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The 11.6-inch form factor may just be the rising star in the netbook fraternity, and the Satellite T110 has star quality in spades. A whopping 3GB of RAM and an Intel Celeron processor place it firmly in between the original 10.1-inch netbooks and the more familiar and expensive notebook market. For musicians, producers and DJs alike, it poses a question; has a worthy, cheap netbook/ultra-portable laptop finally arrived on the scene?
The larger screen, full-size keys and larger palm-rest area make for a more comfortable experience than you’ll get with the smaller netbooks. The Satellite features the obligatory three USB ports, one of which supports Sleep and Charge: this allows you to charge USB devices even when the machine is switched off and not plugged into a wall outlet. It’s very handy for when you are travelling.
As a live tool, the Satellite certainly has the power to perform, especially with the likes of Ableton Live. In our performance test it ran 20 tracks, all featuring up to three plug-ins, and could handle twice as many channels and plug-ins on Studio One and Reaper than the Atom-powered netbooks. Cubase still proved problematic, however.
The Satellite’s specs are the highest on test, but its success could be thwarted by its price tag.
