice texture and nice feel that it wont seem to slip off your hand easier. Love the Design, compare to other mini Sony and hp.

Practical Netbook Implementation J. Boyer #11-02-2009

I've looked at a number of netbooks, and most either have a dinky, unreadable screen, an unusable keyboard, or the construction looks very cheap. Samsung took these things into consideration when they created this model. The screen is sharp and bright, easy to read, the keyboard is adult sized, and the unit looks and feels solid.

I bought this unit for the wife to take to Europe so we can keep in touch without making AT&T rich, with the intention of loading Linux on it when she got back. However, Samsung's configuration of XP Home is good enough to keep using it as-is. The wireless simply works -- once you select an access point, you type in the encryption key and off it goes. The touchpad can actually be configured -- you can turn off the taps, have it disabled while typing, or even turn it off completely. And you can also zoom the screen with two fingers a la iPhone technique.

Like all OEM window loads, there is lots of extra crap installed that can be deleted to save space. It has Bluetooth and it apparently works with all sorts of things from earpieces to Crackberries. It even worked with my Bluetooth GPS, but sadly, not my iPhone. If you really don't need Bluetooth, disabling the auto startup speeds up the computer just a tad.

So far I've installed two different SIP phone clients, Open Office and Netstumbler, as well as the drivers and utilities for a Nikon point-n-shoot camera. Everything has worked without issue thus far.

Pros:

Solid unit with a unique coating on the case to make it easy to hang on to.
Wireless and touchpad drivers are not the stripped generic variety.
Battery life is pretty decent.

Cons:

AC adapter gets pretty darned hot.
Frequent / annoying pop-ups for security, driver and Windows updates.
Updates sometimes crash / fail to install.
Some preloaded software packages are only good for a certain period of time or pester you about buying the deluxe version.

Samsung Go net book Lawrence A. Glickman #11-27-2009

What can I say, this netbook was the one I chose after researching the whole category thoroughly. I am extremely pleased. It has been flawless so far. I have added the 2gb upgrade and used the Samsung drive to load up all my software preferences.(perfect package) I cloned most of my main laptop's data and programs and with a few hiccups it digested and runs all of them well. I also bought earbuds with a mic for skype and it works great including the video webcam in the unit. The sound is decent with SRS for small speakers but to hear it best you need exterior speakers or good earbuds. The case, keyboard and quality in general are first rate.

I paid more than some others with similar specs but I'm glad I did. It rocks! Note: I believe that the XP home operating system is most appropriate for these units. It comes with a 3 month freebie of McAfee which is OK as a virus checker and it also has a decent spam filter that sits inside Outlook if you are running office. My preference is webroot anti-virus and spyware software. So on this unit I added [...] free download as McAfee is weak on the spyware side.

Spend a couple of bucks more and get this unit!!

Larry

great netbook!! Danny P. Matthews #11-25-2009

Just received this today on 11/24/09. and i must say what a great netbook. I previously owned the toshiba and sold it to a friend didn't like the frame around the screen (it was brown with diagonal lines) i thought it was to distracting when watching movies. so back to this. love the keyboard it has a textured feel to it and when pressed felt more solid. unlike the toshiba the keyes were smooth and loose feeling. the screen is "edge to edge" glass which looks more appealing also the glare is not as evident as the toshiba which was bad with reflections. the outer "shell" is rubberized therefore will not show fingerprints as such and you can keep a good grip on it when carrying it around. Hooking up to the internet was flawless. My only complaint would be where the memory card is placed into the computer it will not "clic" all the way inside it sticks out approximatly 1/2". the toshiba's was flush when inserted all the way.

I did upgrade to a 2GB crucial memory stick and purchased the caselogic neoprene case.

Samsung GO C. Gwynn #11-22-2009

I have had my little Samsung GO! for over a month and really like how compact and light weight it is and easy to use. The battery life is amazing. I wish I could offer up more technical advice and specs but I'm a Mac user and very new to using a PC. I needed a smaller and lighter laptop to bring on my travels and this really seems to be the ticket. I would definitely recommend it.

