DELL VS. COMPETITORS: NETBOOK DURABILITY

OUR FINDINGS

In todays educational environment, institutions are eager to get the most for their computing dollar, which means buying systems that last. In Principled Technologies tests in our labs, the Dell Latitude 2110 was more durable than five other netbooks: Asus Eee PC 1001P-MU17-WT, Asus Eee PC 1201T-MU10-BK, HP Mini 2102, Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3, and Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t. The Dell Latitude 2110s ability to withstand accidental drops makes it an excellent choice for an educational institution, where netbooks need to last.

OUR PROCESS

To gauge the durability of each netbook system, we dropped it from a height of 29 inches a maximum of three times. After each drop, we assessed external physical damage and ran tests to determine how well the hard drive had protected its data.

JULY 2010

A PRINCIPLED TECHNOLOGIES TEST REPORT
Commissioned by Dell Inc.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

We tested the durability of the following six netbook systems: Asus Eee PC 1001P-MU17-WT Asus Eee PC 1201T-MU10-BK Dell Latitude 2110 HP Mini 2102 Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t
To test the drop resistance of each netbook, we performed up to three 29-inch flat drops onto commercial-grade carpet while the netbook was open and running MAXON CINEBENCH R10. After each drop, we measured how well each system had protected its data using HD Tune Pro 4.01 and HDDScan 3.2, tests that assess hard drive damage. After a system failed to boot, we conducted no further testing on that system.

WHAT WE FOUND

Prior to the first drop, we performed a baseline run of HD Tune Pro 4.01 and HDDScan 3.2. All six systems achieved an HD Tune Pro damaged blocks percentage of 0.0% and an HDDScan 3.2 bad blocks score of 0, indicating that their hard drives were all in perfect condition. Figure 1 shows the results after we dropped each of the six systems one time. The only discernable damage the Dell Latitude 2110 suffered was a slight separation between palm rest and base, which we were able to snap right back into place. Two additional systemsthe Asus Eee PC 1201T-MU10-BK and the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3tsurvived the first drop well enough to continue testing. Three other systemsthe Asus Eee PC 1001P-MU17-WT, the HP Mini 2102, and the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3failed to boot after the first drop, so we removed them from testing. Asus Eee PC Asus Eee PC Dell After first drop 1001P-MU171201TLatitude WT MU10-BK 2110 HD Tune Pro damaged N/A 0.0% 0.0% blocks percentage HDDScan 3.2 N/A bad blocks Dell vs. competitors: Netbook durability HP Mini 2102 12.0% Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 1.4% Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t 1.1%
A Principled Technologies test report 2
Asus Eee PC Asus Eee PC After first drop 1001P-MU171201TWT MU10-BK Notes System was No too damaged damage. to initiate scan. System could not boot into the OS, and did not recognize the hard drive. Separation at the bottom center of the display assembly.
Dell Latitude 2110 Slight separation between palm rest and base; snapped right back into place.
HP Mini 2102 System failed to boot into the OS and did not recognize the presence of the hard drive. BIOS returned error: Hard Drive Does Not Exist. Points of separation on the display at the bottom center.
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 After we scanned the system for several hours, the system went to a blue screen and would not boot into the OS. System repair failed. When we tried to pull the results for HDD Scan 3.2, the system froze and would not boot back into the CD. Assembly separation at the bottom center of the display.
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t Upon contact with the floor, the system rebooted.
Figure 1: Results for the netbook systems following the first drop.
Dell vs. competitors: Netbook durability
A Principled Technologies test report 3
Figure 2 shows the results for the three surviving systems after we dropped each a second time. Once again, the only discernable damage the Dell Latitude 2110 suffered was a slight separation between palm rest and base, which we were able to snap right back into place. The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t sustained some hard drive damage but did reboot, so remained in the test. The Asus Eee PC 1201T-MU10-BK behaved very erratically after the second drop, so we removed it from testing. After second drop HD Tune Pro damaged blocks percentage HDDScan 3.2 bad blocks Asus Eee PC 1201T-MU10-BK Dell Latitude 2110 Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t

