Packard Bell dot Series

Graphics Adapter: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 3150, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500MHD, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950
Display: 8.90 inch, 10.10 inch, 11.60 inch
Weight: 1.199kg, 1.2kg, 1.4kg
Price: 299, 400, 600 euro
Average of 59 scores (from 72 reviews)
Packard Bell dot
Specifications

Processor: Intel Atom N270
Graphics Adapter: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950
Display: 8.90 inch, 16:9, 1024 x 600 pixels
Weight: 1.2kg
Price: 400 euro
Links: Packard Bell homepage Packard Bell notebook section dot (Series)
Pricecompare
Average Score:
Source: V3.co.uk

Netbooks have been growing in size since the first Asus Eee PC hit the streets. The original was almost pocket-sized, with a 7in screen and a processor only powerful enough for simple browsing and office tasks. Packard Bell’s new Dot m/a, available from Tesco Direct, is much more like a notebook in miniature, with an 11.6in widescreen display, 2GB of memory and an unusual combination of processor and graphics chipset. An excellent small notebook let down by poor battery life.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 11/02/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Channel Web

Netbooks have been growing in size since the first Asus Eee PC hit the streets. The original was almost pocket-sized, with a 7in screen and a processor only powerful enough for simple browsing and office tasks. Packard Bell’s new Dot m/a, available from Tesco Direct, is much more like a notebook in miniature, with an 11.6in widescreen display, 2GB of memory and an unusual combination of processor and graphics chipset. An excellent small notebook let down by poor battery life.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 11/02/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Computer Active

An excellent small notebook let down by poor battery life
Good points Light-action, large-key keyboard; more processor power than most; excellent software bundle
Bad points Poor battery life
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 11/02/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: IT Reviews

The line between netbooks and laptops continues to blur, with screen sizes from 9-inch up to 15-inch in the mix and performance specifications with a similarly wide range. Packard Bell sees its dot s and dot m as mainstream netbooks and the larger of the two, the dot m reviewed here, has an 11.6-inch widescreen LCD and runs on a 1.2GHz, 64-bit Athlon L110 processor with 2GB memory. This is a great little machine, though more a small notebook than an oversized netbook. Vista doesn't hold it back much and the extra memory and strong ATI graphics help with this. However, if you can afford the six-cell battery, go for it, or stay fairly close to a power socket all the time.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 10/22/2009
Rating: mobility: 50%
Source: Tech Advisor

Bigger than your regular netbook, the Packard Bell dot m/a offers AMD processors and an 11.6in screen. Breaking away from the pack, the Packard Bell dot m/a has a bigger screen and a potentially faster processor, not to mention a graphics chip that can handle simple games if you drop the quality settings. A generous battery pack is always welcome, although actual runtime is reduced here by the inefficient processors, when compared to an Intel chipset.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 10/12/2009
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 70% features: 80% workmanship: 80%
Source: Reg Hardware

In its basic form, the dot m/a is let down badly by its farcically poor battery life but if you can lay hands on one with the six-cell battery for a reasonable price then you will have a very nice machine and one that represents decent value for money. A 10.1in screen Samsung netbook like the NC10 or N110 will set you back between £300 and £350, and neither has the hi-res screen or 2GB of memory of the m/a.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/21/2009
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Techradar

Will Packard Bell's smallest netbook offer big performance? The dot s is Packard Bell's 10.1-inch netbook. Unlike its larger brothers, the dot m and dot m/a, it stays safely in known netbook territory by featuring an Intel Atom processor and running Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. As with the dot m, the sample we reviewed was a pre-production unit so we were not able to provide full benchmarking results, such as battery life testing. While the Packard Bell dot s doesn't really bring anything new to the netbook market, it is a well-rounded machine that should be on most people's list of machines to check out before making a purchase. As long as the touchpad issues are rectified, we are big fans.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/27/2009
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Techradar

Essentially the dot m/a, but from an alternate reality. Packard Bell's second 11.6-inch netbook, the dot m, shares exactly the same chassis as the dot m/a, but differs internally by carrying an Intel Atom processor and running Windows XP software. While the keyboard may not reach the standard we expect, all in all, the Packard Bell dot m proves a great netbook. The screen in particular is fantastic and this machine is certainly worth a look.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/26/2009
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Tech Advisor

