Friday, June 1, 2007
LG's C1 Express Dual Series Tablet PC: Small And Fast, But Doesn't Last Long Enough
Posted by Jason Dunn in "HARDWARE" @ 07:00 AM
Product Category: Ultra-portable convertible Tablet PC
Manufacturer: LG
Where to Buy: Various Online Resellers in Canada
Price: $2769.99 CAD (approximately $2606 USD)
Specifications: 271 x 205.5 x 27 mm in size, 1.3 KG (2.9 pounds) in weight. Further details below or listed on the LG product page.
Pros:
- Incredibly small, light, and thin;
- Impressive processor and graphics chip for the size;
- Came without any junk trial version software pre-installed;
- High-build quality with a three year warranty, good overall aesthetics.
- Poor battery life with standard-sized battery;
- Quirky software/driver issues make for a bumpy experience;
- Expensive, with only 1 GB of RAM included;
- Glossy black finish is a magnet for fingerprints.
The LG C1 is an intriguing laptop with a surprising amount of power crammed into an extremely small and lightweight frame. On paper it looks unbeatable, but in real day to day use, lacklustre battery life and quirky software issues take some of the shine off what would otherwise be a stellar laptop. For some people, this may be the ultimate ultra-portable laptop � it certainly breaks new ground in some areas. For others, the limitations (including the high price) may outweigh the wow factor.
Read on for the full review!
Reviewer's Tilt
This review is a bit more personal for me than most � I�ve been actively looking for a new small and highly portable notebook to replace my aging Fujitsu P7010D (a unit with a 10.6" screen), so I�m approaching this LG C1 with a very critical eye. A bit of background is in order: the P7010D has been a champ for me, and it�s my second laptop of its type from Fujitsu - I also owned a P5010D � but I�m looking for something a bit different this time around. For my needs, the Fujitsu laptops were the perfect blend of size and battery life, but my needs have changed a little. So many other small laptops sacrifice battery life in the drive to be as thin and light as possible, but Fujitsu doesn�t skimp in that department, offering around six hours of battery life from the main battery, and a removable optical drive bay that accepts a second battery, boosting the total battery life to 11 hours. The new Vista-generation P7230 laptop got a touch worse, offering 10 hours of battery life with both batteries.
Worse still, I wanted something with a dual-core CPU for RAW photo processing and Fujitsu is still only offering the single core 1.2 Ghz ULV Core Solo. It�s not easy to balance battery life and a fast CPU, but I knew that if I wanted to have an acceptable experience processing RAW photos on vacation and elsewhere, a dual-core CPU was mandatory. I looked at a few choices, and was impressed by the specs of the LG C1 so I requested a unit for review � and here we are.
Out of Box Experience
The LG C1 comes in an average-looking laptop box: brown cardboard with black plastic inserts. Given the cost of the laptop, I would have liked to have seen something a bit more luxurious � LG should look at how a company like HTC America presents their $500 smartphones and take notes. A high-quality out of box experience builds the confidence of the buyer, reinforcing that they�ve purchased an item of quality. Inside the box there�s everything you�d expect: the laptop itself, with a plastic sheet on the piano black top to prevent scratches, an external USB-powered DVD burner, a telephone cable for the modem (who still uses those?), a few CDs, and some paperwork (there�s no thick manual here, only a quick start guide). There�s also a microfibre cloth, which is a nice touch.
Interestingly enough, the C1 comes loaded with basically zero extra software � no trialware junk that I had to remove (affectionately referred to as �crapware� by many people), but also no useful programs beyond what ships with Windows Vista Business, save one CD: a Cyberlink DVD suite that includes a Cyberlink DVD playback program, Power2Go 5.0 (a CD/DVD burning suite) and Instant Burn 5.0 (packet writing software). Some people may complain that there�s not more �added value software� included, but I think LG should be applauded for this: they�re allowing people to put the software they want on the system, and it saves people from the hassle of having to uninstall extra software they don�t really want. When I buy a Dell, Toshiba, or HP computer I always have to waste an hour or two of my time cleaning it up. There�s also a recovery disc that has Windows Vista Business on it � again, LG did the right thing for the customer here by not using phantom partitions and other tricks that use up the hard drive space. They simply give you the DVD and if you need to use it to restore your system, you pop it in the DVD drive. Well done LG, well done.
