Toshiba Satellite T115-S1100 11.6-Inch LED TruBrite Black/Grey Laptop - 8 Hours 22 Minutes of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Recently a Sony tx770p given to me had it's hard drive die on me after 2 months of really getting used to using the laptop. I have had my eye out for a long time for a replacement for it that would be comparable: 11.x screen, 1366 x 768 screen res, light weight, excellent battery life, excellent trackpad, and a particular type of keyboard that is similar to "chicklet style" but slightly different. Well, I finally found a replacement in the person of the Toshiba T115-S1100. Essentially it is a more-than-standard powerful netbook style computer.
Pro's:
1. Screen and size - LED backlit and "TruBright" ... lovely, crisp and clear! And 1366 x 768 screen resolution to boot, which is the minimum screen resolution I find actually usable when doing day to day things like browsing the internet and reading docs (both .pdf and word processing). It weighs roughly 3.5 lbs - nice and light on your shoulder as you carry it around!
2. Battery life - with everything turned off I have been able to get a little over 10 hours doing simple word processing or reading docs on this machine.
3. DDR3 RAM - the machine comes with a 2 gb chip in one slot, with another slot available to upgrade the memory. It maxes out at 4 gb. The ddr3 makes a noticeable difference in netbook level machines in my opinion.
4. Windows 7 Home - that is, a full installation of the OS, giving you way more options than Windows 7 Starter. The OS is only the 32 bit version, but it works fine considering the physical specs of the machine proper.
5. Keyboard - I personally really like the keyboard "style" used on this machine - there is spacing in between the keys a 'la "chicklet style", but the part of the keys you actually hit with your fingers are a teeny bit smaller than the bottom part of the keys, providing extra space and in general a sturdy feel when typing.
6. Trackpad - a pleasure to use. Responsive and just plain well made.
7. HDMI port - for those of you interested in such things this is a plus!
8. Web Cam - a 2 mp camera, a bit more for those of you who would use this than can be found on your average note/netbooks.
9. Intel 4500 graphics card - true, not that great, but still enough to use the hdmi port out and provide good battery life. Much more powerful than most offerings on netbooks in general.
10. ULV CPU - yes, it is single core and it is a Celeron (something many might associate with poor performance or "second rate"). However, the fact that it is an ULV means that not only is it good for battery life but it can actually crank out a fair amount of speed. This cpu runs at 1.3 ghz, 800mhz FSB, and has 2 mb of cache on it. Combine that with the ddr3 ram and a sata hard drive and you get quite a nice bit of speed for a machine its size and price.
11. Hard drive size - you get 250gb, whereas most netbook style machines give you a 160gb. Nice!
Cons:
1. Fingerprint Magnet - Argh! This thing (like many of the black colored machines produced today) attracts fingerprints to the outside of the machine and all around the outside of the screen proper. Frustrating.
2. No bluetooth - would have been a nice extra feature to add in. One should note, though, that built-in bluetooth is not an option on any of the Satellite T115 models available out there. It would be easy enough to get an external adapter though if it were really needed.
3. Mouse buttons - the mouse buttons used are "rocker style", that is, one button over the area that goes downwards on either side. I am not a fan of the rocker style buttons myself and find them difficult to use. Fortunately I had an external wireless mouse already.
4. Audio card - I have read accounts of people who have found the audio card far too weak to send noise out through the laptop speakers, although the sound through the headphones is quite fine. For me this is not an issue as I use it only with headphones. A simple "fix" for this is simply to uninstall the specific drivers for the audio card and opt for the microsoft standard drivers instead - they are reported to be a big improvement over sending sounds out of the speakers directly.
Middle-of-the-Road:
1. Heat control - it can get moderately warm when doing somewhat intensive tasks, like watching video files, for example. Nothing bad, but it is noticeable.
2. Wireless card - it is 802.11b/g rank only. This is kind of "for the par" on netbook style machines in general, but why not put in an N rank?
3. "Fusion" finish in Nova Black - the external decorations on the machine proper - it does not really excite me, but on the other hand it did not turn me off to considering to purchase the machine in general.
4. Indicator Lights - there are nine of them, and they are all on the front of the machine. If they were all active your machine would look like a small string of Christmas tree lights! :) Seriously though, it is not so bad, I simply prefer fewer indicator lights on a machine in general.
5. Standard port offerings - 3 usb 2.0 ports, mic/headphones jacks, sd card slot, vga out port, kensington lock, 10/100 ethernet.
6. USB sleep and charge - basically some software by which you can configure a certain device to draw a charge form the laptop while it is asleep. Not really something I can use or am interested in, but perhaps some may find it useful.
7. Overall Build - the machine is fairly sturdy and the screen and keyboard do not flex much at all. Good build in general overall from a "home line" product.
8. No optical drive - either internal or external. Again, I had one of these already, so this was not much of an issue, but to make dvd recovery discs you will need one.
****
Conclusion: Overall I must say that I am very satisfied with this little machine. It is an excellent replacement for me, basically a "super-powered netbook": that is, one that portability, connectivity and battery life of a netbook, yet has more options and "umph" than most offerings out there. For a little more cpu speed and wireless N you can pay $40 more or so and get the T115-S1105. For me, however, this machine more than does everything I would want it to do for its size and price.

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HP 15.6" Pavilion dv6-3122us Turion II Entertainment 4GB Laptop 500GB Notebook PC Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)For a laptop with a 500gb hard drive and 4 gigabytes of RAM and a fast processor(2.4ghz), I would recommend the DV6 to anyone who wants a stylish computer with great specs for the price