860 Upon contact with the floor, the system rebooted. LCD damage: the left half of the screen was dimmer than the right half.
After the second drop, the Slight separation between system would boot to the OS palm rest and base; snapped at first, but would only display right back into place. some of the icons, with no text. They would not respond when clicked. Also, the wait cursor appeared when the mouse hovered on the task bar. Notes Booting took a long time and sometimes the system would lock up; after some attempts, it would not boot at all. After the second drop, the BIOS could no longer recognize the hard drive, and we were unable to gather the scan results.
Figure 2: Results for the netbook systems following the second drop. Note: Only three systems survived the first drop.
A Principled Technologies test report 4
Figure 3 shows the results for the two surviving systems after we dropped each a third time. At this point, the Dell Latitude 2110 suffered only slight hard drive damagemore than 99 percent of blocks were still goodand the same minor, easy-to-fix slight separation between palm rest and base. The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t suffered substantially greater hard drive damage, as well as damage to the LCD screen. After third drop HD Tune Pro damaged blocks percentage HDDScan 3.2 bad blocks Notes Dell Latitude 2110 Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t
456 Slight separation between palm rest and base; snapped right back into place.
6,209 LCD damage: the left half remained dimmer, and the screen displayed color bars when we handled the swivel monitor.
Figure 3: Results for the netbook systems following the third drop. Note: Only two systems survived the second drop.

HOW WE TESTED

Preparing Windows 7 for testing 1. Set the test resolution: a. Right-click the desktop. b. Select Screen Resolution. c. Set the resolution to the maximum supported resolution. d. Click OK. 2. Turn off Windows Automatic Updates: a. Click the Windows Start button. b. Right-click Computer, and select Properties. c. Click Windows Update in the left column. d. Click Change settings. e. Select Never check for updates, check Receive recommended updates the same way you receive important updates, and Allow standard users to install updates on this computer. f. Click OK. 3. Turn off the screensaver and power-management options on each system by doing the following: a. Right-click the desktop. b. Select Personalize. c. Click Screensaver. d. Select None from the drop down menu, and click Apply. e. Click Change power settings. f. Under Balanced, click change plan settings. Dell vs. competitors: Netbook durability A Principled Technologies test report 5
g. Select Never from the drop-down menus next to Dim the display, Turn off the display, and Put the computer to sleep. h. Click Save changes. i. Close any open windows. 4. Leave all services in their default state. 5. Ensure that each system is set to the default power scheme, which is the Balanced power scheme for Windows 7. If the system is not, set it to that scheme. 6. Do not minimize the taskbar. 7. Turn off System Restore. Doing so prevents system restores from occurring during testing and affecting results. a. Click Start, and right-click on Computer. b. Select Properties. c. Click System protection under Tasks in the left panel. d. Select drive C:, and click Configure. e. Under Restore Settings, select Turn off system protection. f. Click Apply, click OK, and close both windows. 8. Disable Security notifications: a. Click the Windows Start button. b. Click Control Panel. c. Click System and Security. d. Click Change Action Center settings. e. Uncheck all monitoring alert messages, and click OK. 9. Change User Account Control settings: a. Click the Windows Start button. b. Click Control Panel. c. Click System and Security. d. Click Change User Account Control settings. e. Move the slider bar to Never notify, and click OK. f. In the User Account Control dialog box, click Yes. 10. Run the Windows Experience Index on the system. 11. Leave Aero Glass at the setting Windows 7 decides is appropriate. 12. Ensure Search indexing is enabled (default). 13. Leave the brightness at the default level. 14. Check the state of the following hardware items and disable each one if it is not already off: Wireless (use the physical switch if one is available) Bluetooth IR 15. Disconnect any external devices. 16. Do not plug in the network adapter.

