Toshiba NB205 Review Roundup

Toshiba finally released it's first netbook, the Mini NB205 to the U.S. market. It might be a little late now, but being late is not always a bad thing. It gives Toshiba the opportunity to watch and takes in all the buzz being generated in the netbook market and glean from all the rants about these devices ways to improve upon its own product. And we are so glad that Toshiba did offer a posh pink color option which gives us another great choice of pink netbook that's not only attractive design, but also has everything we’d recommend in a netbook.


The pink Toshiba NB205 netbook is currently available on Amazon.com for $399. In terms of internal parts, it is similar to most of other netbooks in today's market. Here's the rundown of the NB205's specs and features:

• 10.1-inch diagonal widescreen TruBrite backlit LED display (WSVGA)
• Intel Atom N280 processor (1.66GHz)
• 1GB DDR2 800MHz RAM, upgradeable to 2GB
• Spacious Storage with a 160GB HDD2
• TOSHIBA Hard Drive Impact Sensor
• 6-cell battery delivering up to 9 hours of productivity
• 802.11 b/g wireless and 10/100 Ethernet
• Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR
• Built-in Webcam, speaker and microphone
• One USB port with Sleep-and-Charge and two additional USB 2.0 ports
• Memory Card Reader Slot
• RGB port for connecting to external displays
• Weight: 2.9 lbs.
• Windows XP Home operating system

Laptop Magazine, CNet, and PC Mag have done their respective reviews on the Toshiba NB205 netbook, and all of them gives pretty good rating to this machine. Both Laptop Magazine and PC Mag rated it 4.5 out of 5 and given it an 'Editor's Choice' status. CNet on the other hand is a little unsatisfied with bulky battery and the wimpy audio, giving it a rating of 3.5 out of 5, but still recommend it as one of the netbook that's worth considering.

In terms of system performance, the Toshiba NB205 performs pretty well. Based on all three reviews, they had no problems streaming video at full screen or working with several applications simultaneously. Here are the summary of good and bad of Toshiba NB205:

Good:

• Unique and stylish design: Available in Posh pink as well as a few other colors, the Toshiba NB205 has a textured lid that's fingerprint-resistant. Combined with an elegant, shiny bronze hinge (with a glowing power button at the center), it nicely matches the silver finish on the bottom deck for an overall professional look.
• Comfortable keyboard and large touchpad: The metal, island style, full-size keyboard is sturdy and comfortable. Both Laptop Magazine and CNet comment that it take some time for them to get used to the unique keyboard design, but eventually they found it very easy and comfortable to use. The large touchpad which measures 3.1 x 1.6-inch, and the two dedicated right and left mouse buttons make it easy for users to navigate the desktop.
• Excellent battery life: The Toshiba NB205 comes with a standard six-cell 5800 mAh lithium ion battery which last for 8 hours plus on Laptop Magazine's and PC Mag's test, and 6 hours plus on CNet's video playback battery drain test.
• USB port charges device when system is off: the USB port on Toshiba NB205 is enabled with Toshiba’s Sleep-and-Charge technology, which provides power to connected devices when the system is off.
• Bundle with a good deal of useful software, including HDD Protection and Zoom Utility software, Bluetooth Stack (for easy Bluetooth setup), ConfigFree (for connecting to a network), and PC Health Monitor (for keeping the netbook running smoothly).
  

Bad:

• Bulky battery that sticks out at the back: While the standard six-cell battery provides an excellent battery life, it juts out from the back of the system making it looks less attractive.
• Weak speaker: The speakers that are hidden below the front edge of the system, were a bit weak compared with other netbooks. This is one of the major factors that Cnet lowered their rating on this this netbook. This problem can be solved though by plugging in a headset, as suggested by Laptop Magazine.
• Large display bezel: The almost one-inch thick bezel that surrounds the display makes the screen feel smaller than it should.
  

Conclusion:
Apparently, Toshiba has made quite a great deal of competitive analysis before coming up with the NB205 netbook. Besides having a killer design, the NB205 has everything we’d recommend in a netbook: ergonomic keyboard and touchpad, excellent battery life, and most importantly an affordable price that's according to the public's demand. The Posh pink Toshiba NB205 will definitely made it into our list of best pink netbooks!