A swimming float?
The N310's chassis is the most obvious departure from regular netbooks. Looking more akin to a swimming float than mini-sized computer, the raised logo and plastic lid aesthetic works well enough.
Viewing from the back, build quality is very good, highlighted by the clean lines and smoothed edges, and the chassis is durable enough to be able to withstand a knock or two.
Available in black, blue and red, it's kind of the netbook that, dare we say, Apple would release at an exorbitant price.
The smooth appearance continues on the front, with a slight indent enabling you to lift up the lid and push the screen back. A multi-card reader is barely discernible on the left-hand side. Did you notice it?
Turn it one-quarter around and we see a single USB2.0 port and semi-hidden 100Mbit Ethernet jack. The vent next to it is barely needed, as the CPU's fan, situated behind, rarely spins up even when the chip's under full load.
The screen pivots such that it would be impractical to have ports on the back.
Moving around, a couple of USB2.0 ports sit alongside an HD15 (VGA) output, hidden behind a matching black cover, and keeping the sleek aesthetic going.
Turn it over and the supplied (removable) four-cell battery (29WHr) sits absolutely flush with the bottom. Here's where there is a little style over substance, as the bane of most netbooks is the lack of battery life. We'd rather the N310 ship with a larger-capacity battery, at the expense of spoiling the slim aesthetic - something like the NC10's six-cell model, for example.
The N310 measures in at 262mm x 184.5mm x 28mm (WxDxH), making it a touch thinner than most of the competition, including the NC10, and tips the scales at 1,275g, including four-cell battery.