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Toshiba Mini NB305-N440BN 10.1-Inch Netbook (Java Brown) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Let's get real here. Netbooks ARE NOT replacements for those of you folks who should be shopping for a NOTEBOOK. Having owned at least 4 Toshiba notebooks in the past and currently on my first Sony notebook, I'd expect those machines to do the heavy lifting... serious Photoshopping, DV editing, CAD modelling, rendering, moderate gaming, etc. It'd be irresponsible to ding netbooks on how inadequate they are at these tasks. With this in mind, the Toshiba NB305-N440 fills a very helpful role for those of you who already have a full-fledged notebook or desktop chugging away in the background.
The Toshiba netbook's 3lb weight and size makes it incredibly portable, handleable, and stowable. Grab it single-handedly at the palmrest, grab it at the hinges, or scoop it up from underneath; it's construction feels sturdy and solid where you don't have to worry about something falling off from this kind of abuse. For you existing notebook users, ever feel like you're devoting 80% of your backpack to carrying around that bohemoth... or how about trying to use a 15" screen on the dining tray in the cattle-section of an economy flight? ESPECIALLY when you're just using it to compose a few paragraphs for a meeting, class, or email rant? The NB305 netbook remedies this exactly. The 10.1" screen can be comfortably angled away from you even when the passenger in front decides to stay reclined throughout the flight. Size and weight. Advantage? Netbook.
Unlike other netbooks, Toshiba's NB305 has a design that accomodates a 6-cell battery as standard. No outrageous goofy protrusion as in HP and Sony's extra-cost offering. With the lid closed, the whole package remains as svelte and stowable as lesser competitors with their 3-cell designs. And BECAUSE the Toshiba NB305 has a 6-cell Li-Ion as standard, real-world usage equates to a 5-7 hour run-time with the brightness set at max while pounding away at tasks that make the hard drive thrash around. Coming from a decade of using 2-hour notebooks, its amazing to be away from an AC outlet for that long.
How about useability for a 1.66ghz machine? With the Microsoft-imposed configuration of 1gig RAM, I had my doubts about Windows 7 Starter edition. It turns out the NB305-N440 boots into the desktop in a reasonable amount of time and simple websurfing, emailing chores are handled without issue. Sites that make use of Flash like Hulu, Youtube, and a myriad of other flash-navigation stuff is very surfable on this netbook. The VGA webcam offers adequate resolution and has a wide enough capture angle to make this netbook suitable for video Skyping. Where it falls short is the speaker volume. This is pandemic of all netbooks. When in the boundaries of your personal space, the dinky speakers are barely audible enough for a conversation in all but the emptiest of coffee shops. Those of you hoping to give one of these to grandma as a dedicated Skype device should hope grandma doesn't mind wearing headphones. No issues with the netbook's mic as the other party will hear you fine. Did this netbook slow down? Eventually. By the time I had Skype fired up, two tabs in IE8 loaded on sizeable pages and a THIRD tab buffering a show on Hulu, the 1gig ram had to swap stuff into the hard drive. Bumping up to 2gigs DDR3 RAM would help, but you'll have to yank out the existing one.
At first unboxing, the Toshiba NB305-N440's brightness is set midway; passable, but not something I'd want to scowl at for more than an hour. Crank up the brightness settings and the Toshiba's efficient LED backlit screen shows itself to be very crisp, very readable, quite bright. The next several hours was spent installing personal stuff, Win7 updates (224megs), and removing the thankfully small amount of Toshiba bloatware. All that time the bright screen was legible and comfy on the eyes. Even after Windows Update did everything it wanted, the netbook still booted up in the same 40-ish second span. That's kinda impressive considering they're still using a non-SSD traditional hard drive. Part of this can be attributed to the reduced amount of OS baggage in Windows 7 Starter edition. On that note, there was hardly anything I missed in this OS-lite. Can't change the wallpaper? No big deal. The only plausible nit here is that Win7 Starter lacks multiple user accounts... so those hoping to lock things down and hand it to their tots might have to upgrade beyond "Starter Edition".
The heat vent on the left side emitted therms about the equivalent of holding your hand up near a fluorescent desklamp. It's there, but in no way bothersome.
While Senor Jobs positions his iPad to be a "consumption" device, there are those of us who wish to stay productive and the reason for a netbook's existence is to sport that keyboard. The Toshiba NB305 netbooks don't disappoint here. Touch-typists will appreciate chicklet keys that feel as nicely spaced as all the other keyboards they've worked on. Toshiba saved space by narrowing the traditionally long caps-lock, shift, and enter keys. The touchpad is nice too... full-size just like most big-boy notebooks. Possibly the biggest of ANY netbook. Dedicated left and right buttons are in the appropriate expected spot.
The last and most prominent nit is that the NB305 lacks built-in Bluetooth. Bluetooth would allow the Toshiba netbook to simultaneously control a mouse, feed a wireless headset, and transfer files between your smartphone. Being internal, it wouldn't eat up a USB slot. Alas, neither the preconfigured units or ToshibaDirect offers internal Bluetooth in their netbooks. (Oddly, the Bluetooth SOFTWARE stack is already installed) The only recourse is their low-profile USB Bluetooth 2.1 dongle. Speaking of USB, one of the three slots on this netbook offers power even when the machine is off. This means only having to carry a USB charge cable for your phone instead of a larger dedicated wallwart when travelling lite.
This leaves the last de rigueur issue, High Definition. It's seems the rage to pair up HD with netbooks nowadays. I'm one of the biggest HD snobs out there, but after using a netbook for several hours, forcing HD into a netbook form factor is just pointless... moreso when it only serves to kill the battery life with its high CPU/GPU requirement and the high-capacity battery requirement itself. Being able to stay productive for a 6-hour stretch on a Toshiba netbook trumps the notion of hunching over a 10" screen squinting at a "high definition" file for two hours. If I'm missing a show, I'm willing to "settle" for a 480P stream from Hulu on a Toshiba NB305-N440 rather than give up two thirds the amount of battery life in some of these HD netbooks. Need a portable high-definition playback machine? Get a full-fledged notebook; full-HD widescreen, larger/louder speakers, blu-ray drive. I suggest this from first-hand experience.
Need to be productive while staying highly mobile? This Toshiba NB305-N440 is appropriate for THAT task. I can't really ding it for lack of internal Bluetooth now that Toshiba offers their low-profile dongle. Yes it takes up a precious USB port, but it'll make up for it by its versatility in handling a (Bluetooth) mouse, headset, smartphone, pen tablet, etc. The streamlined 6-cell battery and other forward-thinking features like LED backlight, USB charging, diminuitive AC adapter, and draft-N WiFi makes this a well-focused netbook. In its pricepoint, the NB305-N440 netbook offers a great degree of functionality out-of-the-box, exudes a good amount of sturdiness, comes with a 3 year warranty, and is born from a company that's been into mobile computing for nearly two decades now.

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Enjoy the lighter, brighter side of mobility with the affordable, super-compact Toshiba Mini NB305-N440BN, which weighs less than 3 pounds, is small enough to throw in a purse or bag, and has a brightly colorful 10.1-inch LED-backlit screen. Offering a durable textured finish and cover in Java Brown, it features a full-size keyboard for comfortable typing and a larger touchpad with Multi-Touch Control, which enables you to navigate documents, web pages and images more easily.

Combining the power of the latest Intel Atom N455 processor and NM10 Express chipset with a six-cell battery for up to 8.75 hours of battery power, you'll be able to go through an entire day of school, work or errands without worrying about a recharge. The battery pack is neatly hidden under the casing of the netbook to preserve its sleek, ergonomic design.

The 250 GB hard disk drive is protected using an integrated 3D impact sensor which detects freefalls, shocks and vibrations. The Toshiba Mini also features a USB Sleep-and-Charge port, which allows external USB devices such as mobile phones and personal media players to charge from the netbook even when it is turned off. Other features include fast DDR3 RAM, an integrated webcam, and a mono speaker.

This Toshiba Mini comes pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Starter operating system (32-bit version).



Key Features
10.1-inch LED backlit widescreen display (1024 x 600-pixel resolution) provides richer colors and clearer definition--perfect for browsing the Internet.


1.66 GHz Intel Atom N455 processor (512 KB L2 cache, 667 MHz FSB) combines performance and energy efficiency to explore the Internet and stay connected while mobile.


250 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM)


1 GB of installed DDR3 RAM (667 MHz; expandable to 2 GB)


Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 video processor with up to 250 MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory.


Wireless Connectivity
With its integrated Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking capabilities, this laptop provides up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range using 802.11n-compatible routers as you would with 802.11g networks. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found at Wi-Fi hotspots and in older home routers.



Included Toshiba Software:
Toshiba Media Controller offers simplified media sharing. Using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, it lets you share videos, music and pictures from the media library on your laptop with compatible devices in your home entertainment network, or with other compatible laptops and devices, like an Xbox 360 game console. And you can do it all without moving equipment, burning discs or fumbling with cables.
Toshiba Bulletin Board is an easy-to-use organizational and productivity app that lets you build your own personalized space on your desktop. With Toshiba Bulletin Board, you can quickly and easily manage your to-do lists and calendars, plus create your own custom work area by pinning your favorite photos, documents, links and more.
Toshiba ReelTime helps you cut down the time it takes to search for files. The easy-to-use app takes traditional text-based file structures one step further to help you find what you're looking for more quickly. Accessible from your taskbar, it shows you a visual timeline of your recently accessed files--using graphical thumbnails--so you can easily identify and get to your files faster.



Included Toshiba Utilities:
USB Sleep and Charge offers a great way to keep your portable electronics powered up without requiring your laptop to be on. With this laptop's Sleep and Charge USB port, you'll be able to charge your smart phone, MP3 player, and other portable electronics--all without having to keep your laptop awake.
Hard Drive Impact Sensor takes the worry out of taking your most important files and multimedia on the go. Able to detect sudden movement along three different dimensions, the impact sensor (a complex system of hardware and software) helps safeguard your data by "parking" the hard drive heads in the event of a drop or sudden movement. And it works faster than you can blink to help protect your laptop and all-important data.



