A Review of Sorts: The Lenovo S100

[jronald]

I picked up this little netbook from a fellow forum member. 1.6 Dual Core ATOM with 2 gigs of memory.
As presented I was not impressed with Windows 7 Starter. Extremely slow to start, and for the first 15 mins forget about responsiveness, not going to happen. More on the OS later. The fit and finish is much better than the Samsung and the Asus in my opinion, but its a far cry from the T or Z series Im using everyday. The thing is really light weight, and could easily be thrown into a suitcase or backpack and forgotten until needed.

So first thing was to load my favorite programs. These include Clementine, VideoLan, and Avast. Really doggy and seemed to run a rather high memory usage. In a effort to explore, I broke the OS trying to update to Home Premium. Doing some research I was encourage to throw a copy of Ultimate that I had floating around, by people that were not invested. Was quite surprised when she came up and ran relatively quickly! Memory usage was now about 50% lower, still high but not consistency maxed out. Perhaps the Starter was buggy, I dont know but feel the new install should be representative. Real estate is very tight on the screen but generally usable. Keyboard is supposed to be 85% real sized, it feels smaller. Key strokes are not equal. The numbers and some numbers specifically are harder than others. Overall usefulness of the keyboard is doable but my mistakes now surpass my normal 30 per min. So far with the new install it has done everything I have asked. Im typing now and streaming Linkin Park off of the LAN, with only an interruption every 4 or 5 mins. Slightly higher than the T and Z.

There is no way I would pay full price for this little Netbook, with that said at a significant discount its worth the investment. Nothing I really hate EXCEPT the track pad. Point Blank it SUUCKS (yes 2 U's) I would be much happier with a pointing stick.

Ill bookmark this and return in a week or so to update.

Ron

[Saucey]

I had gotten an X130e to flip and I was quite surprised with its performance.

Sucks though, I've been looking at some of those netbooky Lenovo's.

[jronald]

UPDATE:
Ok after further usage, the Mobo appeared to develop a GPU issue. At least it did a pretty good imitation of a GPU issue. I started looking for a Mobo and was rewarded with expensive and then stupid expensive. The local guy had it listed for a whopping $199.00! I then stumbled on the specs of a s110. Looked long and hard at the mobo, compared everything I could to the s100 mobo I had in my hands. Decided it was worth the try and plopped down $65.00. Dropped right into the housing, no issues. This was a NOS part still in the Lenovo box. It fixed both the GPU issue, and a known when purchased issue with the wireless card. The official wireless card is rare, with the only known example I found priced at $70.00! Once again, I gamble and figured out the bigger brother of this little unit was the G570, and ordered one for less than $5.00 shipped. Dropped it in, and its running with no error. Finding the right driver was a little interesting, but once installed no issues.

This thing is darn handy to stash and carry, but the track pad suuuucks!

Ron

[pianowizard]

This thing is darn handy to stash and carry, but the track pad suuuucks!

Have you tried maximizing the speed of the pointer? Go to "Mouse Properties", then "Pointer Options", and finally move the pointer speed all the way to the right. IMO, all touchpads suuuuck if the default pointer speed is used.

[jronald]

OK bumped the speed up, we will see.

Ron

[Qing Dao]

This thing is darn handy to stash and carry, but the track pad suuuucks!

Have you tried maximizing the speed of the pointer? Go to "Mouse Properties", then "Pointer Options", and finally move the pointer speed all the way to the right. IMO, all touchpads suuuuck if the default pointer speed is used.

If you ever use an external mouse, this is not an option, because it will also distort its movement. The problem with this setting is that it just uses a multiplier for the input. So if the trackpad says move one pixel to the right, if you have it on a really high sensitivity setting, it will jump in increments of multiple pixels. It can be extremely annoying if one is trying to do something that needs accuracy. I just disable my trackpad, but if someone really wants to use it, the best option is to install the drivers for it and manage everything within those driver settings. It is best to leave the Windows pointer sensitivity setting in the middle and to make sure that "enhance pointer precision" is not selected if you want the most out of a mouse.

[pianowizard]

If you ever use an external mouse, this is not an option

My suggestion was for laptops where the touchpad is used as the only pointing device. For such devices, I virtually always set the pointer speed at the fastest, and select the "Enhance pointer precision". At the default speed, the touchpad would move the pointer way too slow. The only exception that I can recall is the Dell Latitude E4200 that I once had, whose touchpad pointer moved so fast that I set it just slightly faster than the default speed. At maximum speed, it would have been too hard to control.

