- 9.5 hours of battery life
- Comfortable keyboard and large touchpad
- Hard drive protection
- USB port charges device when system is off
- Lid attracts fingerprints
- Large display bezel
CPU: 1.66-GHz Intel Atom N280
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home (SP3)
RAM/Expandable to: 1GB/2GB
Hard Drive Size/Speed: 160GB/5,400 rpm
Optical Drive: N/A
Display/Resolution: 10.1-inches/1024 x 600
Price as Reviewed: $$349
Editors’ Note: Portions of this review were taken from our earlier review of the Toshiba mini NB205-310.
Toshiba’s mini NB205-N310 netbook struck a chord with its snazzy design, comfortable island keyboard, and stellar battery life, but realizing that $50 can make a difference in today’s economy—not to mention the competitive netbook market—the company opted to create a budget version, the $349 mini NB205-N210. While it lacks the silver island-style keyboard, ribbed lid, and Bluetooth of the $399 mini NB205-310, the NB205-N210 has the same internal specs. So while you lose the flair of the more premium version, you still get a snappy netbook whose high-capacity battery provides more than 9 hours of endurance for $50 less.
Design
The major change between the NB205-N210 and the NB205-N310 is aesthetics. Where the NB205-N310 had a Sable Brown lid (also available in Royal Blue, Posh Pink, and Frost White) with raised diagonal lines, the more affordable version only comes in a glossy Fusion Finish in Black Onyx; while the lid has a similar pinstriped look, the lines are not raised, and it is much more fingerprint-prone. Also gone is the shiny bronze hinge; however, the glossy black hinge (with a glowing power button at the center) is attractive in its own way.
At 10.4 x 7.6 x 1.3 inches, the NB205 is fairly compact, although not as slim as the ASUS Eee PC 1008HA (10.3 x 7.0 x 1.0) or the Acer Aspire One AOD250 (10.2 x 7.2 x 1.0). Additionally, this netbook’s standard six-cell battery juts out from the back of the system. Weighing 2.8 pounds by itself, the NB205 and its AC adapter came in at 3.4 pounds, and didn’t put much strain on our shoulder as we walked around New York City.
Basic Keyboard, Solid Touchpad
Aside from the chassis, the most obvious difference between the NB205-N210 and the N310 is the keyboard. While the N310 has a metal island keyboard, the N210 has a plastic panel with more traditional keys. Though not as attractive, the keyboard remains comfortable and sturdy; we achieved the same typing score as that on the N310—a strong 80 words per minute with a one percent error rate on the Ten Thumbs typing test (www.tenthumbstypingtutor.com). Comparatively, we had a two percent error rate on the Samsung N120.
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