Kohjinsha SC3-VB review

The SC3-VB is the first Atom-powered portable computer we’ve seen from Kohjinsha, formerly known as Vye.

Like PC Nextday’s Fizzbook Spin, the SC3-VB is a tablet PC that has a touchscreen that can be swivelled round so it lays flat on the keyboard. It can then be used like a notepad and controlled using a stylus instead of the keyboard and touchpad.

Unlike the Spin, the SC3-VB comes with Vista Business so you can take advantage of its accurate handwriting recognition, although it sometimes worked a little slowly. Microsoft’s Origami software lets you browse your media files and launch programs more easily using the stylus. Sadly, it doesn’t use all the available screen space when the display is rotated to portrait mode, limiting its usefulness.

We wouldn’t want to use a professional graphics program with the touchscreen, since images look grainy and viewing angles are tight. The 7in screen is the smallest here, but it has the same 1,024×600-pixel resolution as the 10in netbooks. Text looks small and, although it’s just legible, we wouldn’t want to read long documents on it.

The SC3-VB is comfortable to use as a notepad thanks to its low weight of just 790g, the lightest here. It also feels sturdy, despite its rotating screen. Although Kohjinsha has managed to squeeze in an ExpressCard/34 slot for adding a 3G modem, there’s no room for a large keyboard or touchpad. Both are small and difficult to use, even for children.

The hard disk is small at just 80GB. Another disappointment is performance. Handwriting recognition and switching between multiple programs felt a little sluggish, as did full-screen playback of standard-definition videos. We suspect this is due to the use of Vista instead of Windows XP. The noisy fan is irritatingly audible, even during simple tasks such as web browsing, and its battery life of under three hours is disappointing at this price.

Kohjinsha’s SC3-VB is a poorly designed netbook that’s also incredibly expensive. If you must have a touchscreen, PC Nextday’s Fizzbook Spin is a better choice.