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A big problem with netbooks is that, no matter which manufacturer they’re from they always end up being very similar. We were, therefore, incredibly pleased to see Gigabyte do something completely different with its Booktop M1022C.
From the outside you may be forgiven for thinking that this is yet another 10.1in notebook, but there’s more than meets the eye. For starters, in the box you not only get the laptop, but a docking station, too. The netbook sits vertically in it charging, while the VGA, three USB, Ethernet and audio outputs means that you can turn the laptop on and use it with external peripherals. Failing that, you can just turn the laptop on and synchronise files to it over a network.
Gigabyte’s thought carefully about the bundle and includes two power supplies in the box: one for the docking station and one for the netbook. There’s even a slip case so that you can keep your laptop protected while you travel, and a soft cloth that protects the screen from the keyboard and can be used for cleaning.
We were impressed with M1022C’s shiny white case, as it gives the netbook a certain degree of style and sophistication. Opening the lid reveals a 10.1in netbook much like many others, until you power it on. At that point you notice the one important difference: the screen has a resolution of 1,366×768 rather than the netbook-standard 1,024×600.
It’s an amazing difference, as there’s plenty more desktop space and dialog boxes all fit on the screen without dropping off the bottom. We’ve never seen this on a netbook before, but now we have we want every other manufacturer to follow suit.
We were pleased with the screen’s quality. The glossy finish helps boost contrast, although we noticed a slightly speckled appearance to bright parts of an image, particularly in whites. Colours are realistic, rather than punchy and vibrant. Viewing angles are good, so it’s easy to see the screen without finely adjusting it. The screen folds back almost horizontal with the keyboard, so the M1022C is easy to use in almost any position.
Getting a decent keyboard into such a small space is always tricky, but Gigabyte’s done a decent job here. The keys are all a good size and responsive. They sit flush to the case, so it takes a while to get used to them and you’ll initially find it a little tricky to feel for the right key.
We’re not big fans of the touchpad, though. It’s small and we’d prefer its buttons to be underneath it, rather than on either side. Multi-touch support means you can use two fingers in Windows 7 to zoom, scroll or rotate.
There’s the usual range of expansion options including three USB ports and a memory card reader, but this is the first netbook we’ve seen with a ExpressCard/34 slot, which you can use to add an SSD, TV tuner or other expansion card. There’s even a Mini PCI-E slot underneath a screw-on panel, which can be used for a 3G mobile broadband adaptor and Gigabyte has preinstalled the necessary antenna cables.
Given the range of features, you may be surprised to find out that the M1022C uses the older Atom N280 processor, rather than the N450 with integrated graphics. However, both run at a clock speed of 1.66GHz and the M1022C’s benchmark result of 17 is the same as other netbooks we’ve tested. The memory slot is easy to access thanks to the removable panel underneath, so you can upgrade to 2GB of RAM easily for better performance.
There’s a 250GB hard disk, but you can easily access it to upgrade it if you find that you’re running out of space.
Battery life of just under four-hours (there’s only a 4,400mAh battery) is quite a way short of the nine-hours plus we’re seeing from a lot of netbooks. One neat touch is that pressing the right-touchpad button when the laptop’s off lights up LEDs on the front to show you the current battery charge.
The best thing is that the price is no higher for this netbook than others. The real question will come down to what you want to do. The Toshiba NB305 has better battery life, higher image quality and a slightly better keyboard and is ideal if you’ll spend a lot of time away from a desk. If you prefer a higher-resolution screen and the flexibility of a docking station, the M1022C is a great choice, but we really want better battery life.