A Principled Technologies test report 6
17. Add headphones, and set the volume to the midpoint. 18. Capture a sector disk image with Symantecs Ghost product. Setting up CINEBENCH R10 1. Download CINEBENCH R10 from http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/697/CINEBENCH_v10.html. 2. Install CINEBENCH: a. Right-click the CINEBENCH ZIP file, and choose Extract All. b. In the Select a Destination and Extract Files window, click Browse, click Desktop, and click OK. c. Click Extract. Running CINEBENCH R10 1. Launch CINEBENCH R10 by double-clicking the CINEBENCH R10.exe file in the CINEBENCH R10 folder. 2. Enter the MHz frequency of the processor in the MHz (real freq.) field. 3. Click Start all tests.
Measuring physical data protectionthe drop test
This test measures the damage that the impact from a drop of 29 inches inflicted upon an open netbook running MAXON CINEBENCH R10. We used a Lansmont PDT56ED Precision Drop Tester, and dropped each netbook onto commercial carpet. We opened the netbook so that the screen and keyboard formed a 120-degree angle, and then
Figure 4: Our physical data protection test setup.
placed the netbook flat on the platen. Orienting the netbook in this way resulted in a flat drop. (Figure 4 shows our test setup.) To allow us to scan the netbooks identically, we booted both to BartPE boot CDs and installed the hard disk scanning software to the Microsoft Windows XP virtual machines RAMDISK. Running the scanning software from RAM, we scanned the hard disk with HD Tune Pro 4.01 and HDDScan for Windows 3.2, and recorded the number of bad sectors and blocks before and after the drop test. We also recorded any other physical defects, such as cracks or breaks in the display, as well as separated hinges or displaced screws, which
A Principled Technologies test report 7
the impact of the drop caused. Refer to Appendix B for the drop test checklist. We took still photographs of the netbooks before and after each drop. We dropped each netbook once, using this process: 1. Reset the netbook to the base image using Symantecs Ghost product. 2. Install MAXON CINEBENCH R10 onto the test netbook, as we outline above. 3. Run EFD Softwares HD Tune Pro 4.01 and HDDScan 3.2 to get baseline data on the state of the hard disk. Boot the system using a WinPE boot disc. a. Install HD Tune Pro 4.01: i. Insert a USB flash drive containing the HD Tune Pro installation executable, and click once on My Computer. ii. Navigate to the USB drive, and double-click the hdtunepro_401_trial.exe installation file to install the application. iii. At the welcome screen, click Next. iv. Click the I accept the agreement radio button, and click Next. v. In the Select Destination Location window, click Browse. vi. Click the RAMDisk drive once to select it, and click OK. vii. Click Next in the next two windows. viii. Leave check box empty for Create a desktop icon, and click Next. ix. Click Install. x. Leave the check box checked for Launch HD Tune Pro, and click Finish. b. Run the HD Tune Pro 4.01 Error Scan: i. Select the Error Scan tab. ii. Click Start in the right hand pane. Note: The Error Scan is complete when the Start button changes from grey to black. c. Save the Error Scan Results: i. Click the Copy screenshot to clipboard button on the upper right hand menu bar. ii. Click the Save screenshot button on the menu bar. iii. Save the screenshot by system name and test name. d. Click the Copy information to clipboard button on the upper right hand menu bar (it is the first button on the left): i. Open a new text file by clicking StartRun, typing notepad, and clicking OK. ii. In the Notepad window, click EditPaste. iii. Click FileSave As, enter an appropriate filename using a.txt extension, and choose the location to save the file (we saved ours to a USB flash drive). Click Save. e. Save the relevant log files: i. Click the Health tab. ii. Click Log in the bottom right hand corner. iii. In the Attribute pane, click (01) Raw Read Error Rate, and click Export. iv. Enter an appropriate filename using a.txt extension, choose a location to save the file, and click Open. v. Repeat steps 3c and 3d for (05) Reallocated Sector Count and (07) Seek Error Rate. f. Close the HD Tune Pro 4.01 Hard Disk Utility. g. Scan the netbooks hard drive with HDDScan for Windows version 3.2: i. Copy the HDDScan folder to the WinPE RAMDisk. Dell vs. competitors: Netbook durability A Principled Technologies test report 8

