Comments on: Best Netbook Yet? Hands-On With the Toshiba NB205

By: Mary

Mary — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:52:09 +0000

DO NOT BUY – Extensive evidence of “boot – up – failure” see http://forums.toshiba.com/t5/Batteries-and-Power/NB205-won-t-turn-on-properly/td-p/51431. Toshiba’s lack of support and denial of manufacture defect insures I will not buy Toshiba again!!

By: David Rains

David Rains — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 06:09:10 +0000

DO NOT BUY. The first one I received would not power up as the center switch was bad. The second lasted a full nine weeks and the hard drive failed while we were in Europe on a 30 day dream vacation. THANKS Toshiba for screwing that up and us losing 3000 pictures which cannot be replaced. DO NOT BUY THIS PEICE OF CRAP!

By: mariya

mariya — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 01:21:46 +0000

Toshiba NB205 is new launched of Toshiba.Seeing it”s feature we say that it is one of the best net book in the category of 10 inch.But there are a big problem in here that is no connection of blue truth.

http://www.dealpocket.com/default.asp?search=2&catval=4&cattext=%27Computers%27

By: Benusha

Benusha — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:57:17 +0000

The batery does not hold power for 9 hours. If you realy use the computer, it will hold may be 2 hours +
Next, I just wanted to turn blue tooth on and did not found the divice, but when I purshased I read configuration and It said that this netbook has Bluetooth 2.1 EDR. Check this web site http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/toshiba-mini-nb-205.aspx?mode=specs

By: John51

John51 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:47:52 +0000

Actually, on seeing the pictures on twitter I was between 80-90% certain that was the place. ,

By: mikey

mikey — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:26:12 +0000

I have had this netbook (in blue) for about 3 weeks now, so I can comment on some of the features and issues previously mentioned.

First of all, the build quality and general feel of the netbook is very good. I really liked the good feel of the keyboard, which was a major influence on my purchase (that and battery life). The device feels solid, and it’s easy to upgrade the ram (just a small screwdriver is needed to open the cover on the back of the case). I think the size is just about perfect (it fits into my camera backpack), and even though the battery sticks out in the back, it still sits flat and is not obtrusive. Also, the larger battery doesn’t look like some genetic mutation like some of the other larger battery optioned netbooks.

The netbook comes loaded up with bloatware. There were 55 running processes in it’s factory configuration. After uninstalling a bunch of stuff, and doing my normal windows XP tweeking, I got it down to 24 without an antivirus suite (it comes with norton, which is a resource hog – uninstall it!). And I still have the toshiba power profiles function and hard drive protection. The performance and boot time is noticeably better after doing this.

The wifi was acting up when I took it to hawaii. sometimes it couldn’t connect, or would take 15 minutes to finally lock into a signal. I went to Toshiba’s support website and downloaded the new wifi driver (it’s dated May 2009). That completely fixed the problem and I had flawless wifi connectivity afterward. You don’t need any of the wifi utilities (I just use the built in windows wifi wizard).

It has a USB port that remains “hot” even after the netbook is shut down. so you can charge your cell phone or other usb device without having to turn on the netbook. I personally disabled this feature, but it’s there if you need it.

There is a new audio driver that increases the volume of the speaker, though it doesn’t really make it sound much better, so you’ll want to use headphones if you are in a noisy location.

The resolution does cut off some menus/windows, but the screen will automatically pan up when you move your mouse pointer to the bottom of the screen, and enables you to see the portion of the menu/window that was cut off.

I got this netbook mostly for travel entertainment, and it didn’t disappoint. I recently used it on a 5-1/2 hour flight from L.A. to Hawaii, and watched a movie, a few episodes of top gear, and listened to music with it. I was able to use it for two more nights in my hotel to check emails and browse the web without having to plug it in. I got very close to the advertised 9 hrs of battery life. I always have BT and wifi turned off when they are not in use, and I have movies/videos running off an SD card which is probably more efficient than running them off the hard drive.

I also installed an old copy of photoshop CS on it, and it seems to run just fine (though I do have 2gb of ram now), So it’s a very capable netbook for being so portable.

By: KYLE

KYLE — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:11:58 +0000

I got this laptop because of its size, looks and versatility but there have been problems that are causing me to return it. ive had to use system restore 2 times in less than 2 weeks because of something having to do with the wireless internet, it would work fine one day and then refuse to function the next. the track pad is slow to respond, jerky and will freeze at times it quickly becomes frustrating! also due to the wide yet short resolution (1024 x 600) there are menus on certain programs that i cannot hit “ok” or “apply” on since those menu windows require a 1024 x 768. that issue is far too obvious to ignore. processor speed reminds me of early 2000 era when a 2.0GHz P4 was blazing fast. if you are used to a dual core of the same speed you will be more than annoyed by that. also this laptop is quiter than a Mac book even with the volume all the way up (which may take some time due to the cheap “realtec” audio software lagging)
Good: size, weight,battery life, Hdd saver, ram, hard drive size
Bad : screen resolution, processor speed, track pad, wireless LAN controller, speaker volume, audio software

Verdict: clearly designed for those who type a lot on the go (especially on long rides or flights) this net book was built for work not play… and only work sent and recieved via SD Card not wireless internet.

By: Kelvin

Kelvin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:41:21 +0000

Ben,

I agree with you, the bezel size is due to the keyboard.

If the laptop were to be any smaller, all good reviews about the full-size keyboard and superb typing experience would have not been there. If Toshiba were to make the screen any bigger, screen resolution would have to be increased as well and it wouldn’t have cost just $399. If NB205 were to hit over $400, there would more complains about the price than the bezel.

In short, NB205 is best at what it is now.

By: BlackManRising

BlackManRising — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:35:58 +0000

Just saw it at a Brandsmart in Miami…WOW…this is the best looking netbook I’ve seen. I was about to purchase the ASUS 1000HE from CompUSA but I’m glad I waited. It does have a SD card slot on the left side (in response to earlier post). It does not have an Express card slot, but it seems only Lenovo’s S series still has this. I typed on the keyboard and was blown away by the level of quality in this product. Since this was the first time I saw the netbook, I decided to go home and research it before I purchased it. (Trying to avoid buyer’s remorse — ha ha ha.)

It also has an awesome webcam, Bluetooth 2.1, 160 HD, and an unbelievable RAM config of up to 8 Gig!!! (It only comes with 1 Gig, though.) I saw the white, brown, pink and cheaper black model. I think the brown looks the classiest. It was on sale for $398. Now that I have had a chance to research the NB205 and have read about the battery’s duration and what it looks like (not so cool), I think I will still buy it.

Hope this helps.

Peace,
BMR

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:36:36 +0000

@fanfoot

The bezel is the size it is because of the keyboard size.