Lenovo IdeaPad S10 Netbook: Not a first look

I just got a Lenovo S10 Netbook computer and couldn't have been more enthusiastic about kicking the tires. As I've written before, I think Netbooks will be very big, and this was to be my first.

So this posting should have been a first look. I should be offering my opinion on whether the keyboard is too small, what it's like to use Windows XP on such a small screen, and how hot the thing gets. But I didn't get that far.

After a delay in getting the machine the box arrived all beat up. Not unusual, of course, but computers are normally so well packaged that it doesn't matter. Not this time.

My first impression was that the box had been opened in transit; two sides weren't sealed at all. As you can see below, a golf ball easily fit in the open sides of the box.

The golf ball points up three problems:

• Something could have fallen out or been purposely removed during shipping.
• The cardboard was thin, closer to a manila envelope than something protective.
• It didn't appear that the box had been vandalized, rather two sides were never sealed in the first place.

In a nutshell, the contents were not well protected in transit.

As I examined the box and turned it over, stuff was rattling inside. I've had more than my fair share of computers mailed to me, and never before did a box arrive with stuff rattling around inside.

I removed the 4-inch strip of tape that held the outside box closed and found the computer and a white box inside as shown below.

The white interior box was the source of the rattling. As you can see in the picture below, the battery and the AC adapter are together in the box and neither was covered. There was a plastic bag in the box, but it wasn't wrapped around anything.

That Lenovo would ship a battery in a plastic bag without cushioning is, to me, poor judgment--a corner that should not have been cut. That Lenovo would ship the battery without the plastic bag actually covering the thing is poor quality control.

Am I overreacting? After all, it's a $400 laptop. Perhaps, but lithium-ion batteries are a well-known fire hazard. In normal use I'm sure they are safe, but one mistake that you can make with a lithium-ion battery is banging it. According to PC Pitstop:

There are numerous conditions where these fires can occur in real life. Faulty battery packs (driving the recalls), faulty protection circuits inside the PC, exposure to excessive heat, and blunt force are some of the major ways that this could happen to you.

Shipping an unprotected, unwrapped battery right next to a hard object is risking "blunt force."

The Department of Transportation no longer allows lithium-ion batteries in checked baggage when flying. As for carry-on bags they say that "you may still carry any number of some types of lithium batteries, such as the ones used in cell phones and most laptop computers, provided you take measures to protect terminals." Why the different policies for checked vs. carry-on bags? "In the passenger compartment, flight crews can better monitor safety conditions to prevent an incident, and can access fire extinguishers, if an incident does happen."

To further illustrate the danger, the Department of Transportation offers these suggestions for flying with a loose lithium-ion battery:

• Place tape across the battery's contacts to isolate terminals. Isolating terminals prevents short-circuiting.
• If original packaging is not available, effectively insulate battery terminals by isolating spare batteries from contact with other batteries and metal. Place each battery in its own protective case, plastic bag, or package. Do not permit a loose battery to come in contact with metal objects, such as coins, keys, or jewelry.
• Take steps to prevent crushing, puncturing, or putting a high degree of pressure on the battery, as this can cause an internal short-circuit, resulting in overheating.

As for the S10 itself, I never removed the plastic covering the computer. It's going back.

As I was deciding whether to keep the computer or not, Lenovo e-mailed a receipt for the purchase. The receipt arrived a couple days after the computer arrived, and eight days after the initial order. There was a link in the e-mail message (www.lenovo.com/products/us/returns) for how to return a purchase, but it's broken. Instead of the return policy, the link results in "There were no items matching your search." This is on top of the shipping delay because UPS said there was no label on the box.

Lenovo ThinkPads have an excellent reputation, but an IdeaPad is not a ThinkPad. The S10, in particular, is a whole new product category, one for which there is no pre-existing reputation. So things boil down to confidence and Lenovo did not inspire confidence.

My next hassle is trying to convince Lenovo not to charge me the $60 restocking fee. If you're thinking of buying a Lenovo computer, be aware that machines sold on their Web site are subject to a 15 percent restocking fee. You may be better off at a local retailer with a more liberal return policy.

Update: Unboxing other Netbooks

• The Dell Mini 9 comes wrapped in heavy cardboard and seems to have the battery already inserted.
• The battery for the MSI Wind U90 ships in plastic bubble-wrap. The computer itself comes in box inside another box.
• The Acer Aspire One battery is wrapped in plastic and seems cushioned by cardboard to keep it from moving in transit (2 minutes, 10 seconds into video).
• Laptop magazine got a very early copy of the Lenovo S10 and unboxed it on video. First point they made was that it might not be the final retail boxing. Still, their battery, like mine, shipped naked.
• Brand Linder at Liliputing did an unboxing video of the Asus Eee PC 100H. It shipped as a box within a box and the battery was protected by plastic bubble-wrap.

See a summary of all my Defensive Computing postings.

[stalepie2]

You shouldn't order from them if you don't like the way they do things. Companies will change their ways based on sales a lot sooner than they will on customer complaints or safety problems. But you'll probably go on giving thousands to Lenovo and then writing more and more posts about how they are bad at shipping.

[stalepie2]

I bet the S10 still works though.

[stalepie2]

HEYYY why aren't my comments immediately appearing. I hate when they happens, I write one comment and it goes through, but then when I write one that starts to get racist or offensive (or whatever) they get snagged by some kind of blog software that tries to detect offensive content. Or am I paranoid?? I love being paranoid! [CNET editors' note: Offensive content deleted.]