Love this little computer Jose P. Gonzales "jo #11-16-2009

I loved this little computer the minute I opened up the box. It's all I need for my emailing, web browsing, music listening(I bought an iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker for $19.99 and it sounds great!)and Skype-ing! It works perfectly! So far, I don't have a negative thing to say about this netbook (I've only had it for a month)!

sacrifice for portability J. Shin "cracked PDA #12-11-2009

Got mine couple of weeks ago and bought the external DVD drive for additional $50 (very good price and comes in handy). Everything works out of the box with no messy setup needs, Windows 7 starter seems slow, guess it's the processor itself. My main computer is a fast Lenovo laptop with discreet graphics so this unit is DEFINITELY slow in comparison. If you intend to do any processor or graphics intensive work, than DO NOT buy a netbook (any netbook) as you will be sorely disappointed. The ONLY reason, in my opinion, of buying a netbook is to have something light to carry outside of office/home for internet and typical MS Office software (or similar) use. The small size does feel restrictive after a while and the small screen is a strain. The level of brightness does not approach that of regular laptops (maybe it's just this particular brand but I don't think so). The most aggravating thing for me is the lack of responsiveness of the cursor. There is an annoying lag between your cursor movement and the actual response on the screen. It's a killer fault as far as how really useful this netbook is for me. Yes, I can stand the irritation for short uses but it's too much if it is intended to be be your primary computer.
The small size and good battery life make this netbook great for use on travels (which is the intent for my purchase) but the obvious shortcomings make it far from ideal for use as a primary computer. So buy it for what it's intended for, and don't be fooled by it's cuteness.

A great, stylish little netbook Mr. A. Seabright #11-15-2009

I'm really happy I purchased this netbook. It has a great screen, keyboard and battery life, the speakers' sound is actually pretty decent (despite what I had read to the contrary), and to top it all, it is really stylish - more so than the famously stylish macs, in my opinion.

I take the netbook everywhere with me in a very small shoulder bag, and barely notice that it is there. And it's fantastic to be able to work basically a whole day in different cafes etc, without needing to plug in until I get back home again.

Great work Samsung!

Impressed A. Frisina #02-05-2010

I purchased this as a Christmas gift for my college student daughter. Before wrapping it up I spent a bunch of time "initializing" it. It takes a bit of time once you turn it on to go through the setup of all the programs. This is no different than any other computer, and has nothing to do with whether it's a desktop, notebook, or netbook. Anyhow, very smooth, no issues. I was impressed with the solid feel of it, and the nice feel of the keyboard.

I was a little worried about the single bar operating as two buttons, but it never did become an issue. Where my fingers landed naturally worked the two buttons just as they should. I am a 6ft guy, so I'm no giant, but not small either. I will admit I do like a full size keyboard better, but the little one worked well enough for me that I could get used to it if it was mine. Not a design flaw, but rather a necessary feature for a product so small. I don't complain about the querty keyboard on my phone either.

She does use it pretty much every day as a full time student, and the battery last long enough that she doesn't even charge it every day. She also uses it to watch streaming Netflix videos without any problems. We have a Belkin Wireless N+ router at home, and she hooks up every time. She also has no issues with the wireless network at ASU.

I can't think of anything else to say about it. It all just works. I would definitely recommend the Samsung Go.

You Won't Be Disappointed Terri #01-24-2010

Okay... I had my heart set on a Toshiba NB205 netbook. I did my research and I was confident in my choice based on the features and the solid reviews. However, Santa brought me a Samsung Go. Well, kudos to Santa!

I have an awesome Gateway laptop that I use for gaming but it is huge and heavy and really only portable in the sense of carrying it from room to room in the house. Forget traveling with it. I'm planning on returning to college soon and I do a little bit of traveling for work, so I needed something ultra portable that would be good for writing documents, surfing the net and maybe playing some simple games to keep myself entertained when out and about. My Samsung Go is perfect!

It isn't as sleek looking as the Toshiba but it has all of the same features that I was looking for. The bonus of the Samsung's hard plastic exterior is that I don't have to worry about scratching it or leaving fingerprints (like my other laptop). I am NOT disappointed in this mini-laptop. The Pros:
-it boots up quickly
-has decent video quality
-it's weight and size are not cumbersome, fits nicely into my work tote
-the keyboard is comfortable to use
-I've found the battery life to be pretty close to what's been advertised (8 - 9
hours).

