I too oogled netbooks for a long time, then just before I caved and got an acer, I found out this Toshiba NB 205 was released.
All the reviews here so far (4 of them before I wrote this one) are accurate:
>Battery lasts LONG time. 6.5 hours real hours when not being conservative, however, it also takes long to charge when plugged in. I don't have figures, but I think it took 4 hours to do a full charge. I don't find that threating because either way I only have to plug in the adapter about 1 out of three coffee shops I visit.
>The 6-cell battery sticks out the back an inch and makes finding a netbook case more difficult, BUT here's the icing. The case logic 10" neoprene netbook case is a perfect fit, and has a perfect sized battery compartment.
I got mine at radioshack, here it is on amazon:
[...]
>FULL SIZED Clicklet keyboard is niice and has quality build feel
>Does Video playback well.
>ram chip is upgradable to 2 gigs (I already ordered one)
>speaker is mono, and mediocre, gets job done, that's about it. It's located on the bottom of the computer near the front lights. (I don't use it in coffee shops so I don't care)
>hibernates quickly, comes back from hibernation quickly. Restarts faster than most laptops I've used.
>web cam seems low quality (I never use them so I'm not a pro on this one)
>There isn't a dedicated button to turn on/off wireless connection, nor are there dedicated buttons to turn up/down volume. You do them by pressing keys in conjuntion to the Fn (Function key (it's kinda like a extra shift button)). This doesn't bother me, but is notable.
>This netbook runs with a mild warmth, opposed to some other netbooks I've seen that run with a vague warmth. Still no where near hot like most laptops, and that warm represents the little extra power that you want.
>Tilde key placed convieniently next to the space bar (laugh, it's true).
additional info
I recommend:
>the first thing you do is uninstall all the junkware, then run disk cleanup, then defrag, then making a backup of the whole partition with a utility like Acronis True Image 9.
>making the touchpad more sensitive
>turn harddrive impact control from 3 to 2 (maybe 1) or it triggers too much.
>becomming familiar with the Fn keys (it's like a shift button). Look for the gray commands on many buttons. Notice Page Up, Page Down, Volume Up/Down, Wireless On/Off settings, quick power settings etc.
This is a nice netbook.
Don't run.. walk and get this netboot because this netbook is for real men.
Get more detail about Toshiba Mini NB205-N312/BL 10.1-Inch Royal Blue Netbook - 9 Hour Battery Life.
