Toshiba Mini NB305-N410BL 10.1-Inch Royal Blue Netbook - 11 Hours of Battery Life Review
I own a Mac but when I got hold of an iPhone (and an Airport Extreme) I soon found myself enslaved to wireless websurfing and email. I also found myself going blind surfing a 3.5" screen. I seriously considered the iPad, but because I occassionally do have to perform actual work I decided a netbook or small laptop would be a better choice. Sure, my first choice would be the Macbook, which I probably will still do when I win the lottery - but I researched all the available netbook brands, read all the reviews, and watched all the prices. I debated endlessly about dealing with a 10" screen, Windows 7, and a mini-keyboard - but in the end found I worried for nothing. I really, really really like this netbook. And my eyesight is gradually recovering.
Pros: 1)Battery life - regularly > 10 hours with pretty constant web browsing and WiFi - this definitely exceeded my expectations. It also charges in an entirely reasonable period of time. 2)Keyboard - I actually like it. I touch-type and have no difficulty with the size or placement of the keys. 3)Display - the 10" screen isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It is somewhat narrow top-to-bottom, but the scroll function on the touchpad and the zoom function help. 4)Set-up (aside from recovery media creation) was effortless. 5)Installing the 2MB RAM was a cinch - started up and recognized the upgrade without any problem. 6)Everything works. And though I'm not doing anything significantly challenging on it, it seems pretty fast.
Cons: 1)Toshiba Recovery Media Creator - there is of course no recovery disc provided - you can create "recovery media" easily on two USB drives, but be warned - you will need both a 4GB to hold the 1.8GB Applications files and a 16GB to hold the 7.9GB System Recovery files - a 2GB and an 8GB drive will not work. This necessitates a minimum of in USB drives - not such a great deal. I suggest that you buy the portable DVD drive instead and burn your recovery discs. I understand you can't use the DVD drive to watch video unless you significantly upgrade Windows 7, however. Wonder how much that costs? 2)Windows 7 - guess I've been spoiled by Mac OS, but to me Windows 7 seems both a little limited and somewhat juvenille. It's also a little less than totally intuitive - for instance it took me several days to figure out where additional tabs go. But ultimately it does what I need it to do. 3)The case - while it is attractive (I bought the Java) - it is unmistakeably plastic - a minor complaint and undeniably Macbook envy.
All-in-all, I'm glad I purchased the Toshiba. Other than the necessitated investment in USB drives, no regrets here.
Toshiba Mini NB305-N410BL 10.1-Inch Royal Blue Netbook - 11 Hours of Battery Life Feature
- 1.66GHz Intel N450 Atom Processor
- 1GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM Memory
- 250GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive (5400RPM)
- 10.1" LED (16:9) 1024x600 Display; Intel Graphics Media Accelerator GMA3150
- Windows 7 Starter Edition 32-bit; Webcam
Toshiba Mini NB305-N410BL 10.1-Inch Royal Blue Netbook - 11 Hours of Battery Life Overview
With a new sleeker design and up to 11 hours of battery life rating, our affordable, super-compact mini NB305 is a stylish companion PC that raises the bar when it comes to portability. This innovative netbook lets you enjoy all the benefits of today’s fast-moving digital world, putting you in touch with your favorite people, sites, networks and media in ways and places you never imagined. Though small enough to throw in a purse or bag, it’s designed with smart features to enhance your mobile life—like a full-sized keyboard and touchpad, USB Sleep-and-Charge technology and a Hard Drive Impact Sensor that helps protect your data from the bumps and grinds of daily life. So it picks up where smart phones leave off and makes many of today’s netbooks seem a waste of time.
