Toshiba is joining the fierce netbook market with its own NB205 notebook line. It sports a mouse yawning standard Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz Processor with 1GB DDR2 RAM (upgradable to 2GB) / 160 GB Hard Drive/ Win XP Home / 6 cell battery (5800mAh)/ Wi-Fi (b/g) / 3 USB ports / Webcam / 2.93lbs and 10.1” Display. This netbook claims a descend 9 hour battery life which translate to a not to bad 4~6 Hour real life battery life.
The indifference stops here. The netbook uses quality materials that you can only appreciate when you see it right in front of you. The LED backlight screen is bright and will be a candy to your eyes. Trackpad is well positioned with 2 buttons BELOW the pad. (Sorry HP Mini~) There are millions of netbook models out there and this one just seems to have everything right.
The final big surprise is the price. I saw this model in Taiwan on display and was very impressed about everything except one – the price. It retails around $21000 Taiwanese Dollars, that translates to USD $650 ~ $700.. which is way too high for a netbook.
However, Toshiba priced it in USA market for $349~$399, that makes it an excellent value compare to any netbook in this range.
The $349 model comes with Onyx Black only. The $399 model comes with chiclets keyboard layout that is by far one of the best for netbook of this class with large shift key on the right. It also comes with Bluetooth V.2.1 + EDR and glossy lid with a number of colors including Sable Brown, Royal Blue, Frost White, and Posh Pink. There is also convenient feature like USB Sleep-and-Charge Port to power your gadget when your PC is off (so you can charge your iPod and iPhone while your computer is turn off).
Onyx Black
Royal Blue
Posh Pink
Sable Brown
Frost White
Compare to the other netbook on the market, this model simply has the best build for Atom N280 processor netbook. Its too bad that most US consumer won't be able to see the actual physical netbook to appreciate this little beauty due to the melt down of all the electronic retailers like CircuitCity and CompUSA.
If you are looking for a netbook at this price range and don't mind the 1024 x 600 resolution compare to some Z520 netbooks that can display at a bit higher resolution like 1366 x 768. If you are looking to achieve a balance of functionality vs style, this netbook should be one that is high on your list. You can pick up one of these fantastic Toshiba netbooks via Newegg.com (plus tax and shipping), ToshibaDirect.com (free shipping), and Amazon.com with free tax and shipping (2 days shipping if you have Amazon Prime). Happy Shopping!!