ii. Open the HDDScan folder, and double-click the HDDScan.exe executable file to run the application. iii. Click TasksSurface Tests to open the Test Selection window. iv. Select Verify from the list of tests, and click Add Test. v. At the conclusion of the run, double-click the VR-Verify test id in the Test Manager window to open up the results. vi. Select the Report tab, and copy and paste the test results into Notepad. vii. Save the results as a text file. 4. Set the height of the platen on the Lansmont Precision Drop Tester to 29 inches above the surface of the 28 oz. commercial carpeting. 5. Place the fully charged netbook on the platen of the drop tester, with the netbooks base flat on the platen and the screen facing forward, open at a 120-degree angle. 6. Launch CINEBENCH. 7. Unplug the netbook, and drop the netbook onto the commercial carpeting. 8. Wait until the netbook is completely still. 9. If the battery or any other components come off the system, inspect them for damage, and reinstall them if possible. 10. Complete the checklist in Appendix B, including the latest version available of Dell Diagnostics, if applicable. 11. Take digital pictures of the netbook from all angles after completing the checklist. 12. Stop CINEBENCH. 13. Reconnect the netbooks AC Adapter. 14. Run HD Tune Pro 4.01 and HDD Scan 3.2 using the process in Step 3, and record the results as the netbooks post-test disk status.
A Principled Technologies test report 9
APPENDIX A SYSTEM CONFIGURATION INFORMATION
Figures 5 and 6 provide detailed configuration information for the six netbook systems we tested. System ASUS Eee PC 1001P ASUS Eee PC 1201T Dell Latitude 2110 HP Mini 2102
General Number of processor packages Number of cores per processor Number of hardware threads per core System power management policy Processor powersaving option System dimensions (length x width x height) System weight CPU Vendor Name Model number Stepping Socket type and number of pins Core frequency (GHz) Front-side bus frequency (MHz) L1 cache L2 cache (KB) Platform Vendor
2 Balanced Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology 10-1/4 x 7 x 13/lbs. 14 oz. Intel Atom N450 A0 FCBGA559 1.32 KB + 24 KB 512 ASUSTek Computer
1 Balanced N/A 11-1/2 x 8-1/4 x 1-1/lbs. 2.5 oz. AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 DH-G2 ASB1 1.60 1,KB +64 KB 512 ASUSTek Computer
2 Dell Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology 10-3/8 x 7-1/2 x 2-1/lbs 3 oz. Intel Atom N470 B0 Socket 437 FCBGA8 1.24 KB + 32 KB (per core) 512 Dell
2 HP Optimized Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology 10-1/2 x 7 x 11/lbs. 7 oz. Intel Atom N450 A0 Micro-FCBGA559 1.32 KB +24 KB 512 HP
A Principled Technologies test report 10
System Motherboard model number Motherboard chipset BIOS name and version Memory module Vendor and model number Type Speed (MHz) Speed running in the system (MHz) Timing/Latency (tCL-tRCD-tRPtRASmin) Size (MB) Number of memory module(s) Chip organization (Single-sided, Double-sided) Channel (Single/Dual) Hard disk Vendor and model number Number of disks in system Size (GB) Buffer size (MB) RPM Type Controller

