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Lenovo introduced a number of new products at CES this year, including a convertible tablet-style netbook, an ARM-based smartbook, and a futuristic-looking laptop with a removable display that functions as a standalone tablet. In all the excitement, it would have been easy to overlook the most mundane of Lenovo’s new offerings: an updated 10 inch netbook. But while the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 might not be the most exciting product the company introduced in January, I imagine it actually has the potential to sell better than any of the other models. It’s cheap, functional, and moderately slimmer, lighter, and more energy efficient than earlier Lenovo netbooks.

Laptop Magazine has published a detailed review of the 2.6 pound Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3, and fines that the new design has a somewhat more professional look and a lid that does a better job of resisting fingerprints than other models.

On the inside, the S10-3 gets the Pine Trail treatment, with Intel’s new 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor and GMA 3150 graphics. It has a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display and runs Windows 7 Starter Edition.

There is one major problem (if you ask me) with the new design: the touchpad. Lenovo decied to save space by integrating the touchpad buttons on the touch area, much the way Dell has done with its past few netbooks. Th result is a touchpad that takes some getting used to, at best. Laptop Magazine wasn’t impressed either, saying that “the cursor jumped around at times.”

On the bright side, the S10-3 ran for nearly 7 hours in Laptop’s battery test. That may not come close to the 10+ hours you’ll get from some netbooks, but it’s certainly not bad.