Samsung's stylish N310 netbook

Samsung recently caught the attention of notebook users with the 12.1in. NC20, thanks to its use of VIA's Nano processor. Although the Nano performed well in our tests against Intel's Atom, Samsung hasn't abandoned the latter CPU. Today the company has announced another N-series netbook — the N310, which is a stylish-looking 10.1in. Atom-based system weighing 1.23kg.

Much is made in the press release of the N310's styling, which is by leading designer Naoto Fukasawa. As you can see above, it's pleasingly curvy, fashionably black, with a frameless screen and 'chiclet'-style keyboard. In fact, not only does it have "an outstanding look and feel", but also, apparently, "exceptional haptics".

The 10.1in. display is LED backlit, which contributes to the N310's promising-sounding battery life of 5 hours (from a 4-cell battery). No word yet of an extended-life battery to break through the all-important 8-hour barrier though. The keyboard has 17.6mm key spacing and looks to continue the recent trend for better typing experiences on netbooks. Other specs mentioned are: 3 USB ports, a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (and, we assume Wi-Fi but there's nothing on that in the release), a 3-in-1 flash card reader and Windows XP (nothing about Linux so far). Oh, and if you're a bacterium, you won't find a home on the N310's keyboard — it's coated with Samsung's special anti-bacterial finish.

Samsung is keeping mum about pricing for the moment, but European availability is slated for May.