Simmtronics Simmbook Netbook

According to reports online, Simmtronics specially made this one for the Indian market:-maybe that's why this Simmtronic Simbook comes at a very reasonable price tag. Scroll to the end of the article to check that.( It's also available abroad). But before pricing we need to see what’s exactly on offer here, and whether this one can stand up to the competition in ways besides just low pricing.

Form and ergonomics
The netbook is a gloss finished piece, with jet black lid and internal surfaces. The entire theme is glossy black, thus fingerprints is something the user might have to get friendly with with this netbook, as they will be everywhere. The touchpad has buttons on the sides, all similarly clad in black. The power button is top right, a silver, simple push button with no LED backlights. Below the pad on the left are the LED indicators, 6 of them in all.

Now on to the important aspect of ergonomics. The keyboard is a smaller sized affair, with less than regular sized shift and Enter keys. Another important point to note is the position of the CTRL key, it’s interchanged with the Fn key.

This arrangement can be a source of frustration, at least until one gets “unlearns” the ctrl key being the last on the left. There is no space in between keys, and  the tactile feel is light and quite easy on the typing flex. The touch pad could have had a different color for the buttons on either side, mainly due to the fact that one has to probe a bit while using to access them, more so as they are seamlessly flush mounted.

The software available are UBUNTU 9.10 OS, loaded with Linux freeware goodies. We installed the OS with a Windows 7 Evaluation disc, as our benchmarking software needs it. Linux users by all means can go ahead with the Ubuntu.