Packard Bell dot s2 review

Packard Bell's dot s2 might not have some of the big-brand cachet of some of its rivals, but it makes a striking entrance. Glossy white contrasts with a gorgeous silver interior, and little details such as the glowing blue power button and stylish font on the keys show an attention to detail that eludes much of the competition.

Look past that chiselled exterior, however, and there are a few weaknesses. There's a little flex in the chassis and some noticeable give in the wristrest, for example. It makes amends with a generous specification, including a 250GB hard disk, 802.11n and Bluetooth, plus its memory card reader supports more formats than rivals.

There's even a copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 included, and Packard Bell throws in a neat little USB device. Its XSync cable allows you to drag and drop files directly to the dot s2 from your main PC, and vice versa.

Such features would be useless if the dot s2 didn't get the ergonomic basics right, but it puts on a great show. The striking white of the keyboard is matched with a good feel and a comfortable layout - and, while the keyboard is good, the display is fantastic.

In fact, the dot s2 has one of the best displays we've seen on any netbook, with rich, realistic colours, plenty of brightness and impressive contrast. Even the speakers manage to put in a good performance.

Battery life is a little behind the very best, but the 4,400mAh battery still managed 7hrs 34mins of light use before expiring.

It's a great little netbook at a good price, and especially so when you consider extras such as the nifty XSync. The Asus Eee PC 1001P may be cheaper, and the Toshiba NB305 more refined, but Packard Bell's dot s2 is a worthy contender nonetheless.

Author: Sasha Muller