After about a month of use I haven't really found any cons. It suits my needs very well. I would definitely recommend this netbook for anyone looking for a second, ultra-portable laptop/computer.

In the realm of sub-notebooks or Netbooks -- this one ROCKS! Diana De Avila "MS G #12-30-2009

I bought two of these Samsung Netbook Go N310's for my partner and I so that we could have something to travel with that would be more than our iPhone's but super-portable. Wow, what a great deal and a great, sturdy little netbook. Netbooks are a relatively new genre of sub-notebooks that allow a ton of portability. It's a great option for travel and light work. Would I use it for my sole computer? I don't think so. I am a power user and I am afraid that this device would not hold up for my use. Otherwise, it seems very durable and for the $299 price tag that I paid, it's superb :)

The outside of the notebook consists of a matte slightly rubbery coating. It resists finger prints (but the inside of the notebook does not). Everything about it is rounded and the device is very aesthetically pleasing. The keyboard is nice and the travel between keys is very familiar (if you are accustomed to notebooks). The keyboard represents 92% the size of a regular keyboard. An hour of typing on it and I was very comfortable and very at ease. Nice and quick. The keys are soft and respond very nicely to the touch.

The one really different thing is the touchpad button. There is only one button but it responds to a right and left side (as if there was a button to right-click on). Give yourself a few hours and you will know your way around it.

This Netbook comes with Windows XP Home SP3. That is a GOOD thing. This Microsoft OS version is much more amenable to the Netbook form factor (processor, etc). The Samsung Go N310 comes with 1GB of RAM but can be maxed out at 2GB. For about $50.00 you can make the upgrade and I definitely suggest that you do. I bought Crucial 2GB 667 Mhz CT25664AC667 DDR2 200-Pin SODIMM Laptop Memory. The upgrade takes two minutes with an easily identifiable screw on the bottom of the unit and well-marked panel. The memory snaps out and the new one snaps in like a charm. It's a beautiful thing!

The Netbook also lacks a CD/DVD reader and writer drive, so I suggest that you purchase one of these too so that you can have one on hand for easy installs. Samsung makes several and I opted for this one Samsung USB 2.0 8x DVD Writer External Optical Drive for Mac and PC SE-S084C/RSBN (Gloss Black).

There is nothing too unfamiliar about the keyboard layout that will be too difficult to get accustomed to. Do remember you are dealing with an ultra portable device and that there are trade-offs for portability. As an adjunct network enabled computer -- the Samsung Go is great and I recommend it.

The battery life has been amazing and boasts 9+ hours. There are several energy saving modes that can be easily adjusted. Again, a trade-off between power conservation and performance.

The AC Adaptor (brick) is of average size. It is not as portable as the Netbook itself is but I was not deterred by that when I was researching Netbooks and making my buying decision. I liked the look, the boasted battery life, the operating system choice and the great price.

For a case, I recommend Built Netbook Laptop Sleeve 7-10-Inch, DOT No 7 in whatever design suits your fancy. I use these Built cases for my other laptops and love them - they also double as a great lap protector when your laptop or netbook gets too warm. Great zipper, durable and thick neoprene (I'll save that for another review :) These sleeves are a perfect fit. I was concerned when I saw the size of the sleeve as it arrived before my Samsung. Believe it or not ... PERFECT FIT! Regarding heat generated from this little gizmo, it is minimal compared to a full-sized laptop. I was very impressed with that!!

I love this little gadget. Useful beyond useful. I bought two in the Midnight Blue. We love 'em.

Packaging Sets It Apart W. F. Amero Jr. "Rau #10-26-2009

Like many have said before, these Netbooks come with, essentially, the same hardware/software. What you get have for the added $$$ is the packaging or more precisely the outside housings. Rounded corners and non-glossy paint in more than black and silver. The battery is good. I've surfed for 5 hours, playing videos and other energy eaters and then plug it in for a recharge. The power supply gets super hot while computer on and PS plugged in.
I'm real happy with my choice with this Samsung.

