For those on the lookout for an affordable tablet experience, a touch-enabled netbook may seem like the perfect option. Not only is the Gigabyte Touch Note T1028X ($699) easy to carry around for extended periods, but its relatively affordable price means that neither your wallet nor your arm will suffer too much. In addition to a larger display, this 10.1-inch successor to the company’s 8.9-inch M912V convertible also has a better keyboard, snappier performance, and longer battery life. However, a lack of multitouch support and a dearth of preloaded touch applications keep this netbook from attaining a higher rating.
Design
The T1028X has a glossy, metallic brown exterior—an increasingly popular color for laptops these days. The same color extends inside the notebook, the exception being the matte black keyboard and the silver rotating hinge for the display. It’s a sophisticated look that provides some individuality without being too ostentatious.
At 3.3 pounds and measuring 10.4 x 8.4 x 1.6 inches, the T1028X is pretty much the standard size and weight for a 10-inch netbook. The six-cell battery extends over three quarters of an inch out the back, which mars the aesthetic somewhat, but is useful for holding the netbook in portrait mode.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The T1028X’s keyboard covers nearly the entire width of the netbook’s deck. Unlike those found on the Toshiba mini NB205 or the Gateway LT3103u, the keys on the T1028X are of the traditional, chamfered variety. They offered just the right amount of resistance and response, making for a very comfortable typing experience, even if the right Shift key is slightly shrunken. However, the keys to its left are smaller, too, and we found ourselves pressing the slash key when we intended to end sentences with a period.
The touchpad and mouse keys are nearly identical to those on early HP netbooks; it’s not that tall, but is plenty wide, and supports multitouch gestures, such as pinching, scrolling, and zooming. However, the buttons are on either side of the touchpad, rather than below it, which is an awkward arrangement.
Display and Audio
Despite having a 10.1-inch screen, the T1028X’s display sports a resolution of 1366 x 768, which is a bit higher than the 1024 x 600-pixel panels usually found on 10-inch netbooks. This is convenient when viewing pictures and videos, but on-screen images can seem too small when trying to read text on a page, or pressing icons with your finger.
While listening to music and other audio, the T1028X’s speakers were sufficiently loud, but, as is the norm among netbooks, quite tinny. Though we don’t expect stellar audio from this notebook category, we’ve heard better than that on the T1028X.
Hands-on video with Apple's groundbreaking tablet.
