The good: Comfortable keyboard; ExpressCard slot; optional HSDPA connectivity; good battery life; Draft-N Wi-Fi radio; bundled docking station converts Netbook into a Nettop.

The bad: Included docking station increases price but does not add new ports like HDMI.

The bottom line: The Booktop may be on the costly side, thanks to the bundled docking station, but its excellent battery life and ability to switch from a deskbound PC to a portable minilaptop captured our attention.

Read full review of the Gigabyte M1022M Booktop »

By Darius Chang, CNET Asia
Oct 5, 2009

On the surface, the Booktop seems to be just another Atom-based 10-inch minilaptop from a minor player. But while Gigabyte is better known for manufacturing mainboards than laptops, we were impressed that the M1022M managed to stand out from the crowd during our testing. In fact, it could be the first minilaptop which can be configured as a Nettop as well. The bundled docking station and excellent battery life make the S$899 (US$634.66) price tag expensive but not unreasonable. However, we feel the docking station should have been an optional accessory so that the M1022M can be offered at a lower price, since not everyone wants to use a Netbook to replace a desktop.

Design

It may not be as hardy as a ThinkPad, but the Booktop is not some cheap OEM ripoff, either. The tapered chassis has an attractive hinge design and although color options are not available, the simple black-and-white theme is understated yet attractive. It has a solid build quality and tight hinges so we expect this machine to be durable enough for the road.

But what really impressed us was how Gigabyte managed to fit in a six-cell battery without having it protrude from the back or bottom. This helps the M1022M maintain a slim profile and reasonable heft. We like the 92-percent keyboard which is comfortable to use, though touch typing may not be feasible for those with fat digits. Our only complaint is that the trackpad buttons are located at the sides, which may take some getting used to.



The fact that all three USB ports are positioned on the right may look unusual at first, but it makes sense when the unit is docked as it allows these slots to remain available. The docking station puts the Netbook in an upright position to minimize its footprint and makes the unit resemble a Nettop. Despite the fact that the accessory does not have a heavy base, we never felt that the Netbook was in a precarious position when in use. The dock includes VGA and Ethernet passthrough ports as well as three USB slots so you can keep the Booktop connected to an external display and peripherals. This makes connecting the Netbook simple use as a deskbound Nettop.

Features

The Gigabyte M1022M is one of the few low-cost minilaptops to sport an ExpressCard/34 slot. Surprisingly, it does this without compromising on the number of USB ports or reducing the size of the battery. The company did not skimp on hardware components, either, and the Booktop is decked out with Draft-N Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Ethernet connectivity. The Netbook can also be wired for HSDPA connectivity as an optional extra.

Though the 10.1-inch glossy display is not HD-ready, its 1,024 x 600-pixel resolution is decent enough for Internet surfing and emails. Which is all a Netbook is really good for as its Atom processor and integrated GMA 950 graphics engine are not powerful enough for HD videos or most current gaming titles. The audio output through the stereo speakers is, like most Netbooks, adequate at best, so plug in a pair of earphones if you are picky about sound quality.

As a Nettop, the Gigabyte M1022M is comparable to first-generation low-cost PCs since current models sport dual-core Atom chipsets. Though the docking has a VGA output, Ethernet port and three USB slots, it does not expand the feature set by offering connectors such as HDMI or eSATA (which are becoming common among Nettops). We also feel that instead of bundling the docking station, it should have been an optional accessory to make the Booktop more price competitive. The docking station has a power button that turns on the Netbook, as well as a battery key that shows the remaining power by lighting up the six LED lights at the front of the M1022M. This feature also works by clicking on the right trackpad button on the machine.



Gigabyte's proprietary Smart Manager software provides a user-friendly interface to change power profiles. In addition, it can control screen brightness and audio volume, enable the Webcam and wireless radios. The latter is especially useful since the Gigabyte M1022M does not have a dedicated switch to turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Performance And Battery Life

The S$899 (US$634.66) Booktop runs off a 1.66GHz Atom processor, 1GB RAM and 160GB HDD. The single-core chip, along with its integrated Intel GMA graphics card, is best confined to Internet duties and simple productivity tools such as word processing. Standard-definition videos are still playable, though HD videos (even those streamed from the Net) do not perform well on this minilaptop.

Battery life is where the Gigabyte Netbook differentiates itself. Granted the Asus Eee PC series still takes the crown for exceptional uptimes, but the six-cell 7,800mAh battery in the M1022M holds its own. We looped a video clip at half-screen brightness on this Netbook with the wireless radios turned off and it shut down only after an impressive 5 hours 2 minutes. There is no extended battery option, though this Netbook's uptime should be adequate for all but the most demanding traveler.

Service And Support

Hardware support for the Gigabyte Netbook is limited to the local distributor. As such, make sure you get the unit from an authorized dealer to be assured of coverage. The official Gigabyte Web site offers downloads for drivers and user manuals. It even has a small FAQ section for simple questions. An interesting twist is the addition of RSS feeds for the support Web site, which will alert users of additional news and updates via their favorite news aggregator.

Tags: Netbook, Docking Station, M1022M Booktop, Intel Corp., video

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