Packard Bell dot s and dot m netbooks hands-on review

We got the chance to have a play with some of Packard Bell's latest products today at the trendy Kensington Roof Gardens, including the dot.s and dot.m netbooks.

The dot.s - available in red or black - features a 10.1-inch screen, with the now-default resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. It's a bright and colourful panel, but doesn't really stand out from other netbooks.

The keyboard on the dot.s is small but perfectly formed. It'll take a while for larger-handed typists to adjust to, but the keys are firmly attached and very responsive, making it easy to get a good typing speed. 

The touchpad is one of the smallest we've seen on a netbook, but like the keyboard it offers great responsiveness, and navigating the Windows XP operating system presents no trouble at all. It also supports guesture control, making it easier to carry out tasks such as zooming. Styling is unadventerous, although the dot s is distinguished from rivals by using textured plastics. It's a cohesive and attractive design though, and the models we tried also felt sturdy to the touch.

We also managed a comprehensive hands-on with the dot.m. Styling is similar to its sibling, with textured plastics used  in the construction, but the dot.m features a larger 11.6-inch screen. The bigger size allows for a larger keyboard than that of the dot.s, and also features a contemporary design. The keys are large and flat, but although they're well attached and offer a well-judged key stroke, the lack of definition makes it tricky to type at speed without mistakes.

Processing power for both devices comes from an Intel Atom chip, backed by 1024MB of memory. The dot.m will also be available with an AMD chip and 2048MB of memory. Performance on the samples we tried proved reasonable, if unexceptional, and like most other netbooks Windows XP is the operating system of choice. Features include Bluetooth, and you'll also be able to specify 3G/HSDPA on both models, making them ideal out of office tools.

Overall, these netbooks impressed with their quality and neat designs, although despite its bigger size the dot.m proved the less usable of the pair. Prices start at £299 (inc. VAT) for the dot.s, and £369 (inc. VAT) for the dot m. Check back here in the next month for a full review. 

For more information, visit Packard Bell.