So I have been using the Viliv S7 regularly for about a week now and I have concluded that it is the best netbook I have ever used. But yes, it’s a netbook. The S7 might have a touchscreen, convertible design, super long battery life, and a modest size SSD, but at the end of the day, it’s a luxury netbook.
I guess that a lot of people might have concluded that just after looking at the pictures, but somehow I guess I was expecting more after spending some time with the fantastic Viliv X70 tablet UMPC. It’s not that the S7 isn’t a quality kit with built-in 3G and a touchscreen, but it lacks a lot of the sex appeal of the X70 – and some key components like GPS.
The good news is that I have finally gotten use to the tiny keyboard and trackpad. Although I haven’t tested this, I believe I should be able to pound-out 25-30 WPM. The trackpad is just fine now after I turned up the sensitivity, and it’s location is rather handy as you can even use your thumb if you’re gripping the computer by the sides.
But I have found that I don’t really use the touchscreen all that much. I’ve never swiveled the screen out of necessity, and the lack of built-in on-screen keyboard kind of limits the touchscreen’s usefulness a bit. It’s not that the touchscreen isn’t quality. It’s just fine.
In fact, the screen is bright, crisp, and just fine even though Gizmodo’s Mark Wilson thinks differently. The screen is coated in something that’s somewhat of a cross between a matte and glossy layer so glare isn’t really a factor any more than most LCD screens. The touchscreen is accurate enough too. I can’t find one thing wrong with the screen and originally stated that I thought it was one of the best features.
Don’t think this is my final review, but I think it’s going to conclude something like this: The Viliv S7 is the best, and most expensive at $799, netbook I have ever used.