Reviewers have finally gotten their hands on the BenQ Joybook Lite U101, which we looked at back at the beginning of December. The Joybook has a 10.1-inch LED-lit screen and several hard drive and solid-state storage options. The model the folks at Laptop Magazine got to play with looks even a little more impressive than the initial specs we posted. System memory has been upgraded from 1GB to 1.5GB, and the review model featured the largest hard drive option BenQ makes available, a 160GB HDD.

We knew there'd be a screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio, which now is confirmed as having a 1024 x 576 resolution - a little smaller than a 16:10 screen, but perfect for playing widescreen videos. System performance is what you'd expect from an Atom — not desktop-level, but solid enough to get work done. Though this model didn't come with the 3G support we had talked about, the option is clearly there, as there's a Mini PCI expansion bay and a slot for a SIM card behind the battery.

The areas where the Joybook really failed to impress are unfortunately two you'll be working with the most: the keyboard and the trackpad. Though the trackpad is small, the reviewers weren't concerned with its size so much as the very loud button, apt to annoy people nearby if you're working in a quiet environment. The keyboard layout is also cramped, not taking full advantage of the netbook's size. Traditionally large keys like "shift" are shrunk down to the size of normal letter keys, presenting an unfamiliar layout to touch typers. If you can get over those issues though, the Joybook looks fairly decent, and seems to provide plenty of options for putting in future upgrades.

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