:D

[stalepie2]

I say if the Lenovo product still works fine then you should keep it and thank Lenovo for the great product! Who cares about the box?

[stalepie2]

Ah ha!!! so my comments ARE immediately appearing! I just did not wait long enough. WEll, now if you want to make your website less offensive you have my permission to delete my comments as you see fit.

I don't hate chinese people, I just hate slavery and oppression! And I had noticed that it seemed like the Lenovo thinkpads didn't look as good as the IBM ones (the last ones being X40, X32, X31, T43, T42, etc)

But are they as good? Were they always made by "Lenovo"? Who designed thinkpads? Were they designed in Britain? Are they still, like this video seems to suggest? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GuHhwJHHSw&feature=related

Wait that guy's accent is american. DAmn it. Seems like i remember Britain being in the equation here. Oh well, who cares who makes them anyway. Nationalities and race are so old hat anyway. Could you delete my comments maybe so that in case future employers of mine (if I ever get employed by anybody), if they're researching me before hiring me, don't see how horrible I am? You gotta be careful about what you say these days

[stalepie2]

my name is Matthew Dickinson
[e-mail]

[gggg sssss]

what do you expect from a country that poisons the milk its kids drink - oh sorry that another way of ensuring one child per household. Lenovo is a product of the same sort of thinking.

Dont spend your American dollars there.

[seattle079]

Greetings.

It is obvious the box was tampered with in shipping. Who signed for the box when it was delivered?

Did you not note the damage when you signed for th box, or are you new to receiving shipments in the mail for technology, protocol would be to refuse shipment or note damage when you accepted delivery.

The drool stated in this blog as regards to batteries in this mail is insulting to someone with an IQ over 80 and follows battery technology.

What are the batteries being promoted in electric cars, and run on battery? Maybe an electric car might get into an accident?. Fire hazzard, give me a break.

I thought CNET to be legit, not sure now with this type of terrible review of "technology" is really ugly. I can see why the consultant business is drying up quickly...

[RicABlair]

to seattle079: anyone can claim to be a "consultant." Check to see what verifiable clients this "consultant" has NOW, not 5 years ago. Check to see if s/he has been published in a magazine, book, or newspaper--those print media have realtime real life editors with journalistic standards unlike bloggers and hosts for bloggers like CNET who acknowledge no standards and disavow any libel, inaccuracies or incompetency. Finally, if someone is blogging, his consulting business can't be too good. Good consultants are too busy to be blogging.

[Mark_Lenovo]

Michael,

Sorry to hear that we are 2 for 2 in terms of your order experience. I believe you have my contact information and am happy to help as needed.

You make some interesting points on the packaging. As you know the IdeaPad products were planned ot be sold in the retail environment, and the packaging reflects the store environment. We have since implemented an overpack box to improve the protection for the S10 during shipping.

Best regards,

Mark

[stealthird]

Good move, Mark......mine arrived a week ago and it was packed very well. I love my S10!!!

[WordsmithONE]

Michael,

Sorry you had the shipping problem, but don't let it put you off the actual computer. The Lenovo S10 is a very good machine -- worlds better than the Asus Eee PCs, which I've had for more than a year. The S10 has the solid feel of a ThinkPad, an excellent, crisp, bright, non-shiny 10" screen, and thus far (about 3 weeks on) simply works as it should. Only complaint is that the speakers are a tad too soft. Also, adding an extra 1GB of RAM (very cheap @ Crucial.com) made a noticeable difference. But again, the S10 simply works and is a really great value.

[mhinnewyork]

@WordsmithONE - I don't doubt you at all, I was very psyched to get my hands on the S10. However, I decided to return the machine without ever removing the plastic covering the computer. I subsequently purchased a Netbook with a 9 inch screen and fear that I may regret the smaller screen size.

[michalng]

You've got the S10 runs Windows XP Home Edition?

Any idea if the wireless chipset that it comes with supports Linux by default.

Appreciate your help !

[michalng]

You've got the S10 runs Windows XP Home Edition?

Any idea if the wireless chipset that it comes with supports Linux by default.

Appreciate your help !

[dacbrnc]

I am writing on my S10 thinkpad. I love the size and weight, as I travel extensive for work (and have to carry their laptop) I thought this would be small, light and reliablie enough to help me keep up to date with my personal life on the road. We got the first two but there is no sense carrying an extra computer if it shuts down every 4 minutes. My computer, from the box, had memory problems that shut it down routinely. The first time I called Lenovo, and sent it back, they were quite responsive. After receiving it back from repair, the first ime I booted it up, it happaned again, immediately. I called again, and wouldn't you know, it is out of its 'return period'. I am awaiting a response from Cusotmer Care, but I have little hope they have any intention of making this right. Quite disappointing.

[MichaelMasters]

I got too this site due too receiving a Lenovo laptop computer through UPS...I did not order it and did not know what it was until after I signed for it...they billed my credit card company. I know they either bought or stole my credit card number because if they showed a certain telephone number on the order, then I know it is fraud..They showed the number..I called Lenovo and told them to come pick it up, they wanted an email account too send a shipping lable too, I refused too give them one because they said I ordered it over the internet, therefore they have an internet address, which they gave me and is not mine and never has been...I think they tried to scam me..I called the credit card company and told them about the situation and that I had no intent of paying for this computer...Now, my question is, since I didn't order it, do I have to return it? It wasn't a hacked credit card, my ID was not stolen, Lenovo sent this computer too me hoping that I wouldn't catch it..so, back too my question, do I have to reture the computer?