I don't know about you, but after having seen plenty of netbooks at CeBIT (and a couple more since then), I can tell you that, with most of these things, it's the design that really makes the difference, since the features are exactly the same wherever you might look. And this is precisely the case with the latest such product we've had the chance to take for a quick spin, namely BenQ's Joybook Lite U101, which has the same standard Atom-based configuration in a colorful and eye-catchy package.

As far as the external design is concerned, the Joybook is indeed a pleasure to look at, although I'd rather dare to say that it will most likely prove to be a lot more successful with young people in general (and girls in particular) than with the business segment. The quality of the build is quite an OK one, and the same goes for the finishing (including the keyboard), while the size is pretty much standard for this brand of devices, namely 258 x 189 x 28 mm, at a weight of around 1.05 kilograms.

On the inside, however, the Joybook Lite U101 is, let's face it, rather boring. I mean, Intel Atom N270, Mobile Intel 945GSE Express Chipset, Intel GMA950 graphics, up to 1GB of DDR memory, 10.1-inch LED backlit display....doesn't that ring a bell (or quite a lot of bells, to be precise)?.

The connectivity and networking options are also the ones we've come to expect from such products, including three USB 2.0 ports, VGA output, Ethernet and Wi-Fi, plus Bluetooth and 3.75G HSUPA as options. Of course, there's the 4-in-1 card reader, plus the built-in speakers.

Overall, the Joybook Lite U101 netbook from BenQ is a fairly OK product, but honestly, don't expect any miracles here. Sure, it will most likely sell well (since many devices of this type do these days), but it remains to be seen exactly what the future will bring for it, given the fact that more and more manufactures ditch this concept and go directly for 12 and 13-inch ultra-slim computing systems.


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