Gigabyte Booktop M1022C review

We were impressed with M1022C’s shiny white case, as it gives the netbook a certain degree of style and sophistication. Opening the lid reveals a 10.1in netbook much like many others, until you power it on. At that point you notice the one important difference: the screen has a resolution of 1,366×768 rather than the netbook-standard 1,024×600.

It’s an amazing difference, as there’s plenty more desktop space and dialog boxes all fit on the screen without dropping off the bottom. We’ve never seen this on a netbook before, but now we have we want every other manufacturer to follow suit.

We were pleased with the screen’s quality. The glossy finish helps boost contrast, although we noticed a slightly speckled appearance to bright parts of an image, particularly in whites. Colours are realistic, rather than punchy and vibrant. Viewing angles are good, so it’s easy to see the screen without finely adjusting it. The screen folds back almost horizontal with the keyboard, so the M1022C is easy to use in almost any position.

Getting a decent keyboard into such a small space is always tricky, but Gigabyte’s done a decent job here. The keys are all a good size and responsive. They sit flush to the case, so it takes a while to get used to them and you’ll initially find it a little tricky to feel for the right key.

We’re not big fans of the touchpad, though. It’s small and we’d prefer its buttons to be underneath it, rather than on either side. Multi-touch support means you can use two fingers in Windows 7 to zoom, scroll or rotate.