Thorough Review After Extended Use Jef #09-12-2010

As a college student, having a computer on me at all times is very useful, but carrying around a large laptop can be a pain, so I decided to buy a netbook. After reading all the reviews, the Samsung Go seemed to be the only one without defects (see Asus Eee reviews for examples of defects) and at the same time be of good build quality. The one I bought is actually the orange one, which doesn't look more red than orange, but I don't care so much about that. I've had it for almost a year now and it's been fantastic thus far.

1. Build Quality: The material seems to be of high quality. The outside is almost a rubber like plastic, which doesn't scratch easily. The battery is secured tightly. The keyboard is made of "normal" laptop plastic, and have lasted well thus far.

2. Memory and System upgrades: I upgraded my memory to 2GB right away. My Go ran noticeable smoother after the upgrade, but it worked fine before. I upgraded because I wanted to run a few more "heavy duty" programs (see 3). I also upgraded my operating system to Windows 7. If you are considering this, I will say that upgrading to 7 doesn't increase raw performance by much . . . it simply looks better. I get a free Windows 7 upgrade through my university, which is the only reason I upgraded. I wouldn't recommend paying money just to get 7 unto a netbook, but the memory upgrade is a worthy investment.

3. Performance: Contrary to popular believe, netbooks are fundamentally COMPUTERS, and I expect a good one to function closely to a laptop. I'm very happy with the speed and performance of the Samsung Go. Though it is slower than a full-sized laptop, it can handle most of the useful programs. I have Microsoft Office, all the fancy internet browsers, LaTex, and even photo-editing softwares on my Go. It can handle all of the above mentioned programs just fine, which is very important. The only thing I've noticed is that the Go is noticeably slower at streaming certain videos online, although Youtube works fine. Some flash games and applications also lags a bit. All in all, the Go is very good at running most softwares.

4. Keyboard: The keyboard resembles a mac keyboard, with flat keys that are separated. Each key is slightly smaller (by maybe 2 mm per side) than a mac key. Since I have small hands, typing on it isn't a problem either way. However, I have had people with considerably larger hands type on it as well, and they seemed to be okay with it. The track pad is also good, with decent response. The mouse button is kind of weird . . . it's one button, but pressing the left side is a left click, while pressing the right side is a right click. I don't like this too much, as it is sometimes difficult to get a click to register, but that's pretty much my only complaint for this netbook.

5. Display and sound: The display is bright and colorful. I can usually see the screen just fine with back lighting. Some previous reviews complained about the sound being tiny, but this is not true in my experience. The sound is quite loud at max volume. It is in fact louder than my Macbook Pro.

6. Camera and Mic: I can video chat or Skype on my Go perfectly fine. The camera isn't the best so you don't get the amazing video quality, but it gets the job done. I still haven't figured out where the mic is, and I usually have to put my face close to the computer or talk loudly for the other party to hear me . . . so I would recommend a headset or an external mic for chatting purposes.

All in all this is a solid netbook. Since getting my Go, I have tried pretty much every netbook on the market in one form or another. I still like the Go the best, I would recommend it over the competition.

Superior Sound Quality, Ergonomics amazonaddict #06-18-2010

My husband and I bought two of these netbooks for video chatting during a long-term posting abroad, and we couldn't be happier with them. If you play movies, games, or video chat, this is the netbook for you. The sound quality is excellent for a netbook, and it even surpasses one of our Dell Latitude laptops. The superior sound was one of the main draws for us, as I use this to watch movies and TV while abroad.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS:

- Sleek design (rounded edges and very slim 6-cell battery pack)
- Excellent sound (two people can watch movies without additional speakers and hear comfortably)
- Good webcam (can use Skype or Google video chat without headphones or a microphone)
- Large, comfortable keypad (relative to other netbooks)
- Bright screen
- Long battery life (6-cell approaches 10 hours, very slim battery pack)
- Easily customizable screen resolution (I can quickly switch resolutions to accommodate viewing different websites or using certain applications)
- Large hard drive (functionally 143 GB)
- Bluetooth sync capabilities
- 3 USB ports (some netbooks have fewer) and SD card slot (download your digital pictures directly from the SD card)

Based on our experience and some of the other reviews, I'd recommend the Windows XP platform version of this netbook. We purchased the XP version and the netbook has good speed. Yes, it's XP, so there are some service and security compromises for the increased speed of Windows 7.

