Ultra first impressions of the Vodafone Netbook

So after being the first to purchase one at the Vodafone Marylebone store, I have the device home. I’m typing this post on it.

The glorious Vodafone Netbook.

I went for the 25 pounds per month option giving me 1GB of data per month. I figured I could always upgrade if necessary.

Here, then, are some initial thoughts:

• The keyboard is small. Remember the device is only, what, 9 inches across. Dell have had to move the keys around so they fit. At a push, this keyboard is usable for long periods, especially once you get used to it. I’ve made about 6 typos so far – most due to the placement of the enter key.
• You’ve got an 8GB solid state hard disk on board… but only 3.2GB of usable free space. Windows itself takes up 1.54 GB. I imagine you can remove the various Dell and Drivers folders if the mood takes you — and reclaim a lot more space.
• I like the partnership with box.net. There’s a little icon for a 2GB free (‘lite’) box.net account. I made take them up on that.
• The Vodafone Connect stuff is right there on the menu. Fire it up and hit connect and you’re done. Very, very smart. I found the speed really good.
• The keyboard is satisfying.
• The touchpad is rather swish. I like how it feels and works.
• It’s pretty fast. It’s not quite the 8 processor Apple Workstation I’m used to but it works nicely with Windows XP and a wee bit of patience.
• Out of the box there was 78% battery. I can’t comment yet on battery length yet.

More soon.