• Olive Zipbook

    Olive Zipbook

    Rohan Naravane, Apr 05, 2010 1302 hrs IST

    India's first netbook with built-in high-speed internet access

    Built-in high-speed modem, good quality screen with high brightness, ability to change service providers

    Low battery life for a netbook, flimsy build quality, no 6-cell battery upgrade available

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Summary

The Olive Zipbook is India's first netbook to have a built-in high-speed internet modem. Its specifications are comparable to that of a two-generation-old netbook with an older Atom N270 processor, 1GB RAM and 160GB hard drive. Not to say that the newer generation hardware makes a huge difference in performance, but at least it could have served up better battery life figures. Pre-loaded with Windows XP, the Zipbook is zippy enough to do basic tasks like surfing the net, work with office suites or watch movies in standard definition. HD (720p) movies on the other hand tend to choke, as expected.



The built-in Tata Indicom modem works well. But the two main gripes with this netbook are its somewhat flimsy build quality and more importantly, the disappointing battery life. What's worse is that they don't have an option to upgrade to a six-cell battery.

For a price of Rs. 18,000, the Olive Zipbook isn't too overpriced. But you could get a sturdier netbook (from Asus, Acer or Dell) with a 6-cell battery for around Rs. 16,500. Add about 2500 bucks more for the external USB modem, and you get pretty much the same functionality for the same price.

So, here's the bottom line; the Olive Zipbook's concept is pretty good but unfortunately, its implementation leaves us desiring for more. We'd rather recommend you to go for a regular netbook and buy an external USB modem.

A note to Olive - give us a sturdier netbook with a six-cell battery for the same price and then we'd say the Zipbook is worth going for.


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Olive Zipbook Review netbook notebook netbook with built-in high-speed modem



Discussion Board
(13) Comments
takur
,ahmedabad, on Apr 07, 2010 05:53 PM
you guys shoulda put a spec sheet at the end......a highly unprofessional article this.
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Rohan Naravane
,TechTree TechLabs, on Apr 08, 2010 10:21 PM
If you care to look below the pros and cons, you will see a "Check Specifications" link which will take you to the specifications page. The spec page has all the details about the internals of the gadget.
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michael
,mumbai, on Apr 09, 2010 10:32 PM
we want the specs to be a part of this article and not some other
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boniface mendon
,mumbai, on Apr 09, 2010 12:58 PM
can i get this laptop on installments
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VeeKay
,MV, on Apr 06, 2010 06:46 AM
This is one review where the intro page is as good as conclusion / final verdict! Please present reviews in a professional objective way and do not discredit a product right on the first page so that the reader does not even need to go through other pages...
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swapnil
,thane, on Apr 06, 2010 05:28 PM
i think they dont want people visit the other pages. at the end, this is bad marketing strategy and a failure in this case. techtree cannot survive if people visit only one page of the review
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Rohan Naravane
,Techtree Techlabs, on Apr 06, 2010 08:27 PM
This was a new format we were trying out on a trial basis. The entire purpose of summarizing the article on the first page was for people who dont want to go through the entire article and just want the bottom line. Of course, we'd like everyone to go through all the pages, but its not like everybody wants to. So, instead of such people jumping to the last page to read the verdict, this would make it easier for them.
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mahesh
,mumbai, on Apr 07, 2010 10:55 AM
it is wrong on your part to assume that most people jump to the last page. this is the only indian website where we get to see such a variety of product reviews. in the old format, you were guaranteed one extra page visit (the front page), now you have taken that away, doesnt sound good if i was the site owner
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Rajesh Khatri
,Mumbai, on Apr 06, 2010 12:25 PM
This product is Not Good. Too expensive .. Compare this with Asus, Acer, SimmBook and OLIVE will fail
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msramkrish
,Trichy, on Apr 06, 2010 05:52 AM
Hi, don't look any0where the best model is Asus N10J. For 18K it comes with 1.6 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB HDD, LED Backlit 10.2" screen, web cam, ambience light sensor, HDMI port, 3 USB Port, Dual Graphics card - NVidia 9300M, 256 MB Card and Intel on board, Altec Lansing Speakers, WiFi, Bluetooth, 8 Sec fast boot thru express gate, more than 6 hours battery backup, exclusive buttons for Zoom, WiFi, graphics card, Multi-card reader and bundled stylish carry bag, optical Mouse, screen protector, stylish Gold, Grey Chrome glossy theme... anyone will love this all for the price of 18K. I got it from Vijay Sales. just see this model. I am using this for more than 3 months. sure no other netbook can match the feature and look of this.
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Anil
,Mumbai, on Apr 05, 2010 08:48 PM
I wanted to know if TATA is bundling it with prepaid or post paid. Thanks
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likhith
,Banglore, on Apr 05, 2010 06:37 PM
so nice
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mahesh
,mumbai, on Apr 05, 2010 01:32 PM
topsyturvy review. we want the normal style back again
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