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These are strange days indeed. Netbooks are all the rage, and yet they’re a product sub-category specifically designed to do less than other products on the market. Did I just write that? Yes, yes I did. And it’s true. Designed to “just” be able to run the stuff that most people want to run when they’re on the road, such as a web browser & e-mail, netbooks are the antithesis of desktop replacement laptops. And while Asus seems to want to conquer the market segment by dumping a zillion different models onto the shoulders of poor ol’ Earth, Lenovo has just officially announced its first netbook, the Ideapad S10. And I have to say, it’s pretty darn enticing. More info & pricing after the clicky thingie…

Measuring just an inch thick and weighing in at 2 pounds, the Ideapad S10 comes in three colors (black, white and red as shown above) and looks quite tasty, in an electronic sammich kind of way. There are two configurations: 512MB RAM / 80GB HD and 1GB RAM / 160GB HD. The base configuration is slated to go on sale in October for just $399. Very cool considering it’ll have Windows XP, a bult-in webcam, WiFi, ExpressCard slot, a 4-in-1 media card reader, USB ports and, perhaps neatest of all, a 10.2-inch LED-backlit display.

Even at the base configuration, that’s a lot of stuff for $400, and we’re all in favor of the mass proliferation and subsequent price drop of LED-backlit displays. So thanks for that, Lenovo!

From the pictures, the S10 seems to be nicely designed & finished and have a keyboard with pretty nice travel. I think the screen size is good, too: Not too big, not too small. And 2lb? That’s, like, nothing. It’s like a teacup Yorkie without the yappiness. So thanks for that, too, Lenovo! Also coming soon, the slightly smaller S9.

Lenovo