Samsung N150, N210 and NB30: Next-gen netbook nirvana

Samsung has just announced three hawt new netbooks it expects you and your mates to be buying later in 2010. They include the entry-level N150, the gorgeous N210 and the ever-so-rugged NB30.

The latter is designed for anyone who has a penchant for inadvertently breaking things. It sports a tough exterior shell, a free-fall sensor that automatically parks the heads of the 160GB hard drive whenever it detects a sharp decline in altitude, plus a water-tight seal around the system, which helps it withstand up to 50cc of spilled liquid.

The N210, meanwhile, isn't quite as tough as as the NB30, but it makes up for this with a truly outstanding claimed battery life of 12 hours. It's also considerably prettier than its newly launched brethren. We're huge fans of its glossy, patterned lid, chrome edges and MacBook-esque chiclet keys, which feel wonderfully comfortable to type on.

Last and pretty much least is the N150. It's not as pretty as the others, but it's well-worth considering as it has the same core components, It uses an Intel Atom N450 -- a CPU engineered to be more efficient and smaller than those in the netbooks released in 2009 -- 1GB of RAM, a 10-inch, 1,024x600-pixel display, and 802.11n Wi-Fi.

The N150 will sell for a fairly reasonable $349 (£310), while the N210 and NB30 will sell for $379 (£340). Take a gander at the photos in our gallery by hitting the 'Continue' link below and gear yourselves up for full reviews in the not-too-distant future.