Innovation in the netbook-arena is pretty hard to come by these days, but it looks like Samsung is doing its best with its latest model. Spotted on the floor at IFA, the upcoming N350 could be the very first laptop of its kind to offer integrated 4G mobile-broadband.
The mini-notebook will support next-generation LTE networks - as opposed to WiMax - as well as HSPA+ for areas where 4G isn't available. This will be especially handy in Europe, where the infrastructure for the faster standard has been relatively slow to roll-out.
According to sources at the show, the N350 will also be the manufacturer's first system to use the dual-core Intel Atom N550. However, the display-model was powered by an older N455 CPU, so it's more than possible that a single-core version will also be available. The remainder of the specs are par for the course, including a 10.1in 1,024x600px screen, 1GB DDR3, a 250GB hard-drive and Windows 7 Starter.
Despite the higher-than-average cost, we were big fans of the style, build-quality and usability of this netbook's predecessor, the N310. While the new model will add more power and features, we just have to hope that Samsung will price it a little more competitively.
With limited carrier-support, the 4G radio is likely to be a bit underutilised, though it's always nice to see a company adding forward-looking features. Samsung hasn't released details on the MSRP or availability yet, but hopefully the high-speed networks will be a little more common by the time the N350 reaches the market. In the meantime, support for 3G should see most people through.