Up to 8.3 hours of battery life (6-cell battery; 48 Wh)


Dimensions & Weight: 10.47 x 7.57 x 1.43 inches (WxDxH); 2.6 pounds



Microsoft Windows 7 Starter makes small notebook PCs easier to use because it puts less between you and what you want to do--less waiting, less clicking, less hassle connecting to networks. Windows 7 Starter combines the latest in reliability and responsiveness with the familiarity and compatibility of Windows. Some features include:

Features like Jump Lists, Pin, Snap, and Windows Search all make using a small notebook PC simple and easy
Joining home networks with other PCs running Windows 7 is easy and simple
Connecting to printers and devices is easier than ever
Supports the latest hardware and software
Internet Explorer 8 improves the safety of web browsing

Environmental Specifications
Energy Star 5.0 certified
Gold EPEAT designation for meeting standards to help reduce its environmental impact.
RoHS compliant effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances

Learn more about Toshiba's environmental commitment.

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25th Anniversary of Toshiba Laptops
This year, Toshiba celebrates its 25th anniversary of innovations and quality in the notebook PC business. Beginning with the launch of the Toshiba T1100, the world's first clamshell-type, fully functional laptop PC, Toshiba has led the with such innovations as the first laptop with a color monitor in 1991 and a laptop with integrated CD-ROM drive in 1995 (followed by the addition of a DVD drive in 1998). And in 2009, Toshiba unveiled the world's first ultraportable laptop with 512GB solid state drive.

Today, Toshiba continues to be a leader in eco-friendly manufacturing, with virtually all of its consumer laptops earning EPEAT Gold status for meeting standards that help reduce overall environmental impact.

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Toshiba Satellite A205-S4617 15.4" Laptop (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5500, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, SuperMulti DVD Drive, Vista Premium) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This laptop is great. I only have a few issues. I wish the hard drive was faster than 4500 rpm and I wish it had the capability of connecting to a docking station or port replicator. I also really like the labelflash functionality. The laptop comes with 1 labelflash DVD that you can use. The problem is you cannot find labelflash media anywhere so it's basically useless.

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Stylishly accented with an onyx blue metallic LCD cover, the Toshiba Satellite A205-S4617 notebook PC is a great blend of multitasking productivity, multimedia prowess, and efficiently powered portability. It features Intel's 4965 AGN wireless LAN, which will connect to draft 802.11n routers and offers compatibility with 802.11a/b/g networks as well. The large, bright 15.4-inch XGA-resolution LCD (1280 x 800) is perfect for viewing multiple application screens or watching widescreen movies on DVD. It's also great for using as a media center, with Toshiba's unique Express Media Player enabling you to bypass the system and access CDs and DVDs with a touch of button. The dual-layer/multi-format DVD drive also burns CDs, and can print labels directly onto discs with the integrated Labelflash functionality.
This notebook is powered by the 1.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 processor (with quicker 667 MHz front-side bus), which offers a 20 percent performance boost over its predecessor while using 28 percent less power--so you get the benefit of a powerful dual-core PC plus all the benefits of mobility. It provides an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved multitasking performance. It features an extra-large 250 GB hard drive, 2 GB of installed RAM (max capacity), Intel GMA 950 graphics processor with up to 256 MB of shared video memory, an ExpressCard slot, and a 5-in-1 memory card reader. And the integrated WebCam (with built-in microphone) enables easy video conferencing via VoIP and video IM chats.
It comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, which includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. In addition to easily playing your DVD movies and managing your digital audio library, you'll be able to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV). Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, and offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.
The Basics
Processor: The Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 processor has a 1.66 GHz processor speed, super-fast 667 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and large 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)
The Intel Core 2 Duo processor has two computational execution cores in a single processor, providing greater system response when running multi-threaded applications simultaneously with no significant increase in power consumption. It's optimized for multitasking and is ready to support the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. It can simultaneously run multiple demanding applications--such as graphics-intensive games or serious number-crunching business productivity applications--while downloading music or running virus-scanning security programs in the background. Some of the advanced Intel innovations of the Core 2 Duo processor include:
Smart Memory Access: Improves system performance by hiding memory latency, thus optimizing the use of available computer data bandwidth to provide data to the processor when and where it is needed.
Advanced Digital Media Boost: Effectively doubles the execution speed for instructions used widely in multimedia and graphics applications.
Dynamic Power Coordination: Coordinates Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology and idle power-management state (C-states) transitions independently per core to help save power.
Deeper Sleep with Dynamic Cache Sizing: Saves power by flushing cache data to system memory during periods of inactivity to lower CPU voltage.


Hard Drive: The extra-large 250 GB Serial ATA hard drive (4500 RPM) provides more than enough capacity for storing documents, digital media files, and productivity software. This SATA hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0.

Memory: The 2 GB of built-in memory (PC5300, DDR2 SDRAM, 2 x 1024 MB) offers a top-of-class 667 MHz speed. It can be expanded to a generous 4 GB, which will enable you to handle video editing, graphics-intensive presentations, and multiple open business productivity applications more efficiently--as well as smoothly play immersive 3-D games.

DVD/CD Drive: The dual-layer Labelflash DVD drive is compatible with a wide range of formats, including both DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs, CD-RW discs, and dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can hold up to 8.5 GB of data--great for backing up your MP3 collection or your most important documents. It features the following speeds: 4x DVD+R DL, 4x DVD-R DL, 8x for both single-layer DVD+R/-R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 5x DVD-RAM, and 24x/16x for CD-R/RW. It reads DVD-ROM discs at 8x and CD-ROMs at 24x.
With the Labelflash functionality, you can burn high-resolution, high-contrast pictures on the label side of DVD discs using the same laser used for data recording. Enjoy transparency and high-quality not found in traditional printable media. All you need is a Labelflash DVD disc to start labeling without a printer.

Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 85-key keyboard and electro-static two-button touchpad. It also offers a launch button for the Express CD/DVD media player and control buttons (play, stop, next, previous) as well as a volume control dial.
Screen, Video & Audio This notebook has a 15.4-inch TFT display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels (native 720p for high-definition viewing). It also provides TruBrite technology, which makes images brighter and more vivid thanks to its anti-glare feature. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, which uses Intel Dynamic Video Memory Technology (DVMT) and provides up to 256 MB of shared video memory. It also features an integrated audio card with headphone and microphone jacks.
Networking, Connectivity & Expansion Be ready for the next platform in wireless connectivity with the integrated Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965 AGN LAN chip. Based on the draft 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, it offers up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range as existing 802.11g wireless. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found in home routers and Wi-Fi hotspots) as well as 802.11a networks (which has a higher throughput, but more limited range--great for closed office environments).
This notebook also includes a next-generation ExpressCard 54/34 card slot (replacing the PCMCIA slot), which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. Here's the full list of connectivity options:
4 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
1 VGA monitor port
1 S-Video out
1 ExpressCard 54/34
1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack
5-in-1 memory card reader that's compatible with Secure Digital (including SDIO), MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD Picture Card memory cards
It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.92) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Fast Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).
Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium is the operating system for users with advanced computer needs, and it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center for watching DVD movies and accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect via Wi-Fi.
Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities.
Preloaded Software Toshiba software includes Disc Creator, Recovery Disc Creator, and Speech System. Third-party software titles include Microsoft Works 8.5, InterVideo WinDVD 8 SD, Google Desktop and Toolbar, McAfee Internet Security Suite (with 30-day trial), and Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (60-day trial).
Dimensions & Weight This notebook measures 14.3 x 10.5 x 1.55 (WxDxH) and weighs 6 pounds.
Power It's powered by a 4000 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which has a battery life of up to 2.5 hours (depending on usage). It has a 4.5-hour full charging time.
What's in the Box This package contains the A205-S4617 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty.