The Packard Bell dot s is a netbook with the fastest Intel Atom processor now available. Packard Bell has relaunched itself, now under the wing of Acer, and for the first time has brought two netbook models to the UK. Some wireless options are lacking, and the Packard Bell dot s feels smaller than other 10in netbooks, but the price is competitive when set against some other netbooks with long-life credentials. And don’t forget the red colour option if you want to stand out too.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/17/2009
Rating: Total score: 70% price: 70% features: 70% workmanship: 70%
Source: CNet

Hold the front page -- it's a netbook without an Intel Atom CPU! The Packard Bell dot m/a, also known in some circles as the Gateway LT3100, does away with the Intel norm in favour of an AMD Athlon L110 CPU. It also plumps for a larger-than-usual 11.6-inch screen and a slightly wider chassis, pushing it dangerously near laptop territory. The Packard Bell dot m/a is a good netbook, particularly for anyone seeking a larger screen than normal. It's slightly bigger than many of its rivals and its battery life is merely average, but it has an excellent keyboard and would make for a great second computer.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/11/2009
Rating: Total score: 75%
Foreign Reviews
Source: Notebookjournal

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/25/2010
Rating: Total score: 90% price: 90% performance: 50% features: 30% display: 30% mobility: 90% workmanship: 90% ergonomy: 70%
Source: Notebookinfo

Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/25/2010
Rating: Total score: 80% performance: 62% features: 94% display: 75% mobility: 89% workmanship: 88%
Source: Mobile News - 1/10

Single Review, online available, Length Unknown, Date: 01/01/2010
Rating: performance: 80% display: 60% mobility: 60%
Source: Computerbild - 26/2009

Comparison, online available, Long, Date: 11/01/2009
Rating: Total score: 81% price: 80%
Source: Minitechnet

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/28/2009
Rating: Total score: 80% performance: 80% features: 80% display: 100% mobility: 80% workmanship: 100% ergonomy: 60%
Source: Minitechnet

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/15/2009
Rating: Total score: 100% performance: 40% features: 100% display: 100% mobility: 100% workmanship: 100% ergonomy: 80%
Source: PC Praxis - 10/09

Comparison, , Length Unknown, Date: 09/01/2009
Rating: Total score: 86% price: 80%
Source: PC Welt

Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 06/05/2009
Rating: Total score: 52% price: 70% performance: 95% features: 52% mobility: 20% ergonomy: 67%
Source: PC Praxis - 6/09

Comparison, , Length Unknown, Date: 05/01/2009
Rating: Total score: 90% price: 80%
Source: Minitechnet

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 03/16/2009
Rating: Total score: 89% performance: 60% features: 80% display: 80% mobility: 100% ergonomy: 80% emissions: 60%
Source: PC Go - 3/09

Single Review, , Length Unknown, Date: 02/01/2009
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 90%
Source: PC Praxis - 1/09

Comparison, , Length Unknown, Date: 01/01/2009
Rating: Total score: 92% price: 70%
Source: PC Welt

Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/30/2008
Rating: Total score: 72% price: 55% performance: 99% features: 73% mobility: 83% ergonomy: 58%
Source: Notebookjournal

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 12/05/2008
Rating: Total score: 90% price: 80% performance: 70% features: 30% display: 60% mobility: 70% workmanship: 70% ergonomy: 70%
Source: Notebook / Organizer / Handy - 1-2/09

Single Review, , Length Unknown, Date: 12/01/2008
Rating: Total score: 80% performance: 80% display: 50% mobility: 90% emissions: 80%
Source: MuyComputer

Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 04/07/2010
Rating: Total score: 79%
Source: Pc Tuner

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 02/10/2010
Rating: price: 80% performance: 80% mobility: 80%
Source: PC World Italia

Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/16/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Computer Totaal

Comparison, online available, Short, Date: 08/19/2009
Rating: performance: 60% display: 80% mobility: 80%
Source: Hardware.info

Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/19/2009
Rating: display: 80%
Source: PCM

Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 06/15/2009
Rating: Total score: 75% performance: 62% mobility: 88% ergonomy: 90%
Source: Computer Totaal

Comparison, online available, Short, Date: 04/23/2009
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Portablegear

Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 02/01/2009
Rating: Total score: 77%
Source: PCM

Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 12/29/2008
Rating: Total score: 70% display: 40%
Source: Retera

Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/14/2010
Rating: Total score: 50% performance: 58% display: 41% mobility: 60% emissions: 43%
Source: Retera

Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/14/2010
Rating: Total score: 50% performance: 29% display: 41% mobility: 60% emissions: 43%
Packard Bell Dot S2
Specifications

Processor: Intel Atom N450
Graphics Adapter: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 3150
Display: 10.10 inch, 10:6, 1024 x 600 pixels
Weight: 1.199kg
Price: 299 euro
Links: Packard Bell homepage Packard Bell notebook section dot (Series)
Pricecompare
Average Score:
One of Many? The Dot s2 is the second netbook generation from Packard Bell. Despite the comparably weak battery and the low weight of 1.2 kilograms, the 10 incher can stay remote from the mains for up to 11 hours. What's in the runtime star for 299 euro?
Source: Techradar

Combining a striking consumer design and all-day battery life with great usability and unique features, the Dot S succeeds on almost every level. While its somewhat limited storage may put some buyers off, this is still by far one of the best netbooks you can currently buy.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 11/27/2010
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Techradar

Combining a striking consumer design and all-day battery life with great usability and unique features, the Dot S succeeds on almost every level. While its somewhat limited storage may put some buyers off, this is still by far one of the best netbooks you can currently buy.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 11/27/2010
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: PC Pro

Not the best battery life, but the dot S2 boasts good ergonomics, a great screen and includes valuable extras.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/10/2010
Rating: Total score: 83% price: 83% performance: 33% features: 100%
Source: PC Pro

Not the best battery life, but the dot S2 boasts good ergonomics, a great screen and includes valuable extras.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/10/2010
Rating: Total score: 83% price: 83% performance: 33% features: 100%
Source: T Break

One of the better netbooks out there with good looks and functionality.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 06/10/2010
Rating: price: 70% performance: 60% features: 70%
Source: T Break

One of the better netbooks out there with good looks and functionality.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 06/10/2010
Rating: price: 70% performance: 60% features: 70%
Source: IT Reviews

The dot S2 is a useful, light portable, with a well-balanced specification and enough style and ergonomic tweaks to separate it from the crowd. Acer, which now owns Packard Bell, is successfully keeping both brands alive and running in parallel, so giving it a larger overall share of the market. With this offering, it's deserved.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 05/27/2010
Rating: features: 80% mobility: 80% ergonomy: 80%
Source: IT Reviews

The dot S2 is a useful, light portable, with a well-balanced specification and enough style and ergonomic tweaks to separate it from the crowd. Acer, which now owns Packard Bell, is successfully keeping both brands alive and running in parallel, so giving it a larger overall share of the market. With this offering, it's deserved.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 05/27/2010
Rating: features: 80% mobility: 80% ergonomy: 80%
Source: Reg Hardware

Although the dot S2 is frighteningly similar to the Acer 532h, there are a few differences. The touchpad is an improvement and the extra bundled software a welcome bonus, while it also manages to out perform the Acer-branded version in terms of battery life. It’s not enough to get a better score, though. I also can’t help feeling that if Acer is to continue producing netbooks under the Packard Bell brand, it would do well to differentiate them from the Aspire One series a little more.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 05/18/2010
Rating: Total score: 75%
Source: Reg Hardware

Although the dot S2 is frighteningly similar to the Acer 532h, there are a few differences. The touchpad is an improvement and the extra bundled software a welcome bonus, while it also manages to out perform the Acer-branded version in terms of battery life. It’s not enough to get a better score, though. I also can’t help feeling that if Acer is to continue producing netbooks under the Packard Bell brand, it would do well to differentiate them from the Aspire One series a little more.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 05/18/2010
Rating: Total score: 75%
Source: Digital Versus

Described as "chic [and with] comfortable use and supreme mobility", Packard Bell is highlighting the dot s2's ease of use and battery life. The Packard Bell dot s2 is a netbook with no surprises but which is nice to use. It will interest those who wish to continue with Windows XP but nevertheless want a new model. The dot s2 offers decent battery life and good ease-of-use.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 04/23/2010
Source: Digital Versus

Described as "chic [and with] comfortable use and supreme mobility", Packard Bell is highlighting the dot s2's ease of use and battery life. The Packard Bell dot s2 is a netbook with no surprises but which is nice to use. It will interest those who wish to continue with Windows XP but nevertheless want a new model. The dot s2 offers decent battery life and good ease-of-use.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 04/23/2010
Source: Techradar

