Samsung R50 (Pentium M Processor 740 1.73GHz, 512MB RAM)

Unlike Samsung's first notebooks the X1 and Q30, there is a distinct lack of novelty in the R50. Using a tried-and-tested design, it seems this machine chooses to focus on what's under the hood instead. Unfortunately, the average performance doesn't give much credence to that effort.

Design
Made from plastic, the silver exterior feels sturdy and well-made. With a footprint of 357 x 261.8 x 33.9mm, this desktop replacement is relatively slim for its category. But carrying this laptop for long distances can be an issue as the 2.89kg heft weighs down the shoulder.

	The traditional design is a far cry from previous avant garde Samsung notebooks.

Most of the ports are easily accessed from the sides with the battery taking up most of the rear. The speakers are located on the palm rest. Though this could be a move to maximize every inch of available space, audio quality suffers as the hands tend to cover the speaker grill during typing. Moreover, listening to music with the screen closed would muffle the sound output. There is only one dedicated button which starts up Samsung's proprietary media player. Volume control and brightness levels require two keys to be simultanously pressed for effect. The full-sized keyboard and touchpad are responsive and comfortable to use.

Features
Our test unit came with a Pentium M 740 1.73GHz processor and 512MB of RAM. Now standard on almost all notebooks are USB 2.0 ports, FireWire and Wi-Fi connectivity. Numbering four, this notebook is generous with the USB slots for peripherals. This laptop uses the contemporary but soon to be replaced PC Card slot, which is incompatible with the future ExpressCard standard.

This laptop presents a professional look.

External displays can use either VGA or S-video present in the R50 and driven by the dedicated ATI Radeon X300 graphics chips with 128MB of video memory. Though not one of the highest performers, the video card is adequate for most gaming titles and graphics-intensive work. Internally, visuals are shown on its 15.4-inch transflective display. This LCD technology is adopted because it uses enviromental light and lamps to illuminate the display, the drawback being that the screen is highly reflective. If the internal lamps are powerful enough, the reflections can be removed. However, the R50's display does not have the illuminating power to completely overcome this shortcoming.

The internal DVD writer cannot be upgraded as the unit does not use a modular system. One of the key features of this notebook is its multimedia capabilities. Using Samsung's Instant AVS software, DVDs and CDs can be played without booting into the OS. Movies, music and even photos can be displayed in this manner. A nice touch and rarely seen function is that this software can access media files from memory cards and even the harddisk. Coupled with the S-video output, the Samsung R50 can adequately double as an entertainment setup.

Performance And Battery Life
With its Pentium M 740 1.73GHz processor and 512MB RAM, the R50 runs on the latest Centrino 533MHz FSB platform. The unit manages a rather low score of 124 on MobileMark 2002 benchmark test. Compared with the Fujitsu LifeBook N3510 and the Samsung X50 which scored 237 and 207, respectively, this laptop's performance is below average.

With a runtime of slightly over 3 hours, the R50 has a respectable battery life for a desktop replacement.

Service And Support
Samsung notebooks have a one-year international warranty. On its support Web site, you can download user manuals, drivers and software patches. However, there is no knowledge database nor comprehensive FAQ for self-diagnosis. There is no telephone technical support and only a hotline number is given for basic enquiries. In case of hardware failure, the unit should be brought to a service center for repair. It is unfortunate that the number of service centers, of which there's only one location in Singapore, is found lacking. Overall, there is much room for improvement when it comes to Samsung's technical support.