Click here for more information about Toshiba Satellite A205-S4617 15.4" Laptop (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5500, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, SuperMulti DVD Drive, Vista Premium)

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Toshiba Satellite A205-S5804 15.4-inch Laptop (Intel Pentium Dual Core T2330 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)First, if you're looking for a laptop with all the bells and whistles, this version of Toshiba's Satellite isn't it. Still, it's a great unit. The screen is amazing. Crystal clear and sharp. Not overly glossy to the point where you can see who's standing behind you. Movies look amazing on it.
You can get by with the 1 gig of ram it comes with, but be prepared for it to be a little sluggish. Still perfectly usable, but if you really want to take advantage of the nature of dual core (i.e. multi-tasking) then you'll want 2 gig. I put 2GB of Kingston, (2 x 1GB) 200-Pin DDR2 667 (PC2 5300), in the system and it has run flawless.
Very nice touch-pad on this unit and the left-right buttons under the touch pad are just right - not too mushy to cause an accidental click and not to stiff that they are annoying. Keyboard is laid out nicely with the "delete" key in the top right corner. Just the way I like it. Movies played perfectly and I was able to burn CD's right out of the box. Vista has a very cool drag and drop CD burning utility built into the OS. Sound system very nice, though speakers not adequate for movies - too quiet. But the simulated Dolby Surround for headphones works very well.
Other nice features that other laptops fail to include is a latching mechanism when you close the "lid" and a switch that let's you instantly turn off WiFi. This works very well by the way and stretches battery power when you don't need to be "connected."
The quibbles. If you are going to use this laptop for typing your next novel, you might want to try out the keyboard in your local PC store to make sure you are comfortable typing on it for extended periods. It's a little on the stiff side compared to some others. Another minor grip is no TV out. It does have a VGA out, but if you want to throw the image onto a TV you'll need a converter - a simple VGA to S-Video cable for example won't cut it. Also, it only has 2 USB ports. If you plan to use it as your desktop unit as well, you might need a USB hub.
These gripes are minor in my opinion because I don't really NEED them, but to me, it was worth the sacrifice to get this unit at so low a price point.
I'm very happy with the system. Nice to have a Toshiba. Great brand. Everything worked, right out of the box. This one is replacing a Toshiba that I've had for years without issue.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Toshiba Satellite A205-S5804 15.4-inch Laptop (Intel Pentium Dual Core T2330 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium)

Stylishly accented with an onyx blue metallic LCD cover, the Toshiba Satellite A205-S5804 notebook PC is a great blend of multitasking productivity, multimedia prowess, and efficiently powered portability. It features a large, bright 15.4-inch XGA-resolution LCD (1280 x 800)--perfect for viewing multiple application screens or watching widescreen movies on DVD. It's also great for using as a media center, with Toshiba's unique Express Media Player enabling you to bypass the system and access CDs and DVDs with a touch of button. The dual-layer/multi-format DVD drive also burns CDs.
This notebook is powered by the 1.5 GHz Intel Pentium T2330 dual-core processor, which provides an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved gaming and multitasking performance, as well as excellent battery management. It also includes a 120 GB hard drive, 1 GB of RAM (2 GB maximum), 54g Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11b/g), Intel GMA X3100 video card with up to 251 MB of shared video RAM, webcam integrated onto the bezel for video conferencing, and two USB ports.
This PC comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, which includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. In addition to easily playing your DVD movies and managing your digital audio library, you'll be able to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV). Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, and offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.
The Basics
Processor: The 1.6 GHz Intel Pentium T2330 dual-core processor delivers additional computing resources and help expand the PC's capabilities by providing higher throughput and simultaneous computing. You'll be able to perform multiple tasks such as digital rendering and gaming all while running virus scan or other background tasks seamlessly. Each core shares 1 MB of L2 cache, and they have a 533 MHz front-side bus. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

Hard Drive: The 120 GB hard drive (5400 RPM) offers enough to room to hold a digital audio library of over 20,000 songs and still have room left over for movies, games, and a large collection of software. This Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0.

Memory: The 1 GB of installed RAM (2 x 512 MB DDR2) is a good start, but you'll want to add more RAM to handle today's demanding multimedia and productivity suites. It provides two DIMM slots and has a 2 GB maximum RAM capacity. It also offers a top-of-class 667 MHz speed. To receive the faster data transfer benefits of the dual-channel DDR2 RAM, any RAM additions require memory modules of same capacity and clockspeed.

DVD/CD Drive: The dual-layer DVD drive is compatible with a wide range of formats, including both DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs, CD-RW discs, and dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can hold up to 8.5 GB of data--great for backing up your MP3 collection or your most important documents. It features the following speeds: 4x DVD+R DL, 4x DVD-R DL, 8x for both single-layer DVD+R/-R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 5x DVD-RAM, and 24x/16x for CD-R/RW. It reads DVD-ROM discs at 8x and CD-ROMs at 24x.

Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 86-key keyboard and electro-static two-button touchpad. It also offers CD/DVD media player and control buttons (play, stop, next, previous) as well as a volume control dial.
Screen, Video & Audio This notebook has a 15.4-inch TFT display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels (native 720p for high-definition viewing). It also provides TruBrite technology, which makes images brighter and more vivid thanks to its anti-glare feature. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, which uses shared video memory (up to 251 MB allocated from the system memory) and provides Windows Vista Aero interface support and enhanced 3-D graphics performance--delivering over 2x scores on 3-DMark 06. Intel Clear Video Technology provides outstanding video playback with sharper image quality, increased clarity, and customizable color controls. It also enables enhanced visual quality of interlaced content on progressive displays.
Networking, Connectivity & Expansion This notebook has an integrated Realtek 54g wireless LAN that's fully compatible with 802.11b/g wireless networks. It also includes a next-generation ExpressCard 54/34 card slot (though no PCMCIA card slot), which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. Here's the full list of connection options:
2 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
1 ExpressCard 54/34 slot
Video out: VGA
Stereo headphones/speakers/line-out
Microphone/line-in
10/100 Fast Ethernet
56K modem (V.90)

Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit version) is the operating system for users with advanced computer needs, and it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center for watching DVD movies and accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect via Wi-Fi.
Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities.
Preloaded Software Microsoft Works 9.0, Google Desktop and Picasa, Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5, McAfee Internet Security Suite (30-day trial), and Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (60-day trial).
Dimensions & Weight This notebook measures 14.3 x 10.5 x 1.55 inches (WxDxH, and it weighs 6 pounds.
Power It comes with a 4000 mAH lithium-ion battery pack for extra-long battery life.
What's in the Box This package contains the A205-S5804 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty.

Click here for more information about Toshiba Satellite A205-S5804 15.4-inch Laptop (Intel Pentium Dual Core T2330 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium)

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Toshiba Satellite L635-S3020 LED TruBrite 13.3-Inch Laptop (Grey/Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I used to have a much older model Toshiba Satellite (Cannot remember the model number off the top of my head). I later gave it to my nephew and purchased an Acer Apire One, which after about a year of use (gentle use at that) it ceased to function at all. The time then came for me to shop around and with me not being much of a Mac person, I settled on this laptop after looking at other brands all over.
I am very pleased with the construction and performance of this laptop. The battery life I find is adequate (I do web surfing, reports, and photo editing), all which lasts me roughly at least 4.5-5 hours. The Eco-friendly feature is very intuitive since it saves battery life dramatically when you turn this on. Screen is very easy to read, keyboard is good enough to use.
My only slight complaint is the speakers, they aren't the best, however they are not bad by any means, a tad quiet if you will. However if you plug in headphones in (I have headphones that cover over your entire ear), and voila, the Dolby Advanced Audio really kicks in!
I do recommend this laptop, it's not too heavy, and it is very well rounded. I've owned it for about a week thus far and have absolutely no regrets purchasing it.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Toshiba Satellite L635-S3020 LED TruBrite 13.3-Inch Laptop (Grey/Black)


Toshiba Satellite L635: Full-Powered Mobile Computing with 13-Inch Screen
Ideal for students, on-the-go small business owners, or the family that needs a laptop that is small enough to travel, the Toshiba Satellite L635 (model L635-S3020) features a 13.3-inch screen and weighs less than 5 pounds. It's a great choice for handling computing essentials at home, school or work--from surfing the web and downloading video to managing household finances or studying for finals. And its high-gloss Fusion Finish in Helios Gray will be sure to raise a few eyebrows.

