The Samsung NB30 is a semi-rugged laptop with a scratch and fingerprint-resistant case and a water-tight seal to prevent damage even if the laptop is dipped briefly in water. But in France, it looks like the Samsung NB30 may have another defining characteristic: A touchscreen display.
French store Pixmania has a product listing for the NB30 with a touchscreen as well as an Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive and Windows 7 Starter Edition. The model is available for pre-order for about 399 Euros or roughly $560 US.
It’s not clear whether the NB30 will be available with a touchscreen in the US. I’m waiting to hear back from Samsung, but I’m guessing someone would have let us know by now if there were plans to sell this netbook with a touchscreen here. Pixmania could also have the wrong information. The retailer doesn’t expect the laptop to ship until March. It’s possible the company may not actually have received all of the correct information about the product yet.
The Samsung NB30 without a touchscreen is already available for order in the US for about $370.
It would seem silly given you can’t bend back the screen for a tablet config.