Lenovo IdeaPad S9 Spotted at IDF

While other reporters stormed the IDF stage to check out the quad core notebooks, I had my eye on a small guy – the Lenovo IdeaPad S9. Though the IdeaPad 8.9-inch S9 isn’t supposed to come Stateside, the 10-inch S10 is expected before the end of the month. Some have even spotted it up for order on Lenovo’s site.

I can’t say much about the IdeaPad S9 since the system didn’t turn on and I only had a limited look at the hardware as it was strapped down. However, the hardware looks better in person than it does in the photos. The system looks snazzy with a cherry red lid and a matte white inside.

For an 8.9-inch notebook the keyboard looks to be a winner for touch-typists. The keys are spacious and actually look like they are the same size as the HP Mini-Note’s.The touchpad, as I say in the video below, is a bit small for my liking, but the buttons feel solid, though not uncomfortably hard like those on the Eee PC 901 or 1000.

The screen, reminiscent of the Eee PC 701, is straddled by two speakers. The 10-inch version doesn’t sport the same speaker placement (see the pictures of the S10 here). The display is quite glossy, but we won’t pass judgment until we see a system that we can turn on.