This all-purpose, eco-smart machine features a stunning LED-backlit display with 720p native high-definition resolution. While light on its feet, the Satellite L635 is packed with powerful computing resources you expect to find in larger-sized laptops, including a SuperMulti drive that can burn a plethora of disc formats and built-in speakers with Dolby audio processing.

You'll also be able to burn through the hottest new digital media, content creation and advanced 3D gaming with the breakthrough performance of the Intel Core i5 processor--with 4-way multitasking processor power to work on four tasks simultaneously.

Thanks to the built-in webcam and Toshiba Face Recognition software on this machine, you'll enjoy a more convenient way to communicate, log on or share your laptop among the family. Other high-tech features include a power-saving Eco Utility to help reduce power consumption based on your needs and one USB/eSATA combo port.

This Satellite comes pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version).



Key Features
13.3-inch widescreen HD TruBrite LED-Backlit display not only renders stunning visuals, but it's more environmentally friendly as it uses less power (1366 x 768 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio).


2.4 GHz Intel Core i5-450M dual-core processor for smart performance with a speed boost (2.66 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology; 3 MB L3 cache). Intel's Turbo Boost technology maximizes speed for demanding applications, dynamically accelerating performance to match your workload--providing more performance when you need it the most. It also comes equipped with Intel HD Graphics--an advanced video engine that delivers smooth, high-quality HD video playback, and advanced 3D capabilities, providing an ideal graphics solution for everyday computing.


500 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM)


4 GB of installed DDR3 RAM (expandable to 8 GB)


Intel HD Graphics with 64 MB - 1696 MB dynamically allocated shared graphic memory.


8x SuperMulti DVD drive with double layer support and Labelflash printing, which enables you to personalize your discs and keep them looking attractive and organized with direct-to-disc laser printing.


Wireless Connectivity
With its integrated Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking capabilities, this laptop provides up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range using 802.11n-compatible routers as you would with 802.11g networks. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found at Wi-Fi hotspots and in older home routers).
With integrated Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, you can communicate and synchronize wirelessly with Bluetooth-enabled peripherals such as printers and cell phones.



Built-in stereo speakers with Dolby Advanced Audio blends a suite of technologies to deliver a stunning audio experience from headphones or your laptop speakers. It analyzes audio signals and restores tones often lost in encoding, mimicking the same optimization techniques that go into tuning movie theaters and mixing rooms, resulting in brighter highs and deep, thumping bass tones. It also expands stereo signals to 6.1- or 7.1-channel playback for a listening experience that will have you talking long after the performance.


Included Toshiba Software:
Toshiba Media Controller offers simplified media sharing. Using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, it lets you share videos, music and pictures from the media library on your laptop with compatible devices in your home entertainment network, or with other compatible laptops and devices, like an Xbox 360 game console. And you can do it all without moving equipment, burning discs or fumbling with cables.
Toshiba Bulletin Board is an easy-to-use organizational and productivity app that lets you build your own personalized space on your desktop. With Toshiba Bulletin Board, you can quickly and easily manage your to-do lists and calendars, plus create your own custom work area by pinning your favorite photos, documents, links and more.
Toshiba ReelTime helps you cut down the time it takes to search for files. The easy-to-use app takes traditional text-based file structures one step further to help you find what you're looking for more quickly. Accessible from your taskbar, it shows you a visual timeline of your recently accessed files--using graphical thumbnails--so you can easily identify and get to your files faster.



Included Toshiba Utilities:
Toshiba eco Utility makes it easy to go green as you go mobile. Hit the Eco Button and you'll launch the Toshiba Eco Utility, which puts all sorts of easy-to-read information on your screen, and gives you the ability to adjust the power settings on your laptop. It also activates a light showing you're in the Eco Mode. The Toshiba Eco Utility lets you pick the optimal power plan for your situation. Choose High-Performance when you need every watt you can get, Power Saver for the least energy consumption, or Balanced as a perfect blend of the two.



Up to 3.25 hours of battery life (6-cell battery; 48 Wh)


Dimensions & Weight: 12.95 x 8.7 x 1.45 inches (WxDxH); 4.8 pounds



Pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), you'll be able to easily create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to.

And with Windows Anytime Upgrade, you'll be able to add new features to your PC in as little as 10 minutes. Windows will walk you through the simple upgrade process, it requires no software or downloads, and you'll keep your existing programs, files, and settings



Environmental Specifications
Energy Star 5.0 certified
Gold EPEAT designation for meeting standards to help reduce its environmental impact.
RoHS compliant effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances

Learn more about Toshiba's environmental commitment.

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25th Anniversary of Toshiba Laptops
This year, Toshiba celebrates its 25th anniversary of innovations and quality in the notebook PC business. Beginning with the launch of the Toshiba T1100, the world's first clamshell-type, fully functional laptop PC, Toshiba has led the with such innovations as the first laptop with a color monitor in 1991 and a laptop with integrated CD-ROM drive in 1995 (followed by the addition of a DVD drive in 1998). And in 2009, Toshiba unveiled the world's first ultraportable laptop with 512GB solid state drive.

Today, Toshiba continues to be a leader in eco-friendly manufacturing, with virtually all of its consumer laptops earning EPEAT Gold status for meeting standards that help reduce overall environmental impact.

Click here for more information about Toshiba Satellite L635-S3020 LED TruBrite 13.3-Inch Laptop (Grey/Black)