ASUS Eee PC 1001P 1005P Intel NM10 American Megatrends v0706 (01/04/2010) ASint Technology B2YJUS73FN1 PC2-667 5-5-5-15 1,Double-sided Single
ASUS Eee PC 1201T 1210T AMD 780G American Megatrends v0317 (02/02/2010) Transcend Information TS256MSQ64V6U PC2-667 5-5-5-15 2,Double-sided Single Hitachi HTS545025B9A300 ATA Device 8 5,400 SATA 3.0 Gb/s Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller
Dell Latitude 2110 OM57NM Intel Atom Host Bridge Dell v.A00 (03/09/2010)
HP Mini Intel NM10 HP F.12 (04/23/2010)
Hynix Hyundai HYMP112S64CP6-S6 HYMP112S64CP6-S6 PC2-667 5-5-5-15 1,Double-sided Single Western Digital WD1600BEVT75A23T0 ATA 8 5,400 SATA Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller PC2-667 5-5-5-15 1,Double-sided Single
Seagate ST9160301AS 8 5,400 SATA 3.0 Gb/s Intel NM10 Express Chipset
Toshiba MK1656GSY 16 7,200 SATA 3.0 Gb/s Intel NM10 Express Chipset
A Principled Technologies test report 11
System Driver Operating system Name Build number Service Pack File system Kernel Language Microsoft DirectX version Graphics Vendor and model number Type Chipset BIOS version Total available graphics memory (MB) Dedicated video memory (MB) System video memory (MB) Shared system memory (MB) Resolution Driver
ASUS Eee PC 1001P Intel 8.9.0.1023 (06/04/2009) Windows 7 Starter 7600 N/A NTFS ACPI x86-based PC English 11 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 1790.187 1,024 x 600 x 32 bit Intel 8.14.10.1929 (09/23/2009)
ASUS Eee PC 1201T Microsoft 6.1.7600.16385 (06/21/2006) Windows 7 Starter 7600 N/A NTFS ACPI x86-based PC English 11
Dell Latitude 2110 Microsoft 6.1.7600.20575 Windows 7 Starter 7600 NA NTFS ACPIx-86-based PC English 11 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 1933.186 1,024 x 600 x 32-bit Intel 8.14.10.2023 (12/14/2009) Realtek High Definition Audio Realtek 6.0.1.6098 (04/27/2010)
HP Mini 2102 Intel 8.9.0.1023 (06/04/2009) Window 7 Starter 7600 N/A NTFS ACPI x86-Based PC English 11 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 1818.186 1,024 x 600 x 32 bit Intel 8.14.10.1929 (09/23/2009) IDT High Definition Audio CODEC IDT 6.10.6246.0 (10/12/2009)
ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics Integrated ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics 010.094.001.639 1,366 x 768 x 32 bit ATI Technologies 8.56.1.15 (04/24/2009) High Definition Audio Device Microsoft 6.1.7600.16385 (07/13/2009)
Sound card/subsystem Vendor and model Realtek High number Definition Audio Driver Realtek 6.0.1.1548 (09/29/2009)
A Principled Technologies test report 12

System Ethernet Vendor and model number
ASUS Eee PC 1001P Atheros AR8132 PCI-E Fast Ethernet Controller (NDIS 6.20) Atheros 1.0.0.10 (07/27/2010) Atheros AR2427 Wireless Network Adapter Atheros 8.0.0.238 (10/05/2009) 3 2.0 3-in-1 Media Card Reader 0 LED-Backlight Display 10.ASUS AL32-1005 Liion 8 x 2 x 1 4,400mAh / 10.8V (48Wh) 11.1
ASUS Eee PC 1201T Atherose AR8132 PCI-E Fast Ethernet Controller (NIDS 6.20) Microsoft 1.0.0.4 (04/01/2009) Realtek RTL8191 Wireless LAN 802 11n PCI-NIC Realtek 2015.2.430.2010 (04/30/2010) 3 2.0 3-in-1 Media Card Reader 0 LED-Backlight Display 12.ASUS A32-UL20 Liion 8-1/8 x 2 x 1 4,400mAh / 10.8V (47Wh) 10.9

Dell Latitude 2110

HP Mini 2102
Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Broadcom 12.4.1.2 (02/25/2010) DW1501 Wireless-N WLAN Half-Mini Card Broadcom 5.60.48.35 (01/21/2010) 3 2.0 3-in-1 Media Card Reader 0 WSVGA AntiGlare LED Display 10.Dell G038N LithiumIon 8 x 1-1/2 x 1-1/2 5,000 mAh / 11.1 V (56 Wh) 12
Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller Realtek 7.7.1002.2009 (10/02/2009) Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN Broadcom 5.60.18.41 (10/23/2009) 3 2.0 5-in-1 Media Card Reader 0 WSVGA LED Antiglare Widescreen Display 10.HP AN03 Li-ion 8 x 1-3/4 x 7/8 2,500mAh / 10.8V (28Wh) 5.9
Driver Wireless Vendor and model number Driver USB ports Number Type Other IEEE 1394 ports Number Monitor LCD type Screen size (inches) Refresh rate (Hz) Battery Type Size (length x width x height) Rated capacity Weight (oz.)
Figure 5. Configuration information for the Asus, Dell, and HP netbooks.
A Principled Technologies test report 13

