New Q-Notes have rightly taken their place in the Philippine market as the first affordable notebooks available for purchase locally. They can be described as “white notebooks” – built up from manufacturer standard parts available to other small scale builders, but over the years Neo has made an image for itself that defines “affordable quality” – which may sound paradoxical, but is not.

                                             The "Start" button - "it all starts here."
 

Neo’s latest laptop is based on an SiS chipset with integrated Mirage 3 graphics – the SiS671MX. Utilizing the Intel Core2 Duo T2130 running at 1.86GHz, this Neo notebook runs Vista Home Basic with alacrity – once it is up and running, that is. Startup is quite slow, not something expected in this age of new Sta. Rosa – based laptops. To blame is the relatively small (for Vista) 1GB of DDR2 main memory included in the package, although a maximum of 2 GB can be accommodated with the chipset.

 
More troubling is the fact that the integrated graphics uses a shared memory system that reserves as much as 256mb of system memory for graphical use. Suffice to say that Mirage 3 performance is not meant for playing graphic heavy games; although said chipset is a DX9.0 part and can support up to 1920 x 1200. Last-gen games should be able to run at lower resolutions, but at the expense of speed.

This laptop carries the model Empriva 572SVBx and has a close resemblance with the Sager NP7250 sold in the US, with the same chassis, general specs, and screen size. Only the specific processor / memory / package options differ from the local version. Sager is a budget-laptop builder in the US employing white-laptop sets to build super-affordable laptops for budget use.

The most noticeable feature of the laptop though, is the color scheme – white on black, with the white a searing enamel-white that looks like an automotive finish. Unlike automotive finishes with its clear coats and heavy duty protection though, the paint job on this laptop collects smudges at an alarming rate. It gives new meaning to it being a “white-box” model. I was told though that this model is also available in three other colors – yellow like on Lamborghinis, black, and pink.

Going back to the specifications, the laptop boasts of a NEO VisionCare 12.1″ Widescreen WXGA TFT LCD, with a native resolution of 1280 x 800. 80GB of storage, a DVD SuperMulti burner gives the user a standard suite of storage options, expandable by 3 USB 2.0 slots. Networking duties are handled by an 802.11 b/g function, Ethernet 10/100 lan, and an integrated 56k modem. NEO Motion Eye 0.3 MP webcam and built in mic and speakers round out its multimedia capabilities.

This budget notebook comes with a 4 cell battery, which provides a meager 1-hour plus run time. It has the inverse effect of making the laptop light and portable though, at 1.8kg and a size not much broader than a piece of A4 sized paper.

It’s true that this model is available in three other colors, but I feel that the color white is most appropriate for it due to the fact that it is a “white-box” system, and the fact that it is basic and uncluttered, but still serves the 90% of user’s needs of those who buy a laptop for productivity. Its basic specs is still upgradeable on the memory side – this being my main gripe for the unit, so as long as you buy the unit from a respectable retailer who will take care of any future concerns and problems with your laptop, you should be set to get a product that’s just as good as other more well-known brands – at a much lower price point.

Look out for a full review in our upcoming december issue of HWM. More pics to follow.