magnets in S10-3

[Ilo]

 I have a S10-3.

I note that there is a magnet each on the left and right side of the camera, and there is also a magnet each on the left and rigt side of the touch pad. When the display is closed the magnets on the same side  will align in the same vertical line.

What are the magnets for?

[yigit]

to protect screen & camera.

[Ilo]

The existence of the magnets can be easily verified with a ferrous material such as paper clip, but no magnets can be detected in similar locations of other laptop such as Y410.

No magnets can also be detected in LCD monitor.

Is it interesting to learn that magnets can be used to protect camera and display of netbook.

Please elaborate in more detail or provide links to relevant information.

[yigit]

you mean that one, right? please, correct me if i'm wrong.
http://i51.tinypic.com/35n6kjd.jpg

[Ilo]

This one in the picture is a rubber pad, it does not attract ferrous material.

The magnets are inside the casing and are invisible from outside.

[yigit]

my mistake then. it's probably "the hinge".

[Ilo]

The mgnets are on the left and right side of the camea which is at the upper part of the display, but the hinges are located at the lower part of the display.

The other 2 magnets are on the left and right side of the touch pad which is located at the lower part of the netbook body, but the hinges are located at the upper part of the netbook body.

What is the purpose of making netbook hinges with magnetic material?

[yigit]

i have no idea.

[andyP Community SuperMod]

I've not taken an S10-3 apart, or a Y410, but a lot of other notebooks. I believe I can offer an highly probable explanation for the presence of the magnets.

There used to be a plastic protuberance / peg on notebook screen bezels which, when the notebook lid was closed, would basically stick through a corresponding hole in the base and throw a spring loaded switch on the mainboard. Throwing this switch would tell the notebook's software that the lid was in the process of being closed / had been closed causing the activation of the selected command in power management for "when i close the lid"; sleep, hibernate, shut down or do nothing.

On a lot of systems today, instead of physical switches which kept sticking, magnets and corresponding megnetic sensors are used; they seem to be much more reliable.