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Toshiba Mini NB205-N210 (NB200 series) 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 9 Hour Battery Life Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)UPDATE:
Just in case you decide to order a case for this netbook, keep in mind that the dimensions in the Amazon description or Toshiba's website (10.4 x 7.6 x 1.27 inches) are the dimensions of this netbook WITHOUT the 6-cell battery. If you look at the side-view photo in the Amazon description area (the one with the 7.6" measurement right below it), you'll see it's pictured without the battery. I just measured mine and with the 6-cell battery protruding from the back, it's actually 10.4 x 8.4 x 1.27 so many of the cases you find on Amazon made for 10" netbooks may not fit the NB205 with the 6-cell battery. Okay that's it for my update... read on for my original review...
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I just received my Toshiba NB205 yesterday and after spending many hours "playing" with it, I can easily say that, hands down, it is the BEST Netbook on the market today!
At the end of next week, I'll be traveling overseas and I wanted a small and lightweight laptop that I would be able to use to watch movies on the plane, transfer vacation photos and videos to, and use the internet for researching stuff from my hotel room. I currently own a 15" Macbook Pro but decided I didn't want to take it with me since it's a bit bigger & heavier and I can't afford to lose it. That's when I began researching these Atom-based Netbooks.
When I started researching, the Toshiba NB205 had not yet been released but there were still many netbook models out there by other manufacturers. I had originally considered the Samsung NC10, Acer Aspire One AOD250, Asus 1000HE, and Lenovo S10 as they all were pretty much equipped with similar configurations (Atom N270/N280 1.6 or 1.66Ghz cpu, 10" screen, 1GB ram, 160GB HD, 6-cell Li-Ion battery, Windows XP Home) and priced in the $350-400 price range. I won't go into too much detail about what I liked or didn't like about the other products but I had pretty much narrowed it down to either the Samsung NC10 or the Acer AOD250. Then I came across a pre-release review from Laptop Magazine on the Toshiba and decided to wait on my netbook. It was definitely worth the wait considering this is the first netbook I've come across that actually had noticeable differentiating features. When you compare all the others, it's kind of hard to choose from one over the other because they're all so similar!
The 4 biggest selling points on this Toshiba NB205 that had me wait for it was the 9-hour battery life, the look & feel of the keyboard, the size of the trackpad & buttons, and the overall aesthetics of it.
The whole point of buying a laptop this small and compact is for its portability factor. When you have to lug a brick-based AC adapter with you in fear the battery in your laptop won't last as long as you need it, it sure interferes with how portable carrying a laptop really is. A 9-hour lithium-ion battery will definitely solve that problem. Most of you are probably wondering how realistic that 9-hour rating really is... Let me just reassure you all, the battery life is GOOD! I brought it to a full charge, then unplugged it from the adapter and watched two movies on it (more on the movie playback capabilities later) and did 4 hours worth of web surfing afterwards -- all off the power from the battery on a single charge! You students out there can now bring it to all your classes and not have to look for a wall outlet! Oh, btw, I had the screen brightness set to 1/2 (level 4 brightness setting) and turned off the Bluetooth.
Netbooks are known for smaller keyboards and even worse, SMALL trackpads and trackpad button(s). In addition to the smaller size, many of the netbooks I saw in person at my local Fry's Electronics had very "cheapy"-feeling keyboards -- they just felt real fragile compared to the keyboard on my Macbook Pro. Enter the Toshiba NB205. Finally, a netbook that has a keyboard with keys that had the look and feel of a Mac keyboard and a robustly solid build to it. In addition to the look and feel, the keys were also pretty darn close in width to my Mac keyboard (both my Macbook Pro's keyboard, and my desktop Mac's keyboard). I'll try to post some comparison photos on Amazon this weekend for all those interested. The trackpad and buttons on the NB205 is also the biggest I've seen in the netbook category. Toshiba did a tremendous job in getting this right. Most of the other netbooks had really small trackpads and little miniature trackpad button(s) that felt real flimsy. Another feature that I like with the trackpad that's not stated anywhere is that the very right edge of the trackpad can be used for scrolling web pages or other documents (similar to the one on the Samsung NC10). This feature is not obvious as there are no arrow indicators like there is on the NC10 but it does support it!
I won't go into the aesthetics of this unit since you can pretty much see how amazing this netbook looks from the Amazon photos (I'll also add my own photos this weekend so you can get a better feel for the size, etc.) but let me now shift focus on using it.
Although I upgraded the memory on the unit to 2GB (I installed the Crucial 2GB 200-pin SODIMM DDR2 PC2-6400 800MHz Memory Module and it works great with the NB205!), all the testing I performed and am about to describe was done with the stock 1GB memory.
The very first thing I wanted to make sure this unit can do is play back, at the very least, DVD-quality movies (i.e. 480P movies (720x480 resolution)). One thing I'd HIGHLY recommend everyone who's interested in watching movies on their netbook do is download the FREE media player called VLC (Google "download vlc"). VLC is very lightweight and will play back movies a lot smoother than Quicktime or Windows Media Player; and given the inherently slower speeds of these Intel Atom processors compared to the Intel Core 2 Duo processors, using the VLC media player is your best bet. Using a free program called "Handbrake", one can convert their Bluray or DVD movies to AVC/h.264-encoded movies, which is what I used to convert some of my Bluray collection into a format that can be played-back on my NB205. Since it's out of the scope of this review and would require a tutorial guide of its own, I won't be able to explain how you would go about converting your Bluray or DVD movies. Anyhow, I first converted my Bluray edition of Valkyrie to a 720x480 resolution with a conservative 864kbs bitrate. The NB205 had NO PROBLEMS playing it back... It played back with very smooth video and the audio was synced up perfectly throughout the entire movie. So I decided to convert the movie again.... this time, using more aggressive settings... I converted it to a resolution of 1024x600 (since this is the native resolution of the NB205's screen) and a 2048kbps bitrate. Again, the NB205 was able to play the movie without a hitch. I didn't bother trying to convert the movie to 720P since the native resolution of the screen is only 1024x600 (it would be equivilent to 600P but 600P is not a standard). If you're planning to watch movies on the NB205 with someone else, you'll be happy to know that watching it from a 45 degree angle is very acceptible. Beyond the 45 degree angle, you won't be able to really see much so don't expect to have more than 3 people watching from it (why would you have more than 2 or 3 people watching off a 10" screen anyways!?).
Given it's capability to playback movies very smoothly, anything else I was going to throw at it would be child's play. Anyhow, I was reading that this laptop does get hot but after playing back two movies on it, it was not unbearable when resting it on my lap. So it doesn't seem like overheating problems will be too much of a concern for this laptop (but only long-term usage can really confirm this).
Another cool feature the NB205 sports that I'm not sure is available on all the other competitor models is a built-in accelerometer. It works the same way as the iPhone accelerometer but it's in the NB205 purely to detect if the laptop is about to take a fall. When it detects motion, it quickly moves the hard drive heads away from the hard drive to prevent any mishaps in case the hard drive is currently reading from or writing to the hard disks. Using a Toshiba software utility that's installed from the factory, you can change the sensitiviy threshold of the accelerometer or turn it off altogether.
There are obviously a lot more features that the NB205 comes with but I'm not going to explain each one simply because they're self-explanatory (such as bluetooth, wifi, etc.) but you can find out more about those features in Amazon's description of this product.
One final note before I conclude my review... Toshiba released two main models of the NB205 on the same day... the NB205-N310/311/312/313 (which is the model I have -- the NB205-N310/BN to be exact) and the NB205-N210. I think if you want to save $50, the NB205-210 would be a good choice as well -- provided you don't need Bluetooth or the Mac-style "chiclet" keyboard. For the extra $50, though, you also get the much sleeker, unique Toshiba-styling of the NB205-N31X series.
So if you're in the market for a very portable laptop, and you're considering a 10"-based netbook, the Toshiba NB205 is packed with features, enclosed around a very aesthetically pleasing body, and is very competitively priced!!!


Click Here to see more reviews about: Toshiba Mini NB205-N210 (NB200 series) 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 9 Hour Battery Life

Small enough to throw in a purse or bag, the affordable, super-compact 10.1-inch Toshiba mini NB205 netbook--which weighs just under 3 pounds--is designed with smart features like a full-sized keyboard and touchpad, long battery life, USB Sleep-and-Charge ports and a hard drive impact sensor that protects your data. You'll also get excellent battery life with the included six-cell battery that provides up to 9 hours of battery power--enabling you to go through an entire day of school, work or errands without worrying about a recharge.
Created especially for mobile devices, Intels 1.6 GHz Atom N280 processor uses an innovative design structure and hafnium-infused circuitry that helps reduce electrical current leakage in transistors--which means longer battery life when you're on the go. It also includes the Intel 945GSE graphics chipset, which provides browsing the internet, emailing, running basic PC applications and enjoying online digital media.

This model of the Toshiba mini NB205 (NB205-N210) has a brilliant high-gloss Fusion Finish in Black Onyx, and it features a 160 GB hard disk drive, 1 GB of RAM (upgradeable to 2 GB), 54g Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g), Fast Ethernet, and a Secure Digital memory card slot. It comes preinstalled with the Microsoft Windows XP Home operating system, which offers more experienced users an enhanced and innovative experience that incorporates Windows Live features like Windows Live Messenger for instant messaging and Windows Live Mail for consolidated email accounts on your desktop.



Key Features
10.1-inch LED backlit widescreen display (1024 x 600-pixel resolution) provides richer colors and clearer definition--perfect for browsing the internet
1.66 GHz Intel Atom N280 processor combines performance and efficiency to explore the Internet and stay connected while mobile (Learn more)
160 GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 RPM) with an impact sensor that helps safeguard your data by "parking" the hard drive heads in the event of a drop or sudden movement. (Learn more)
1 GB of RAM (800 MHz; 1 memory slot; upgradeable to 2 GB)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator GMA950 with up to 251 MB of dynamically allocated shared graphics memory
Webcam (0.3 megapixels) integrated into the bezel for easy video chats and teleconferencing
Three USB Sleep-and-Charge ports allow you to charge your mobile phone and other devices even when the notebook is asleep or off.
Full-sized keyboard (85 keys)
Integrated Wi-Fi networking (802.11b.g) so you can communicate, browse and share while on the move
Fast Ethernet wired networking (10/100)
Built-in mono speaker
Microsoft Windows XP Home operating system
Up to 9 hours of battery life from included 6-cell battery
Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.6 x 1.27 inches (WxDxH)
Weight: 2.93 pounds
Environmentally focused with RoHS compatibility (reducing its environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances), Energy Star 5.0 compliant, and EPEAT Gold compliant
Warranty: 1 year warranty with international limited warranty coverage

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion This Toshiba mini NB205 notebook has an integrated 54g wireless LAN (Atheros) that's compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g networks, and it offers the following ports:

3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
Analog video output: 1 VGA
Memory card reader compatible with Secure Digital (SD), Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC), and MultiMediaCard (MMC)
1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack
10/100 Fast Ethernet

What's in the box This package contains the Toshiba mini NB205-N210 netbook, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions.