I honestly don't have anything negative to say beyond normal complaints related to all netbooks (i.e., no DVD or CD drive). The larger hard drive did allow me to bring a lot of my movies and music. We've each had the netbooks for about 5 months, and we haven't had any problems.

An amazing laptop, great buy Karina Dionisio #12-31-2009

I really like this laptop, the magic keyboard is a great tool, so as the rest of the Samsung softwares. The sound system of the N310 is very good, is kinda loud and clear (reeeaaally better than the Toshiba N205). The camera shows a good video quality too. I bought this netbook because I didn't wanted anything too heavy because of my back and this one is really light even with the battery.

The only problem I saw was that this netbook comes with Windows XP, and if you want to upgrade it to Windows 7, you'll have some problems. I wasn't able to find the Magic Keyboard and the Samsung Magic Doctor softwares for Windows 7 (32-bit) at the Samsung website. The tech support answered me (the same day I asked them about this software, finally a tech support who responds fast!) and they gave me some websites ans mannuals but I'm still in the same situation... so, I still have my N310 with XP. I'm not sure if I could use the hotkeys in the keyboard (which utilize the magic keyboard software) if I upgrade it to Win7!

Nevertheless, you should buy this netbook.

"Junk Hardware"? Tim Cook have obviously never seen the Samsung Go! Jian Lin "Paineful" #12-28-2009

I've only owned this netbook for a week, but it has surpassed all of my expectations. I'll be honest, I was a bit cynical of it's claim of being able to deliver over 9 hours of play- but it's no joke. I've gotten nearly seven hours out of this thing in balanced settings, and can squeeze much more than 9 hours out of this baby if I run it on the lowest power settings for light surfing and word processing. It came with almost no junkware, I probably deleted two programs upon installations, which is immensely relieving because all of my previous computers contained slews of uneccesary software that took hours to get rid of. And as far as the design goes, trust me, it looks very attractive in person; it's just the right hue of blue, and has a very professional look to it. And not only does it look great, but it's probably bar-none the most comfortable feeling computer I've owned in years; the casing has a leathery feel, and unlike the other netbooks you see in the market like the Asus or Samsung, it's no finger print magnet. The keyboard is extremely easy to use, and, as a matter of fact, I'd probably say it's just as, if not more, comfortable than that of my previous 15 inch HP laptop. Oh, and starcraft fans, you're in luck because that game runs like a charm on this machine!

IN YOUR FACE, TIM COOK.

Update:::: 3/14

It has been two months, and this baby is still going strong. Very portable, and very convenient- even more so than I had previously anticipated. All in all a great buy!!

PS: Forgot to bring my charger today. But chances are I wouldn't need it anyways.

First thoughts Scott Zittlow #12-23-2009

This is a nice solid unit. It feels substantial in your hand. Very little needless software installed. I had it cleaned up in about a half hour.

On the first charge I got about 6 hrs with battery management set to high performance.

Speaker quality is poor, but I plan to use headphones in most situations.

The biggest disappointment is the screen protection. The unit has a thin plastic screen cover. The plastic is held to the bezel with double sided tape. I would have expected the plastic to clip into the bezel somehow. The plastic hangs loose between the tape. I expect it to get caught on a fingernail or a shirt sleeve in short order. Really a disappointment considering the overall quality of this unit.

Overall a good unit for the price, and what it is designed to do. I would give it 5 stars if the screen protection was better designed.

Samsung GO - for it - why not?? Cecile H. Lomer #12-15-2009

Did a lot of online research and this product came up top of the lists. Excellent value for money. Easy to use - the keyboard is plenty big enough but I'm quite small with smallish hands. Getting used to the height of the screen - this is the only bother for me. Adjusting the brightness helps a lot with this - definition is excellent. I like the drag mouse - excellent for online shopping. Haven't tried to load my cumbersome MS-DOS database on it yet. Responsive, very easy to use. ALso took note of online suggestions for lengthening the life of laptop batteries - some good advice that I have yet to take, but it's good to know. Lovely colour - the finish unfortunately takes finger imprints excessively well but that's the only downside so far. Excellent battery life so far. And light as can be - even the audio isn't bad. CAn't bring myself to use the camcorder - ick - but that's a very personal preference!