On computers where I use an external mouse or a trackpoint, slower settings work much better. But touchpads are different, which I don't think you would appreciate since you always have it disabled.

[jronald]

I bumped it up to not quite max, it is much better, but it still stinks compared to my track point.

Ron

[pianowizard]

I bumped it up to not quite max, it is much better, but it still stinks compared to my track point.

Ron

Most touchpads will never work optimally unless you maximize their speed. But once you have done that, it may take several months for you to learn to control it with ease -- it took me 3 months. Once I mastered that, I have prefered the worst touchpads over the best trackpoints.

[Qing Dao]

If you ever use an external mouse, this is not an option

My suggestion was for laptops where the touchpad is used as the only pointing device. For such devices, I virtually always set the pointer speed at the fastest, and select the "Enhance pointer precision". At the default speed, the touchpad would move the pointer way too slow. The only exception that I can recall is the Dell Latitude E4200 that I once had, whose touchpad pointer moved so fast that I set it just slightly faster than the default speed. At maximum speed, it would have been too hard to control.

On computers where I use an external mouse or a trackpoint, slower settings work much better. But touchpads are different, which I don't think you would appreciate since you always have it disabled.

Come on, it isn't like I've never used a trackpad before. Before I got my first Thinkpad in January, I sure wasn't using a trackpoint! All I'm trying to say is that using the UltraNav drivers or whatever trackpad drivers are applicable to any laptop give you far more options and greater control. Using the same mouse pointer settings that Microsoft introduced with Windows 95 because all mice were generic and had no drivers is really limiting you. If you ONLY want to use the trackpad and nothing else ever, not even the trackpoint, and you don't care about any of the extra features of the trackpad you can enable, I guess you don't need the UltraNav drivers.

Most touchpads will never work optimally unless you maximize their speed. But once you have done that, it may take several months for you to learn to control it with ease -- it took me 3 months. Once I mastered that, I have prefered the worst touchpads over the best trackpoints.

I agree that touchpads have too low resolution to be used without multiplying their output. However, one should understand the downsides to simply maxing out the slider for "pointer speed" and selecting "enhance pointer precision." The "pointer speed" setting just multiplies the output of the input device. Your trackpad is fixed at a certain resolution. If you move your finger one centimeter in one direction, the trackpad will ALWAYS output the same number of pixels in that direction, no matter what software or settings you have. When the slider for the "pointer speed" is in the middle, for every pixel the trackpad outputs, the pointer moves precisely that amount of pixels on the screen. When you move the slider all the way to the right, Windows simply multiplies any pointer input by 4. It doesn't interpolate or try to do anything to smooth out the movement, it just multiplies by 4. What this means is that when you move your finger on the trackpad, use your mouse, or use the trackpoint, the pointer will move on the screen by jumping 4 pixels at a time. You remove the possibility to select individual pixels. You can just get your pointer over groups of 4x4=16 pixels now. This will happen regardless of what input device you use. If, however, I increase the sensitivity of my trackpoint with the UltraNav driver, it no longer displays this awkward behavior. The same goes for my my Logitech mouse and using the Logitech driver to change its settings, even though the mouse has a fixed DPI. This is just another of the big disadvantages to using the default Windows pointer settings.

The next issue is "enhance pointer precision." The name itself sounds like it is a no-brainer to select. Wrong! The premise behind it is that it lets you work on fine precise mouse movements with the pointer speed set to low, but then gets your pointer to a far away part of the screen quickly when you want that. When you move the mouse slowly, the cursor moves slowly, but then when it senses you moving the mouse a little faster, it thinks you want to move it somewhere far, so it increases the pointer speed by a lot more than just the difference in speed of your input. This is called mouse ACCELERATION, where there is no longer a linear relationship between the speed of your inputs and the speed of the cursor. The idea does have some merit, although it necessarily makes your cursor movements LESS precise than they otherwise would be. We don't spend our time just moving the cursor very slowly or trying to make it scream across the screen. The acceleration is unpredictable. Most people would be better off just not using it. People get used to it and adapt to the acceleration, but it is impossible to be as precise as you would be without it. Of course, the mouse feels slower without it, so dpi or sensitivity must be bumped up to equal a desired feel.

You said it yourself that it took you three months to feel comfortable with the changed settings. There is of course a higher learning curve for your hand-eye coordination when you move to a more imprecise input method. I don't think you actually like the mouse acceleration, but just use it to add more pointer speed when the pointer speed settings are just maxed out, right? You could improve the precision of your cursor movement by installing the UltraNav driver. You open up the mouse properties window and click on the UltraNav tab and set the trackpad speed to maximum. Then click on the pointer options tab and uncheck "enhance pointer precision." Now you set the "pointer speed" to a spot where you are happy with it. By maxing out the speed with the UltraNav driver and increasing it as little as you can with the basic Windows settings, it will smooth out the pointer motion and decrease the amount the pointer hops around the screen.

