After researching for months I finally purchased my first netbook. I ended up going with the NB205-N210. Main models considered where the Asus100he / Samsung NC-10.
I must say I'm very impressed with this product. The market for 10" netbooks is crammed full of very similar offerings. I ended up going with the Toshiba for the following reasons.
1) Its one of the latest on the market. I did not want to purchase a netbook that has been out for months as the technology changes so rapidly. This is one of the few Netbooks that is using Intel's Atom N280 processor over the more commonplace N270. I'm sure the difference isn't too different, but I wanted the latest offering as far as processing power.
2) 9 Hour battery life for under $400!!! This is insane! I have just used it after its first charge out of the box and it lasted for right about 8:30 hours before I finally decided to charge it up again. This claim is for real. I'm on the road a lot and am going to love not having to run a power chord after one hour on this netbook vs my Dell laptop. Most other netbooks that I was comparing to did not have the 9 hour life. Most were in the 3-6 hour range.
3)Brand name/Style. I have really been a fan of Toshiba laptops over the past decade. I feel they offer a real solid product and the NB205 definitely has not let me down so far. As for the style..I think it really outclasses the other offerings out there. I was in a store and compared it to the Asus/ HP/ Gateway/ Dell etc and they all felt chintzy and cheap feeling compared to the Toshiba. Again being late to offer a Toshiba , they had time to really see what consumers want.
4) Full size keyboard. I can actually type just as well on NB205 as I can on my home computers. The keyboard size is perfect. I'm also very glad that the Trackpad and associated buttons are large in size! I actually have to type long emails for business and was very frustrated that other Netbooks had small keyboards and track pads. Rest assured that this keyboard is almost as large as my normal laptop and makes typing a breeze.
Cons:
1) The only thing that I do not like about the NB205 is how the battery sticks out the back. The computer is compact overall, but I was nervous about finding a 10" case to fit it. Rest assured the Case Logic LNE0-10 fits this computer perfect! I wrote a review as well about that case on here that you can look up. With the handles it makes carrying a breeze and it fits very snug. Overall, Ill deal with the batter sticking out because the battery life far outweighs the look.
2) Others have complained about loose batteries. Mine isn't loose, but you can feel it move every once in awhile when you place the computer in your lap or pull it in and out of its case. I guess time will tell how sturdy it is. I wish they would have made this more sturdy but honestly I'm nitpicking. It will stay in place and not fall out for those of you on the fence over this one particular subject. Again,Ill gladly deal with this due to the fact that I get a 9 hour battery life!
3) Speaker is not adequate at all. However, I knew this ahead of time. With netbooks there are compromises and this is one I didn't mind. I use my headset and find that adequate if I need to listen to something. Ill have to test if I can hear the headset on an airplane flight. Hopefully I can.
4) Little con but the battery life is displayed as percentage and I can't seem to find it expressed anywhere in time. So far I've just had to guess based off my watch on usage rate. Its a little bit annoying but I'm getting used to it.
Reasons why I got the lower model 210 over the 310:
Even though its only 50 dollars, I feel that having the fancy colors (which I didn't prefer), bluetooth and a slightly nicer keyboard didn't warrant the extra money. I was on a budget for under $400 dollars which I easily did and still feel that I got the best netbook out there. I'm sure some of you out there will use bluetooth a lot, but frankly I don't need this computer to have that luxury. I need a computer to access the web and be able to send emails with bottom line.
I will probably end up getting an external DVD drive in the future so I can watch movies. In the short term I plan to upgrade to 2GB ram as others have mentioned. With the price being so cheap, who can refuse?!
Overall if you get this Netbook you will be very pleased. I truly feel after heavy research that the reasons above set it apart from the others for the time being. I'm sure in under a year there will be a newer, greater model, but for now this reins King.
Side note, I ordered 1 day express delivery at 5pm eastern time and got my computer the next morning at 1230 Easter time all for under 22 dollars shipping. Total bill was $370.95. Gotta love Amazon..incredible service and the best bang for the buck. Had to wait one night..thats it! Unreal!Get more detail about Toshiba Mini NB205-N312/BL 10.1-Inch Royal Blue Netbook - 9 Hour Battery Life.