As advertised Garry M Bannister "M #10-05-2009

Good solid little machine. Exactly as advertised, battery life is great.
Keyboard is small but very usable, tactile response is very acceptable.
Screen is clear, sharp and the color is good.
Operation speed is noticeable, but acceptable, I helped this a bit by using portable apps.
It and my camera go with me everywhere.

Great little Netbook Corrine "butterfly" #09-18-2011

I have now owned this Netbook for almost 2 years, it is extremely durable. It has been knocked from the table, bounced on the floor more times then I can count. My battery life is not even close to the 9 hours, it was 4 to 5 hours when it was new, now it is 3 hours at the most. I upgraded the 1 stick of RAM from the 1gb to 2gb which really helped ($20. on Amazon) I also bought an external DVD/RW ($25. on Amazon) which really makes life a lot easier when you need to load a program, that is on a CD or DVD. There are other ways to load or off load programs or pictures just use a flash drive. It is light weight, and fits great into your purse or carry on luggage. I love my Samsung Netbook! I rated it as 4 stars rather then 5 only because of the battery life and the RAM, 1gb of RAM is barely enough to run Windows 7.

screen went bad within 8 months Joanne Perry #09-01-2010

I bought this for Christmas 2009. In August 2010 the screen suddenly went bad. It was never mishandled or dropped and simply sat on my counter. I sent it back to Samsung because it was under warranty. I was told by one of their technicians that the internal screen was broken and that it was something that I had done. Believe me when I say that this was NEVER handled poorly. Anyway, I was told that the warranty wouldn't cover it because I supposedly broke it. The good people at Samsung did offer to fix it for a cost of $250. How ridiculous when I spent $339 for it. Now I'm stuck with a broken computer that isn't even a year old.

Battery life is so good my daughter keeps losing the cord M. Pearson #08-10-2010

I bought this for my 12 year old daughter for Christmas last year, and 8 months in, I am still very impressed. Keep in mind, it is a netbook, and if you want big screens, this isn't it. If you want a very well built, solid performing netbook with amazing battery life, this is well worth it. I upgraded the ram to start with, but performance has been what I would have expected.

My daughter has misplaced the cord a number of times because of the long battery life...it is often days and days before she goes looking for it.

Great netbook and good looking! B. Haggerty #02-12-2010

As most netbooks are similar these days, this one definately stands out. The design is unique and modern. The product is great, comfortable keyboard, great graphics, great speakers, and great batterty life. The other big plus for us was that we could buy and install extra memory to keep it fast. You can't do that with many netbooks.

Great little computer M. Houdek "peggyleno #02-10-2010

I received this for Christmas from my husband and it's terrific. Seems to me that it does everything a large computer can do and it's so light and easy to carry around. I have a Dell desktop and laptop, but the laptop is now retired! I added another gig of ram, but didn't feel I really needed it for it to function. I've added many of my programs, including Tivo-to-Go, Sirius Radio, Total Recorder and they all work just great. Instead of paying for Word, I downloaded Open Office (free) which is fine for what I need. Battery is long lasting. I really like the outside covering as it feels very sturdy and is easy to hold with it's non-slip surface.

Is there anything I don't like about it? No can't think of anything.

I highly recommend it!

Love the Samsung Judith Miller #02-08-2010

This is a great little machine for travel and checking email--surfing the web. It may be a little slower than a regular laptop, but the size and lightweight features make it worth any lag time. I wouldn't want it as my only computer since I'm at the screen all day, but for travel and sporadic use, it can't be beat. Love the keyboard.

Samsung Netbook June M. Brokos #02-07-2010

Love the netbook! It was everything all previous positive reviews claimed. Very happy with product. The company that shipped it was great - got it to me before my deadline.