Packard Bell update their netbook line-up with a neat machine sporting some cool features. The Packard Bell Dot S2 is a stylish and highly portable 10.1-inch netbook with some unique features. Add its unique features and low price and you've got a great mini-laptop that easily stands out from the already bustling crowd.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 03/18/2010
Rating: Total score: 90%
Source: Techradar

Packard Bell update their netbook line-up with a neat machine sporting some cool features. The Packard Bell Dot S2 is a stylish and highly portable 10.1-inch netbook with some unique features. Add its unique features and low price and you've got a great mini-laptop that easily stands out from the already bustling crowd.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 03/18/2010
Rating: Total score: 90%
Source: Trusted Reviews

In the previous generation netbook race Acer’s entrants, such as the Acer Aspire One, sold like hotcakes. It's not the prettiest netbook around, but the Packard Bell Dot S2 offers an excellent keyboard and touchpad, decent screen and speakers, and some innovative and genuinely useful extras. It’s definitely one of the better Pine Trail models so far, but it’s still worth looking at older generation netbooks if you're on a tight budget.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 02/22/2010
Rating: Total score: 70% price: 70% performance: 80% features: 70% mobility: 80%
Source: Trusted Reviews

In the previous generation netbook race Acer’s entrants, such as the Acer Aspire One, sold like hotcakes. It's not the prettiest netbook around, but the Packard Bell Dot S2 offers an excellent keyboard and touchpad, decent screen and speakers, and some innovative and genuinely useful extras. It’s definitely one of the better Pine Trail models so far, but it’s still worth looking at older generation netbooks if you're on a tight budget.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 02/22/2010
Rating: Total score: 70% price: 70% performance: 80% features: 70% mobility: 80%
Foreign Reviews
Source: c't - 8/10

Comparison, , Long, Date: 04/01/2010
Rating: performance: 35% mobility: 90% ergonomy: 70% emissions: 70%
Source: c't - 8/10

Comparison, , Long, Date: 04/01/2010
Rating: performance: 35% mobility: 90% ergonomy: 70% emissions: 70%
Source: Notebookcheck

Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/16/2010
Rating: Total score: 86% performance: 43% display: 84% mobility: 96% workmanship: 85% ergonomy: 82% emissions: 92%
Source: Notebookcheck

Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/16/2010
Rating: Total score: 86% performance: 43% display: 84% mobility: 96% workmanship: 85% ergonomy: 82% emissions: 92%
Source: Notebookjournal

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 03/11/2010
Rating: Total score: 80% performance: 67% features: 73% display: 79% mobility: 92% workmanship: 81%
Source: Notebookjournal

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 03/11/2010
Rating: Total score: 80% performance: 67% features: 73% display: 79% mobility: 92% workmanship: 81%
Source: PCM

Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 10/06/2010
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: PCM

Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 10/06/2010
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: 01Net

Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 09/22/2010
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: 01Net

Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 09/22/2010
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: 01Net

Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 03/15/2010
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: 01Net

Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 03/15/2010
Rating: Total score: 60%
Packard Bell dot VR46
Specifications

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300
Graphics Adapter: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500MHD
Display: 11.60 inch, 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixels
Weight: 1.4kg
Price: 600 euro
Links: Packard Bell homepage Packard Bell notebook section dot (Series)
Pricecompare
Average Score:
Source: Techradar

While the Valentino Rossi branding won't suit all tastes, underneath the Dot VR46 is a great little laptop and one that's very easy to recommend. Its specifi cation and price confirm that it's certainly not a netbook, but as a slim and light CULV portable, this is one of the best.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 05/31/2010
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Digital Versus

With a Valentino Rossi (moto GP champion) decor, the Packard Bell dot VR46 is an original looking ultra-portable laptop. This "Valentino Rossi edition" is a nice surprise. Apart from its both original and rather undaring design, the Packard Bell dot m/u gives good performance and decent battery life. It lacks a good screen and graphics solution worthy of the name.
80
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 05/28/2010
Foreign Reviews
Source: ZDNet

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 04/03/2010
Rating: Total score: 75% performance: 80% mobility: 70% ergonomy: 70%
Source: Notebookinfo

