Don’t just go on and update your netbook’s BIOS once an update is released by your netbook’s manufacturer. Case in point: Lenovo, which has recently released a BIOS update for IdeaPad S9 and S10 users, have found that some machines are rendered useless and unbootable by this certain BIOS update version. Users on the Lenovo forums have shared their experiences, wherein they’ve found that the only way to fix their broken machines was to send it in to Lenovo for fixing. Some users were able to fix their problem on their own, but a lot seem unable to, so if you haven’t updated the BIOS yet, it would be wise to wait for a new BIOS version before trying to update. Sure, there’s a chance that your netbook will be unaffected by this small bug, but you can never be too careful. ‘Course, you’re still free to update if you’re brave enough. Just be sure you will be able to handle it if your netbook becomes a brick from this update.
Both Geeks.com and Buy.com are reportedly selling the new Lenovo IdeaPad S9 right now. Geeks.com is selling it for $344.99 while Buy.com retails the said netbook for $359.46.
As a review the Lenovo IdeaPad S9 has the following specs:
8.9 LED-backlit display at 1024×600 pixels
1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor
GMA 950 graphics
512 MB RAM
4GB SSD
Linpus Linux Lite OS
0.3 megapixel webcam
stereo speakers
WiFi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth
Ethernet LAN
2 USB Ports
ExpressCard Slot
4-in-1 media reader
VGA output
If you prefer to have your netbook with the Linux OS and won’t miss Windows XP a bit, this offer comes just in time for the culmination of the Holiday Shopping Rush. It’s a good buy if you’re planning to give your beloved tech geek husband a new toy for Christmas.
The S9 has a 9 inch screen rather than the 10 inch of the S10. It has the same chassis as the S10 so it comes with a bezel around the edge of the screen. The S9 will retail at a lower starting price of about $340.
The cheapest S9 will likely come with Linux, 80GB hard drive and 512MB of RAM. The S9 will ship in Taiwan, with no plans of release in the US. No date has been set for when they’ll be released, but hopefully they won’t have the same problems as the US S10.
I don’t know about you, but I was really smiling while watching this 6-minute promotional video of the Lenovo S9/S10 in Chinese. The video was promoting the netbook’s “always online” features. Well, probably in China, even the bathrooms are Wi-Fi hotspots. Interestingly the promotional video did not show anything about the S9/S10’s salient features, but instead focused on the finishing the storyline, which thanks to an Engadget reader’s translation is about the couple separating with no apparent reason, only to be found out later on by the girl that the boy is already dead.
It was really a weird way of promoting a powerful netbook such as the Lenovo S9/S10, but I guess Lenovo wanted to capitalize on the popularity of “telenovelas” (read: short love story shown in TVs) to promote their netbook.
But one thing that the video was able to show aside from the fact that you can always stay online with a Lenovo netbook is the fact that it is durable as well. Take note of how the girl smash the keyboard whenever she chats with the boy.
Anyway, hopefully Lenovo could come up with a better and more appropriate promotional video for the Lenovo S9/S10 well suited for the International audience. Frankly, if this kind of video ads goes public in the US and worldwide, we will all just laugh about it.
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