Netbook go mel #02-06-2010

Love this little computer! The battery life is incredible and really the only thing is it is hard to see the screen in the daylight but that is pretty common with most computers and electronic devices.

samsung n310 Diane Delpy #01-21-2010

LOOOOOVVVEEEE it!
batterie life is excellent, keyboard pretty big, sadly (but like in most netbook) no seperation between right and left click on the touchpad. excellent deal!

A Great Machine Robert Dickstein "Bo #01-18-2010

I have had two Toshiba, two Dell, a Gateway, and a MacBook Pro laptops. I think the Samsung GO N310 - 13GB 10.1 inch netbook is just as good as any PC laptop I have had. If you travel or you like to sit at a wifi hot spot and surf the web all day, this is definitely the machine to have.

Here are the negatives, imo. The picture in the ad does not show the netbook with the battery installed. The battery sticks out about a quarter of an inch, so the bottom is not completely flat. It is no issue as it rests fine on a table or other flat surface. The battery status light should be visible even with the netbook closed so you know when charging is complete without constantly opening it up to see the light. The touch pad could be a little bit bigger, and it takes a while for someone with all thumbs (me) to get used to it. The trial subscription to the virus program should be deleted immediately and install a different program (Trend) if you want the netbook to boot up quickly and work to it's peak. I used the supplied software for two days and converted...there was a big difference in boot up speed.

Here are the positives, imo. With the exception of the picture in the ad, everything in the description is true and complete. I have tried all the software provided and checked everything I got with what was advertised. The battery life so far is as high as 8:45, so I consider that factual (note: lots of video playing like youtube will cut battery life considerably). The feel of the machine is slightly rubbery, and the keyboard has a big machine feel, even though it is smaller. The webcam works fine for such a small machine in size and price. It took about two hours to go through all the initializations, registrations and upgrades, but it went smoothly with no issues. Logging on to wifi hot spots went well with no hiccups.

If you are looking for a netbook and the Amazon description fits your requirements buy this machine. I am very happy with it.

Amazing battery performance Andrea Bertacche #01-17-2010

This netbook is equipped with the typical configuration for this category of computers, but the battery performance is OUTSTANDING.
The keyboard is excellent (it's like typing on my regular desktop computer).
The rubbery external finishing gives that extra grip.

Great little Netbook! Leigh #01-12-2010

This is a great machine! I love it! The battery life is excellent and it is very light. Out of all the netbooks I liked the look and feel of this one the best, the keyboard is great, although I'm not sure if you have large hands. I do not have Windows 7 starter, I have XP and still love it. There seem to be no problems with it yet!

Great Product C. Witkowski "Ski" #01-07-2010

I purchased this laptop for my college freshman daughter so that she could take notes in digits instead of trying to hand write notes while trying to keep up with the professor. The netbook is quick and performs really well. I loaded MS Office onto it and it operates without any issues. It surfs the web at the same speeds of our laptop and desktop units. I love the coating on this netbook, which makes it very easy to grip. Again, I am bery pleased with the product and the speedy delivery.

Nice but a little slow Cental Region #01-05-2010

This ntbook is very nice but a bit slow even with 2gigs of ram inserted. Wifi setup is great, keyboard is very spacious, battery lasts as stated but it lags on excecution even with an optional gig of ram. Overall a nice machine just don't be in a hurry.

Great little computer! TSS #01-01-2010

I purchased this computer for my daughter (actually purchased 3 different colors for my 3 daughters) for Christmas. I did a lot of research in choosing the right one and am so very happy with my decision to purchase these. No problems at all. They work great. I went back and forth between getting Windows XP or Windows 7 and am glad I went with XP.

Nice little netbook J. Zak #12-30-2009

We purchased the Samsung N310 for Christmas. It is well made and the battery lasts and lasts. You do need to upgrade the memory to 2GB. I purchased the module direct from Crucial--they guarantee that it will work. Amazon listed a different model. Easy to install. I like the color, Midnight Blue, and texture of the Samsung. The textured surface makes it easier to hold and fingerprints are less of a problem. The installed software works fine. Lots of updates needed to the XP software. Easier if you have access to a fast internet connection. I am not sold on Windows 7 Starter so XP works fine.
Samsung makes a great product!

