Vye Jolibook review

Like most netbooks, the Jolibook is powered by an Intel Atom processor. The dual-core Atom N550 runs at 1.5GHz and is suitable for most basic tasks, but more intensive applications will suffer with a meagre 1GB of memory. Despite this, the operating system was very responsive in everyday use, running several applications at once without slowing down. It’s also powerful enough to play high definition video, albeit only at 720p. The low-power components helped it achieve six hours in our light-use battery test, which is a respectable time for a netbook.

Image quality on the 10.1in glossy display was disappointing; brightness was decent but viewing angles are very limited. It also can feel rather cramped when browsing the internet on the 1,024×600 screen resolution. The two downward-facing speakers are very weak and tinny, so a pair of headphones is a must for watching video or listening to music.

The Jolibook is a very simple netbook that’s great for checking email and browsing the internet, but its usefulness is limited if you need to do more. Because it’s a Linux-based system you’ll have to run software designed for Windows through the WINE emulator, but compatibility with every program isn’t guaranteed. Packard Bell’s refreshed Dot S comes with Windows and costs just £20 more, letting you install the free Jolicloud OS yourself.