System

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t

General Number of processor packages Number of cores per processor Number of hardware threads per core System power management policy Processor power-saving option System dimensions (length x width x height) System weight CPU Vendor Name Model number Stepping Socket type and number of pins Core frequency (GHz) Front-side bus frequency (MHz) L1 cache L2 cache (KB) Platform Vendor Motherboard model number Motherboard chipset BIOS name and version Memory module(s) Vendor and model number Type Speed (MHz) Speed running in the system (MHz) Timing/Latency (tCL-tRCD-tRPtRASmin) Size (MB)
2 Balanced Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology 10-1/2 x 6-5/8 x1-1/lbs. 9 oz. Intel Atom N450 A0 Micro-FCBGA559 1.32 KB +24 KB 512 Lenovo Mariana3A NM10 LENOVO 2ACN21WW (02/03/2010) Ramaxel Technology RMN1150HC48D7F-667 PC2-667 5-5-5-15 1,024
2 Energy Star Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology 11 x 6-7/8 x 1-1/lbs. 13.5 oz. Intel Atom N450 A0 Micro-FCBGA559 1.32 KB + 24 KB 512 Lenovo Caucasus2 Intel NM10 Lenovo v24CN18WW (12/11/2009) Ramaxel Technology RMN1150HC48D7F-667 PC2-667 5-5-5-15 512

A Principled Technologies test report 14
System Number of memory module(s) Chip organization (Single-sided, Double-sided) Channel (Single/Dual) Hard disk Vendor and model number Number of disks in system Size (GB) Buffer size (MB) RPM Type Controller Driver Operating system Name Build number Service pack File system Kernel Language Microsoft DirectX version Graphics Vendor and model number Type Chipset BIOS version Total available graphics memory (MB) Dedicated video memory (MB) System video memory (MB) Shared system memory (MB) Resolution Driver Sound card/subsystem Vendor and model number Driver 1

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 1

Double-sided Single Fujitsu MJA2160BH G5,400 SATA 3.0 Gb/s Intel NM10 Express Chipset Microsoft 6.1.7600.16385 (06/21/2006) Window 7 Starter 7600 N/A NTFS ACPI x86-based PC English 11 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 1851.186 1,024 x 600 x 32 bit Intel 8.14.10.1929 (09/23/2009) Realtek High Definition Audio Realtek 6.0.1.5989 (11/25/2009)
Double-sided Single Hitachi HTS545016B9A5,400 SATA 3.0 Gb/s Intel NM10 Express Chipset Intel 8.9.0.1023 (06/04/2009) Windows 7 Starter 7600 N/A NTFS ACPI x86-based PC English 11 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 1933.186 1,024 x 600 x 32 bit Intel 8.14.10.1929 (09/23/2009) Conexant Pebble High Definition Smart Audio Conexant 4.98.13.62 (11/02/2009) A Principled Technologies test report 15
System Ethernet Vendor and model number Driver Wireless Vendor and model number Driver USB ports Number Type Other IEEE 1394 ports Number Monitor LCD type Screen size (inches) Refresh rate (Hz) Battery Type Size (length x width x height) Rated capacity Weight (oz.)
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller Realtek 7.6.820.2009 (08/20/2009) Atheros AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter Atheros Communications Inc. 8.0.0.279 (01/17/2010) 3 2.0 5-in-1 Memory Card Reader 0 LED-Backlit 10.Lenovo L09S6Yx 2-1/8 X 1-1/16 4,400mAh / 10.8V (48Wh) 10.5
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t Broadcom NetLink Gigabit Ethernet Broadcom 12.4.3 (10/16/2009) Atheros AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter Atheros Communications 8.0.0.238 (10/05/2009) 2 2.0 6-in-1 Media Card Reader 0 LED Backlight Display 10.Lenovo L09S4T09 9-5/8 x 2 x 5/8 3,740mAh / 7.4V (29Wh) 6.9
Figure 6: Configuration information for the Lenovo netbooks.
A Principled Technologies test report 16
APPENDIX B. DROP TEST CHECKLIST
TEST: __________________________________ UNIT S/N: __________________________________ DELL Diagnostics revision number: ___________ Pre-drop disk scan results: ________________________ Post-drop disk scan results: _______________________ HDD Verify that HDD is functional RMS devices Verify that all internal removable media storage (RMS) devices (FDD, CD-ROM, etc.) are functional LCD Abrasion or buffing on the LCD from the keyboard Loss of pixels at any color layer Appearance of lines, bars, brightness change, etc. Broken or deformed parts Loose or partially unseated connectors Keyboard Broken, deformed, or unseated keys Loss of functionality of any key, Touch Pad, TouchPad buttons, PointStick, PointStick buttons External connectors Broken, deformed, or unseated connectors Loss of functionality of any connector Latch Verify that all latches (display, battery, memory door, etc.) are fully functional Battery Verify that the battery is fully functional Cracks or breakage Cracks, breakage, deformation, or separation at any point on the display assembly and the base assembly Paint degradation Scratches or chipping on painted parts Floatlines/seams Separation between LCD back and bezel at any point around display, and between palm rest and base Dell vs. competitors: Netbook durability A Principled Technologies test report 17