[pianowizard]

Using the same mouse pointer settings that Microsoft introduced with Windows 95 because all mice were generic and had no drivers is really limiting you.

I believe you are wrong about this. After installing the mouse driver (which I always do), the driver takes over the control of Windows' Mouse Properties. Thus, when I adjust Mouse Properties, I am actually adjusting the mouse driver.

If you ONLY want to use the trackpad and nothing else ever, not even the trackpoint, and you don't care about any of the extra features of the trackpad you can enable, I guess you don't need the UltraNav drivers.

If you look at my signature, you will realize that none of my current laptops are Thinkpads. I just checked my Panasonic CF-Y9 and Sony Pro13, and their touchpad drivers don't provide the option of adjusting pointer speed or precision.

When you move the slider all the way to the right, Windows simply multiplies any pointer input by 4....(SNIP)

Thanks for patiently writing several long paragraphs to explain this problem, but I don't have this problem. Again, I think that's because Mouse Properties is actually controlled by the mouse driver.

[Qing Dao]

I believe you are wrong about this. After installing the mouse driver (which I always do), the driver takes over the control of Windows' Mouse Properties. Thus, when I adjust Mouse Properties, I am actually adjusting the mouse driver.

What if you install multiple input device drivers? How would could it work like that then? No matter what settings I change in the Logitech or UltraNav options, the default Windows options always affect the cursor in the same exact way. I have been trying, and the effect of the default Windows options is always stacked on top of whatever I change elsewhere.

If you look at my signature, you will realize that none of my current laptops are Thinkpads. I just checked my Panasonic CF-Y9 and Sony Pro13, and their touchpad drivers don't provide the option of adjusting pointer speed or precision.

There should be a "sensitivity" option somewhere. Are you using generic Alps or Synaptic drivers? What about manufacturer specific ones?

Thanks for patiently writing several long paragraphs to explain this problem, but I don't have this problem. Again, I think that's because Mouse Properties is actually controlled by the mouse driver.

Take a look here: http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x39 ... 443b4a.jpg

I used my mouse for it, but it still shows what I am talking about. On the first and third lines, I had the Windows slider all the way to the right. You can see that the lines are jagged because the cursor hops around 4 pixels at a time. On the first and third lines, the slider was in the middle neutral setting. The lines are much smoother because the cursor moves around pixel by pixel. Open up MS Paint and try it for yourself. If it doesn't do the same for you as it does for me, color me surprised!

[pianowizard]

What if you install multiple input device drivers?

I don't know and don't care.

There should be a "sensitivity" option somewhere. Are you using generic Alps or Synaptic drivers? What about manufacturer specific ones?

I always install drivers specific for my laptops. Yes there's a "sensitivity" option but it has nothing to do with motion speed; it just determines how hard I have to press against the touchpad. For touchpads, I need them to move fast so that I don't need to swipe multiple times to move the pointer to the destination.

I remember the sensitivity option on Thinkpads. In that case, it does affect the speed of the trackpoint, and I remember always minimizing sensitivity.

Take a look here: http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x39 ... 443b4a.jpg

I tried it on my Panasonic CF-Y9's touchpad: http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa13 ... 0e9b21.jpg

Medium + precision, medium without precision, and maximum + precision were all pretty good. Maximum without precision was horrible. So, I disagree that the "enhance precision" option makes things worse. Maximum + precision enables me to move fast without sacrificing precision.

[jronald]

Guys remember when I said the track pad suuucked. It still does.

Found a X120e for $55.00 shipped with XP. Dumped the XP and loaded W7 on it, stuck a spare 1gig module in it, and Im happy, happy, happy. Got my bloody track point back!

Wife is using the s100 as a Kindle reader.

Ron

[jronald]

Quick update, the wife loves this little netbook. She takes it to work and uses it everyday!

Ron

[thinkpadcollection]

I had two different netbooks blow out the CPU (this is newer type integrated CPU-GPU processors based on either N45x type or D2600) due to two factors, using thermal pads instead of direct contact with silicon die, also aluminum heatsinks.

With help from ebay, I found good motherboards and copper heatsink exact replacements. Used pieces of copper shim for each netbook on CPU-GPU die. Thermal pad on NM10 chipset.

All good. Note that not all netbooks have copper heatsinks available for most models.

Cheers, thinkpadcollection