Toshiba Mini NB305-N410BL 10.1-Inch Royal Blue Netbook - 11 Hours of Battery Life Specifications
Toshiba Mini NB305: Sleeker Design and Improved Battery Life
With a new sleeker design and up to 11 hours of battery life rating, the affordable, super-compact Toshiba Mini NB305 weighs less than 3 pounds, is small enough to throw in a purse or bag, and offers a brightly colorful 10.1-inch LED-backlit screen. It features a full-size keyboard for comfortable typing and a larger touchpad with Multi-Touch Control, which enables you to navigate documents, web pages and images more easily. With up to 11 hours of battery life the Toshiba mini NB305 lets you go through an entire day of school, work or errands without worrying about a recharge. |
 The NB305 features a comfortable full-size keyboard, plus a full-size touchpad with multi-touch capabilities (see larger image and schematic of all ports). |
 The Toshiba Mini NB305 in textured royal blue. |
This model of the Toshiba mini NB305 (NB305-N410BL) has a distinctively styled cover in royal blue, which is accented by a textured finish with a Matrix pattern. The 250 GB hard disk drive is protected using an integrated 3D impact sensor which detects freefalls, shocks and vibrations. The Toshiba Mini also features a USB Sleep-and-Charge port, which allows external USB devices such as mobile phones and personal media players to charge from the netbook even when it is turned off.
It comes pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Starter operating system, which combines the latest in reliability and responsiveness with the familiarity and compatibility of Windows. It includes new Windows 7 features like Jump Lists to help you to better find and manage files, and connecting to printers and peripherals is easier than ever.
Key Features
- 10.1-inch LED backlit widescreen display (1024 x 600-pixel resolution) provides richer colors and clearer definition--perfect for browsing the Internet.
1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 processor (512 KB L2 cache, 667 MHz FSB) combines performance and energy efficiency to explore the Internet and stay connected while mobile.- 250 GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 RPM) with an impact sensor that helps safeguard your data by "parking" the hard drive heads in the event of a drop or sudden movement.
- 1 GB of DDR2 RAM (800 MHz; 1 memory slot; upgradeable to 2 GB)
- Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 video processor with up to 384 MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory
- Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n) for greater speed and range.
- Three USB ports with one Sleep and Charge port on the left side, allowing you to charge your mobile phone and other devices even when the notebook is asleep or off.
- Full-size 85-key keyboard
- TouchPad pointing device with multi-touch gesture control
- Built-in stereo speaker
- Fast Ethernet (10/100)
- Secure Digital memory card reader also compatible with Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC, and MultiMedia Card (MMC)
- Enjoy proactive PC health--without the worry. For your peace mind, this laptop comes with an innovative PC Health Monitor that constantly keeps tabs on things like your machine's power usage, temperature and hard drive--so you won't have to.
Windows 7 Starter makes small notebook PCs easier to use because it puts less between you and what you want to do--less waiting, less clicking, less hassle connecting to networks. And Starter combines the latest in reliability and responsiveness with the familiarity and compatibility of Windows.- Get more features with Windows Anytime Upgrade. A small notebook PC running Windows 7 Home Premium is even easier to use. The new taskbar and advanced navigation features make launching programs, opening files, managing windows, and getting around your PC faster and easier. Personalize your PC to be just the way you want it with helpful gadgets and desktop themes--even turn your desktop into a slideshow of your favorite photos. And you get the best entertainment experience on a PC. With Windows Media Center, you can watch shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV.
- Pre-loaded software includes Microsoft Works SE 9.0 for word processing and spreadsheet work.
- Up to 11 hours of battery life with included 6-cell battery (5800 mAh)
- Weight: 2.6 pounds
- Dimensions: 10.47 x 7.57 x 1.43 inches (WxDxH)
- Warranty: 1 year warranty with international limited warranty coverage
- Energy Star 5.0 certified
- Gold EPEAT designation for meeting standards to help reduce its environmental impact.
- RoHS compliant effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances
What's in the Box
This package contains the Toshiba mini NB305-N410BL netbook, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions.
It also comes with the following software: Norton Internet Security 2010, Microsoft Works 9, Microsoft Office Live Essentials (including Photo Gallery, Messenger, Mail and Writer), Windows Media Player, Google Toolbar, Toshiba PC Health Monitor, WildTangent Orb Game Console
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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jun 23, 2010 00:12:19