Great for travel! Diane-too #03-28-2010

I received the Samsung GO for Christmas, exactly for the purpose of traveling with it. I love it!

I have it in blue. It's lightweight, very sturdy, has a good keyboard, and is quite fast. Its battery life is as advertized. I installed Open Office on it, browse with Firefox, and e-mail using Thunderbird. It has loads of memory and I installed Picasa for a quick tool with which to upload my photos to the Web.

I picked up a a portable DVD writer as a Lightning Deal a few weeks ago. Toshiba PA3761U-1DV2 Portable/Slim USB SuperMulti DVD-Writer
I won't always take it with me, but it has already proven handy.

I keep it in a sleeve, which easily slides in either my day pack or my carry-on. Case Logic PLS-9 Mini Laptop Sleeve for 7-Inch to 10-Inch Laptops (Blue)

I'm extremely happy with the set-up I now have.

Great Purchase Susan B. Perryman "S #12-10-2009

I just love my netbook! It is compact, lightweight, and fast! The battery life is amazing! I would recommend this netbook highly!

A Letdown + Disappointing Samsung Customer Service = No Thanks Orton Redux #01-12-2010

Over the holidays, our family bought two netbooks, one for the adults and the other for the kids. Unable to decide between the top-rated Toshiba NB205 and the equally applauded Samsung N310, we stayed true to our centrist leanings: we bought both, $300 each on sale. The reviews by other customers cover well the strengths and the weaknesses of these netbooks. The unknown with any product is customer service. Here, the netbook god Atom gave us an opportunity to test Toshiba and Samsung equally, as each unit's Bluetooth was giving us agita. This is what happened. When I called Toshiba, the customer service representative not only walked me through possible solutions, but quickly realizing that I had tried most of these, escalated the issue to a "level 2" technician. When our call disconnected, she called me right back and stayed on the line until the technician could speak with me. The technician quickly sent me an e-mail link to gain remote access to my netbook and then walked me through what he was doing. Bluetooth problem solved. Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic. Here is customer service that lives up to the name. Compare that with Samsung. Until we got rid of the N310, the Bluetooth would not transmit sound to a headset. I was sure the solution was simple: perhaps a new driver, perhaps a pairing step I was missing. Both Samsung representatives I spoke with were nice but at a loss. The first promised to call me back after he investigated but never did. The other rep, aware of the failure to call me back, also promised to call me back after testing his own Bluetooth settings, this time within one hour. You guessed it: no callback. By this time, I had plenty of time to explore both netbooks. The Toshiba NB205 with Windows 7 Starter kept impressing with its serious build quality, its fantastic keyboard and bright display. Just turning it on is a pleasure. Everything about the NB205 is serious, yet intuitive. The Samsung with Windows XP was, by comparison, always efficient but an aesthetic letdown. Despite its unique rubberized exterior and anti-bacterial keys (a big point in getting it for the kids), overall it always felt unbearably plasticky. Not Acer-cheap, but still, no contest when compared side-by-side with the NB205. Bottom line: not impressed. Even the kids liked the more solid feel of the Toshiba. Me, I'm just completely impressed with the total Toshiba experience. So I gave the kids the NB205 and am waiting for the Pine Trail Toshiba NB305 to come online, perhaps the Qualcomm Gobi-equipped 3G model. Meanwhile, Samsung, I'm still waiting.

Ready To Go Out of the Box! Quality!!! This Product Deserves 5 STARS!! M. Gorlick "markie" #09-09-2009

great product...so easy to set up up...appears to be built /w/ quality as a goal!!!
just wish "clicker bar" was not black but a different color...difficult to see..blends in with keyboard...especially when using in a less lit room.....user guide on desktop is awesome and easy to find info....thank you for having windows xp...did not have to learn another operating system!!!!so well designed...got the midnight blue...looks classy!!!

I wish I needed another one!!! I STILL love this netbook!!! Go Samsung!!! They got it right!!!!

Nine hour battery life? I don't think so... Martin Brofman #10-20-2009

The reason I chose to buy this unit was the claim of a nine hour battery life.

Nice unit - better sound than the NB10 - though the battery life is far from nine hours. Best I have seen so far is seven - though that's not bad, anyway.