Having researched netbooks since January 2009, I had narrowed down my choice to Asus 1000HE due to battery life, since most netbook features are similar. Recently Asus released the 1005HA and I was certain that was going to be my next purchase since it was improved over the 1000HE. I decided to check out Acer (blah), MSI(blah), HP/Compaq(blah), Samsung and Toshiba as well.
My main requirement was a good size keyboard, solid build, and great battery life. Toshiba NB205 excelled at all my requirements. I read every review I could find and even have google alerts set to Toshiba NB205. Office Depots have this netbook on display. Definitely visit your local store and try it out before you buy it. Then goto Best Buy to try out other selections and order it from Amazon.com.
Some key points:
1. Keyboard - great size, the keys are similar to the current gen apple laptops. I am typing this review on the NB205 so still getting used to it. The only strange thing is the ~ key sits to the left of the space bar instead of the ALT key. The ALT key is to the left of the ~ key.
2. Build - VERY solidly built netbook. Does not feel flimsy like all the other ones I have seen. I have a Dell XPS 1530 which I thought had a super solid build, this Toshiba NB205 is just as solid. Construction and design are great. I did not like the glossy covers and fingerprint magnet designs of the other netbooks. NB205 has a matte cover and texture to it that does not attact ANY fingerprints.
3. Battery life - Reviews tested well and better than the Asus 1000HE. Been using it for 1 hour and says 90% battery life after installing updates and downloading.
4. Trackpad - VERY large and controls well. Glides smoothly. No dinky trackpads like other netbooks. Has 2 separate buttons instead of just one. The pad is slightly recessed so it's easy to find it by feel.
The ONLY thing I dislike about the laptop is the 6 cell battery sticks out the back about .85 inches.
As for colors, ALL of the NB205 have the silver keyboard, the color difference is only on the screen portion. I chose the Blue because I liked the color the best. The White I saw in store looked very close to the silver keyboard color.
I thought about waiting for the ION, but the screens will be almost 12" and the battery life will be worse. Also, the cost difference. I don't need a HDMI output either.Get more detail about Toshiba Mini NB205-N312/BL 10.1-Inch Royal Blue Netbook - 9 Hour Battery Life.
