Shop For Toshiba Mini NB205-N230 10.1-Inch Black Onyx Netbook - 9 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter)

I received the Toshiba netbook two weeks ago. Needless to say, I spent some time setting it up for my preferences. This is my first Windows 7 PC. I found that the Windows 7 has some limitations with background settings, etc. I also noticed that the nice Windows Mail program (from Vista) was no longer available. I now use GMAIL. ANOTHER CON:The loudspeakers sound anemic and I needed earphones to really enjoy music.
I especially like the keyboard. I got the hang of it in a very short time and was able to type emails and word documents with almost the same speed as on the full size keyboard on my desktop. After about one day I convinced myself that NB 205 with 1 GB of memory was rather slow. So I ordered the 2 GB extra memory from Amazon. After replacing the 1 GB with the 2GB, I found that the speed and response time picked up remarkably. I achieved even better speed and response times when I inserted a 4 GB high speed SD card into the available slot and activated the Speedbooster function.(Available in Vista and W7) It uses the faster flash memory for paging instead of using the slower, hard disk. By now, this little netbook computer performs just about as well as my 6 GB HP desktop with Vista and a 2.4 MHZ processor. I like its looks, the small size, the keyboard, the speed. Quite a package.
The display is crisp and clear. Battery life - outstanding. I used the NB 205 for 8 hours on batteries only, and never missed a beat. Wireless transmission seems to be working just fine. Get more detail about Toshiba Mini NB205-N230 10.1-Inch Black Onyx Netbook - 9 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter).

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Buy ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005HA-PU17-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 10.5 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter)

First, I acknowledge that I actually own the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU17-BK with Windows 7 Starter; This is not the model that includes Win XP, which has different hardware specs.

After over a week of owning and actively using the 1005-PU17-BK, I wish to share the following points:

- Reading the reviews of the 1005HA Win XP model, I was hesitant to purchase any Eee netbook model, fearing issues with the power adapter. Upon vigorous daily use, I have had no issues with the power adapter at all.

- The keyboard layout is comfortable and the keys are a manageable size, with the exception of the UP/Down arrow keys. I like to scroll through web pages using the arrow keys; both keys are small for my average sized fingers.

- The netbook's performance is more than adequate for my needs, which includes word processing, web surfing, email, and watching video files. Note that if you are considering this model to watch high def video (1080p), this is not for you. Refer to an ION based netbook, like the HP Mini 311 or the Eee PC 1201N.

- Compared to the advertised battery life of 10.5 hours, my battery usage ranged at approximately 8 hours, using a "balanced" power scheme.

I am satisfied with the purchase of the 1005HA-PU17. Before making my decision on this model, I was considering the HP Mini 311. Although the Mini 311 featured the ION based video hardware, the Eee PC model included a 802.11n wireless NIC. Since my needs weighed more towards productivity than entertainment, I went for the extra wireless throughput.Get more detail about ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005HA-PU17-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 10.5 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter).

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Buying Toshiba Mini NB205-N210 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 9 Hour Battery Life

I decided to get a netbook because I desperately needed to replace my two laptops, dying at the same time (one from former job, one personal). A netbook serves my needs for now until my financial situation improves--it does what I need, and the price is great. I got mine with Windows 7, well, Windows 7 starter, actually.

Through my research, the Toshiba 205 emerged as the clear winner. The two issues in all the customers reviews that concerned me the most were the non-responsive trackpad, and the cursor-jumping.

Trackpad:

I got lucky--my trackpad does work. The only issue is, that though it is much bigger than most netbook trackpads, the edges are not responsive, so I use only the middle. Not a problematic adjustment for me. A BIG plus is that the right and left click buttons are separate. I am accustomed to that from my other laptops, so this is nice--when I tried the single clicker in the store, it drove me nuts.

Cursor-jumping:

This was a HUGE problem the first couple of days. I thought I'd have to return this otherwise fine laptop, then, instead, I went online to look for a fix. The forums insisted that typists are inadvertently "hitting" the trackpad, causing the cursor to jump. I was sure I wasn't, but I tried one of the fixes--disabling the "tapping" feature through the Control Panel, very simple, took a couple of clicks. And voila! No more cursor-jumping.

Sound, as predicted, is terrible, with the speaker inexplicably placed underneath the unit. But I knew that going in, and with headphones, the sound is fine.

I read on another review, that Windows Starter 7 will not play DVDs. Should I buy a separate player to plug into this, I will see if it is an issue, but for now, that just hasn't arisen in my use.

I will likely, in a few months, establish a desktop/larger laptop system as my main system, as the smaller screen is definitely less than ideal for hours and hours of document-scanning/reading, but for now, this little gem, priced right, is doing the job.

Four instead of 5 stars because it did not come with the full Windows 7 version (apparently), and it does have the limitations of a netbook--small screen, bad sound, no CD/DVD drive.Get more detail about Toshiba Mini NB205-N210 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 9 Hour Battery Life.

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