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 03/08/2010
Rating: Total score: 78% performance: 65% features: 83% display: 81% mobility: 78% workmanship: 76%
Source: Techno Zoom

Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 06/25/2010
Rating: Total score: 70% price: 80% performance: 80% mobility: 80% workmanship: 90%
Source: PC World Italia

Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 04/11/2010
Rating: Total score: 90%
Source: PCM

Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 05/27/2010
Rating: Total score: 80%
Comment
Packard Bell: Packard Bell is a subsidiary of Taiwan-based Acer. It is a name used by two different consumer electronics companies. The first was an American radio manufacturer founded in 1926, that later became a defense contractor and manufacturer of other consumer electronics, such as television sets. Teledyne acquired the business in 1978. In 1986, investors bought the name for a newly formed personal computer manufacturer. Originally the company produced discount computers in the US, later computers were produced for the European market. NEC took it over in the late 1990s. Acer acquired it in 2008. In spite of the similarity of their names, there has never been any corporate connection between the original or later Packard Bell and Hewlett Packard, or Bell System. Packard Bell is an international notebook manufacturer. Many years, the company focussed ruggedized laptops.
PB is not present in the smartphone/tablet market and a rather small manufacturer of laptops. There are hardly any reviews since 2015.
These graphics cards are not suited for Windows 3D games. Office and Internet surfing however is possible.
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 is an integrated (onboard) graphic chip on Mobile Intel 945GM chipset. It is a faster clocked version of the GMA 900 and supports no hardware T&L (Transform & Lightning) accelleration (which is required for some games).
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 3150: Integrated (shared memory) graphics card in the intel Atom N4xx CPUs. Minimally faster than an old GMA 950 and therefore not suited for 3D games or HD videos (only MPEG2 acceleration).
Only some 3D games with very low demands are playable with these cards.
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500MHD: Onboard (shared Memory) GPU built in the GM45, GE45 and GS45 chipset (Montevina). Because of two more shaders and a higher core clock, much faster than the old GMA X3100. Still not advisable for gamers (DirectX 10 games not playable or only with very low settings). The integrated video processor is able to help decode HD videos (AVC/VC-2/MPEG2) , e.g., for a fluent Blu-Ray playback with slow CPUs.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Atom: The Intel Atom series is a 64-Bit (not every model supports 64bit) microprocessor for cheap and small notebooks (so called netbooks), MIDs, or UMPCs. The speciality of the new architecture is the "in order" execution (instead of the usual and faster "out of order" execution). Therefore, the transistor count of the Atom series is much lower and, thus, cheaper to produce. Furthermore, the power consumption is very low. The performance per Megahertz is therfore worse than the old Pentium 3M (1,2 GHz on par with a 1.6 GHz Atom).
N270:
Power efficient, cheap and slow Netbook single core CPU. Because of the in-order execution, the performance per MHz is worse than Core Solo or Celeron M processors.
N450:
Intel Atom CPU for Netbooks with integrated memory controller and GMA 3150 GPU. The performance of the system should be only minimally faster than the previous Atom N280 / GMA 950 combination.
Intel Core 2 Duo: This is the Core Duo and Core Solo successor with a longer pipeline and 5-20% more speed without more power consumption. As an addition to the Core Duo design there exists a fourth decoder, an amplified SSE-unit and an additional arithmetical logical unit (ALU).
The Core 2 Duo for laptops is identical to the desktop Core 2 Duo processors but the notebook-processors work with lower voltages (0.95 to 1188 Volt) and a lower Frontside bus clock (1066 vs 667 MHz). The performance of equally clocked notebooks is 20-25% lower than Desktop PCs because of the lower Frontside bus clock and the slower hard disks.
SU7300: Slow clocked dual core processor with a low TDP of 10 Watt.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
8.90:
The screen diagonal is used for small tablets.
Large display-sizes allow higher resolutions. So, details like letters are bigger. On the other hand, the power consumption is lower with small screen diagonals and the devices are smaller, more lightweight and cheaper.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.
1.199 kg:
In former time,s this weight was typical for big tablets, small subnotebooks, ultrabooks and convertibles with a 10-11 inch display-diagonal. Nowadays, often 15 inch laptops weigh as much.
1.4 kg:
75.98%: This rating is not convincing. The laptop is evaluated below average, this is not really a recommendation for purchase.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.