Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 And Multitouch S10-3t Netbooks Arrive

It comes as no surprise to see Lenovo launch their latest netbooks, the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 and S10-3t, since we've already caught sight of the latter squeezing through the FCC complete with a multitouch display.  That display, Lenovo say, makes the S10-3t the industry's first convertible netbook to use a capacitive, multitouch-capable screen; both models have a 10.1-inch 16:9 display, along with a choice of Intel's Atom N450 1.66GHz or – when it hits the market later in 2010 – Atom N470 1.83GHz processors.

There's also GMA 3150 graphics, up to 2GB of RAM, up to 320GB of HDD storage and a choice of Windows 7 or Windows XP.  Ports on both machines include ethernet, USB 2.0 (three on the S10-3; two on the S10-3t), a 5-in-1 memory card reader, VGA and audio in/out, and there's a choice of 0.3-megapixel or 1.3-megapixel webcams (1.3MP standard on S10-3t).  Wireless connectivity is a choice of WiFi b/g/n or a/g/n, along with optional Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and a broad array of 3G formats.

Of the two netbooks, the S10-3t offers the best battery life, too: Lenovo reckon you'll see up to 4hrs with the 4-cell pack or up to 10hrs with the optional 8-cell pack (the S10-3 manages 3.5hrs and 7hrs respectively).  Still, the regular IdeaPad S10-3 is cheaper, starting from $349.99, while the IdeaPad S10-3t is a more considerable $499.99.  Both will go on sale in January 2010.