Hinge caps Separation or misfit of hinge caps Doors Verify that all doors (HDD door, memory door, FDD door, etc.) are fully functional Screws Verify that screws are set at their original screw setting Rubber feet Movement or dislodging of any rubber (stationary) foot on netbook
A Principled Technologies test report 18
ABOUT PRINCIPLED TECHNOLOGIES
We provide industry-leading technology assessment and fact-based marketing services. We bring to every assignment extensive experience with and expertise in all aspects of technology testing and analysis, from researching new technologies, to developing new methodologies, to testing with existing and new tools.
Principled Technologies, Inc. 1007 Slater Road, Suite 300 Durham, NC, 27703 www.principledtechnologies.com
When the assessment is complete, we know how to present the results to a broad range of target audiences. We provide our clients with the materials they need, from market-focused data to use in their own collateral to custom sales aids, such as test reports, performance assessments, and white papers. Every document reflects the results of our trusted independent analysis. We provide customized services that focus on our clients individual requirements. Whether the technology involves hardware, software, Web sites, or services, we offer the experience, expertise, and tools to help our clients assess how it will fare against its competition, its performance, its market readiness, and its quality and reliability. Our founders, Mark L. Van Name and Bill Catchings, have worked together in technology assessment for over 20 years. As journalists, they published over a thousand articles on a wide array of technology subjects. They created and led the Ziff-Davis Benchmark Operation, which developed such industry-standard benchmarks as Ziff Davis Medias Winstone and WebBench. They founded and led eTesting Labs, and after the acquisition of that company by Lionbridge Technologies were the head and CTO of VeriTest.
Principled Technologies is a registered trademark of Principled Technologies, Inc. All other product names are the trademarks of their respective owners.
Disclaimer of Warranties; Limitation of Liability: PRINCIPLED TECHNOLOGIES, INC. HAS MADE REASONABLE EFFORTS TO ENSURE THE ACCURACY AND VALIDITY OF ITS TESTING, HOWEVER, PRINCIPLED TECHNOLOGIES, INC. SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, RELATING TO THE TEST RESULTS AND ANALYSIS, THEIR ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS OR QUALITY, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. ALL PERSONS OR ENTITIES RELYING ON THE RESULTS OF ANY TESTING DO SO AT THEIR OWN RISK, AND AGREE THAT PRINCIPLED TECHNOLOGIES, INC., ITS EMPLOYEES AND ITS SUBCONTRACTORS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER FROM ANY CLAIM OF LOSS OR DAMAGE ON ACCOUNT OF ANY ALLEGED ERROR OR DEFECT IN ANY TESTING PROCEDURE OR RESULT. IN NO EVENT SHALL PRINCIPLED TECHNOLOGIES, INC. BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH ITS TESTING, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT SHALL PRINCIPLED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.S LIABILITY, INCLUDING FOR DIRECT DAMAGES, EXCEED THE AMOUNTS PAID IN CONNECTION WITH PRINCIPLED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.S TESTING. CUSTOMERS SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES ARE AS SET FORTH HEREIN.