It also comes with the following software: Norton Internet Security 2009, Microsoft Works 9, Windows Media Player, Google Toolbar, Toshiba PC Health Monitor

Learn More
Power-Sipping Processor The Intel Atom processor uses a design structure that packs in 47 million transistors into a single chip sized at just 22mm (0.87 inches), and it uses just 2.5 watts of power--less than 1/10 of the 35 watts used by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor--for excellent battery management. This 1.66 GHz Atom N280 processor also includes a power-optimized front side bus of 533 MHz for faster data transfer on demanding mobile applications and a 512 KB L2 cache (which temporarily stores data).


Hard Drive Protection While the highly portable nature of mini-notebooks exposes them to the knocks and bumps that are an inevitable feature of life on the move, the Toshiba mini NB205 features a 3D-accelerometer monitoring system that detects freefalls, shocks and vibrations and protects the integrated HDD to secure against the loss of any personal data.

Click here for more information about Toshiba Mini NB205-N210 (NB200 series) 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 9 Hour Battery Life

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HP PAVILION NOTEBOOK DV7-2185DX 2.0 GHz Intel Core2 Quad Processor Q9000 Processor, 500GB HARD DRIVE, 6GB RAM, 17.3" LCD LAPTOP PC - Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've had this computer for a few days now and I really like it. The display is very bright (actually had to turn it down at night) and clear. Processing speed is great and the 1gb of dedicated (yes I said dedicated) graphics memory is more than I could ask for from an off the shelf computer. ProtectSmart feature for the hard drive is a nice addition (senses if laptop is being dropped and locks the hard drive).
I just wish that it had a Blu-ray player and integrated Bluetooth that I saw on some lower priced models. See the review at [...]
So far this computer has done everything I have asked of it. One thing of note is to make sure your programs you are going to install are 64bit compatible. I downloaded some demo software and found out it wouldn't work.
Also this model is eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 7 if purchased between June 26, 2009 to January 31, 2010.

Click Here to see more reviews about: HP PAVILION NOTEBOOK DV7-2185DX 2.0 GHz Intel Core2 Quad Processor Q9000 Processor, 500GB HARD DRIVE, 6GB RAM, 17.3" LCD LAPTOP PC -

Click here for more information about HP PAVILION NOTEBOOK DV7-2185DX 2.0 GHz Intel Core2 Quad Processor Q9000 Processor, 500GB HARD DRIVE, 6GB RAM, 17.3" LCD LAPTOP PC -

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Toshiba Satellite L505-S5997 TruBrite 15.6-Inch Black Laptop - 2 Hours 25 Minutes of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)THE GOOD: is functions pretty well ,and is very fast with 4 gig memory and dual core processor.
THE BAD : The finish on the inside and out is way too glossy...just like glass...it shows every fingerprint..and need to wipe it down after every use..or it looks really dirty.
It is really heavy..if placed on lap..it would cut off circulation..wish I checked it out in store first..because it weighs a ton.
Cant get BlueTooth option to work with my Bluetooth Keyboard or my other BlueTooth enabled PC.
Called Tech support..got a guy in India who was worthless...could hardly understand or hear him ..very bad phone connection.
Given the glossy surface and heavy weight would not recommend it as a laptop.
Consumer reports did recommend alot of Toshiba laptops as being more reliable then Dell, HP etc.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Toshiba Satellite L505-S5997 TruBrite 15.6-Inch Black Laptop - 2 Hours 25 Minutes of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)

Offering solid performance and impressive affordability, the Toshiba Satellite L505-S5997 laptop is a great choice for handling computing essentials at home, school or work--from surfing the web and downloading video to managing household finances or studying for finals. This all-purpose, eco-smart machine features a stunning 15.6-inch display with 720p native high-definition resolution. And thanks to the built-in webcam and Toshiba Face Recognition software on this machine, you'll enjoy a more convenient way to communicate, log on or share your laptop among the family. To top it off, the L505 features a brilliant high-gloss Fusion Finish design with a Midnight Breeze pattern that's sure to turn heads.
It comes pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), supporting office applications and all the software programs routinely found in full-size notebooks. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to. (Learn more about Windows 7 Home Premium below.)
It's powered by the 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor, which boosts speed, reduces power requirements, and saves on battery life. It also offers a fast 800 MHz front-side bus speed and 2 MB L2 cache. Other features include a 320 GB hard drive, 4 GB of installed RAM (upgradeable to 8 GB), 5-in-1 memory card reader, Draft-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n), full-size keyboard and 10-key pad, and dual-layer DVD±RW drive that burns CDs and offers Labelflash print functionality.
This Toshiba notebook is Energy Star 5.0 certified, and has received a Gold EPEAT designation for meeting standards to help reduce its environmental impact. Additionally, it is RoHS-compliant, effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances.

Key Features
15.6-inch high-definition TruBrite display for amazing color depth and clarity (Learn more)
Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. And you can watch shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV on Windows Media Center. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium. (Learn more)
Get more features with Windows Anytime Upgrade. It's the best way to add features to Windows 7, takes as few as ten minutes, requires no software or downloads, and you'll keep your existing programs, files, and settings. Windows will walk you through the simple upgrade process.
2.20 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor with 2 MB L2 cache and 800 MHz front side bus (FSB) (Learn more)
320 GB Serial ATA hard drive
4 GB of RAM (800 MHz; upgradeable to 8 GB)
Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD with up to 1750 MB of dynamically shared memory allocated by the system (Learn more)
8x SuperMulti DVD drive with double layer support and Labelflash printing (See speeds)
1.3 megapixel with Face Recognition capabilities for added security (Learn more)
104-key keyboard with 10-key pad
Enjoy proactive PC health--without the worry. For your peace mind, this laptop comes with an innovative PC Health Monitor that constantly keeps tabs on things like your machine's power usage, temperature and hard drive--so you won't have to.
Draft-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n) for greater speed and range
Fast Ethernet (10/100)
Built-in stereo speakers
Pre-loaded software includes Microsoft Works SE 9.0 for word processing and spreadsheet work. Enjoy a 60-day trial version of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007.
6-cell (4000 mAh) battery for up to 3 hours, 20 minutes of continuous use
Dimensions: 15.1 x 10.2 x 1.55 inches (WxDxH)
Weight: 6 pounds
Warranty: One-year limited hardware warranty

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion With its integrated Draft-N Wi-Fi networking capabilities, this laptop provides up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range using 802.11n-compatible routers as you would with 802.11g networks. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found at Wi-Fi hotspots and in older home routers). This notebook also provides Fast (10/100) Ethernet networking.
3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
Includes 1 eSATA/USB combo port

Analog video output: 1 VGA
5-in-1 memory card reader compatible with Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Multi Media Card, xD Picture Card
1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack
RJ-45 port for 10/100 Fast Ethernet
RJ-11 port for 56K modem

What's in the box This package contains the Toshiba Satellite L505-S5997 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions.
It also comes with the following software: Norton Internet Security 2009 (30-day trial), Toshiba PC Health Monitor, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 Edition (60-day trial), Windows Media Player, Ulead Label@Once, Google Toolbar, WildTangent Orb Game Console
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15.6-Inch High-Definition Display This notebook has a 15.6-inch TFT display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels (native 720p for high-definition viewing). It also provides TruBrite technology, which makes images brighter and more vivid thanks to its anti-glare feature. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, which uses shared video memory (up to 1759 MB allocated from the system memory). This graphics card is built with Intel Clear Video technology, which delivers clearer, more detailed images by eliminating many of the jagged edges and video artifacts seen when viewing interlaced content and features powerful color control to ensure videos are not too dark, overly bright, or washed out. It's compatible with external monitor resolutions up to 1920 x 1200.

Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. You can even watch, pause, rewind, and record TV. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium.

Jump Lists New in Windows 7, Jump Lists take you right to the documents, pictures, songs, or websites you turn to each day. To open a Jump List, just right-click a program icon on the Windows 7 taskbar. (You'll also find them on the Start menu.) What you see in a Jump List depends entirely on the program. The Jump List for Internet Explorer 8 shows frequently-viewed websites. Windows Media Player 12 lists commonly-played tunes. Your Jump List missing a favorite? You can "pin" whatever files you like there. Jump Lists don't just show shortcuts to files. Sometimes they also provide quick access to commands for things like composing new e‑mail messages or playing music.
Improved Windows Taskbar In Windows 7 you can "pin" favorite programs anywhere on the taskbar for easy access. Not crazy about the icon lineup? Now you can rearrange them any way you like by clicking and dragging. Finally, there are new ways to preview windows. Point to a taskbar icon to see a thumbnail preview of open files or programs. Then, move your mouse over a thumbnail to preview the window full-screen. You can even close windows from the thumbnail previews--a big time saver.
Snap Ever need to cut through a cluttered desktop and quickly focus on a single window? Just click a pane and give your mouse a shake. Every open window except that one instantly disappears. Jiggle again--and your windows are back.

Intel Core 2 Duo Processing Power The Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor has a 2.2 GHz processor speed, fast 800 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.) It's optimized for multitasking and is ready to support the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system.

8x DVD-SuperMulti Drive This multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with writing both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer (DL) DVD±R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data. It offers the following read/write speeds:
Write: 24x CD-R, 24x CD-RW, 8x DVD-R, 8x DVD+R, 6x DVD-R DL (double-layer), 6x DVD+R DL (double-layer), 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+RW, 5x DVD-RAM

With the Labelflash functionality, you can burn high-resolution, high-contrast pictures on the label side of DVD discs using the same laser used for data recording. Enjoy transparency and high-quality not found in traditional printable media. All you need is a Labelflash DVD disc to start labeling without a printer.

Integrated Webcam with Face Recognition Capabilities A 1.3 megapixel digital web camera built into the LCD's bezel lets you quickly snap photos and participate in live video chats. The integrated webcam does more than just video chats. It includes Toshiba Face Recognition capabilities--the ultimate hands-free, hassle-free way to log onto your laptop. Just show your face to the webcam--no keeping track of hard-to-remember passwords and no unnecessary typing. And if you're using one laptop for several users--say for the whole family or for a small business--Toshiba Face Recognition lets you switch profiles with one simple look.

Click here for more information about Toshiba Satellite L505-S5997 TruBrite 15.6-Inch Black Laptop - 2 Hours 25 Minutes of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)

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Toshiba Satellite A135-S4666 - Pentium Dual Core T2080 / 1.73 GHz - RAM 1 GB - HDD 80 GB - DVD?RW (?R DL) / DVD-RAM - GMA 950 - WLAN : 802.11b/g - Vista Home Basic - 15.4" Widescreen TFT 1280 x 800 ( WXGA ) - mist gray Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this model 3.5 years ago from Best Buy. I took the 12 month warranty and upgraded the memory. Exactly 12 months and 2 days later bad things started to occur. It started "eating" power cords. I have bought about 10 in the last two years. The battery in the laptop died and I am not willing to put more money into this thing. The task bar at the bottom of the desktop would randomly die when the laptop was unplugged. I would close it and try to restart the task bar but it never repaired itself. I had trouble getting the updates from Windows to install and99% of them would not work after 12 months of ownership. I am pretty computer saavy but this thing was a nightmare.
There is an excellent amount of space for music, movies and photos. I easily watched them at home and when traveling (the first tear when the battery worked). The laptop is also a poor quality. The area where you place your left and right hands on the computer cracked in year two. I have pretty small hands for a guy and I am not rough with them so clearly this thing is junk. I know everything I wrote is true about Toshiba because my wife has the A200 model and at the same time everything happened to hers. I would not recommended this laptop at all. I bought an Acer Netbook and its great their brand is less expensive.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Toshiba Satellite A135-S4666 - Pentium Dual Core T2080 / 1.73 GHz - RAM 1 GB - HDD 80 GB - DVDRW (R DL) / DVD-RAM - GMA 950 - WLAN : 802.11b/g - Vista Home Basic - 15.4" Widescreen TFT 1280 x 800 ( WXGA ) - mist gray

Click here for more information about Toshiba Satellite A135-S4666 - Pentium Dual Core T2080 / 1.73 GHz - RAM 1 GB - HDD 80 GB - DVDRW (R DL) / DVD-RAM - GMA 950 - WLAN : 802.11b/g - Vista Home Basic - 15.4" Widescreen TFT 1280 x 800 ( WXGA ) - mist gray

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Toshiba Mini NB205-N330BL 10.1-Inch Royal Blue Netbook - 9 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Well, it looks like I'm first. I have this dream of having a laptop in every room that I use a lot in the house. Mainly my living room and bedroom. I already had two work laptops in my home office and call me lazy but I was tired of carrying the one I use out of the office, up and down the stairs, running out of battery and having to go get the power cord. I decided a netbook might be a good choice for my minor chatting and surfing.
I couldn't decided between this model and the HP Mini 311. I ended up ordering the HP and buying this one at my local store. This model is very slick looking. I got the Blue one and its very elegant. You wouldn't mind being seen out with this laptop.
When I got it home I took it out of the box. The battery was already in the netbook but had 0 power so I needed to charge it. I haven't yet tested how long the battery lasts, I'll come back to update that.
Out of the box the laptop had me name my netbook then it found my wireless router right away. That was really nice not to have to configure anything. I just put in my routers password and I was on. No work, no hassle no headache.
My unit is running Windows 7 starter edition. I see the Win7 has moved the programs you are running to the bottom of the screen, similar to Mac's Dock. Microsoft could have made them look a little better but that has nothing to do with this netbook.
I had a few concerns owning a netbook. My husband has one of the original eee Asus Netbooks and I can't type on those to save my life. Not to mention they get hot enough to cook on. So going in I knew I did not want these two issues.
I have on a pair of thermal (like long johns) material PJ's and this netbook has been surfed on and chatted with on Aim for the last 7 hours straight. I played a 7 minute youtube video about 10 times trying to get the bottom of the netbook hot. The netbook is a little warm but it never got so uncomfortable I needed to put a book under it. I can't tell you how happy I am about that.
The trackpad is nice and wide but I have on accident hit it a few times. I think once i'm use to typing on it, this will improve. If not, hopefully I can disable it.
The keyboard is the chicklet style I believe they call it. Similar to those on the MacBook. They are really pretty silver finish but they are also smooth and a little slippery. I think my biggest gripe with this is that they are evenly smooth across the keys. I think a dip in the keys would have given these a better feel. Still for a netbook the spacing on them is quite usable.
I really like the blue and silver color scheme of this netbook. Its small and light weight and I think I can fit it in my purse. And with 9 hours of battery life, I can see why netbooks are really taking off.
So far I've only ran into one issue. I had about 12 IE tab windows in total open and I was in chat and I hit a slow down where IE barely responded. At the time my memory was nearly 800MB. I think once I take this up to 2 gigs then it will be fine. I've since installed Google Chrome and its been even more snappy.
This unit has a generous amount of USB connectors. At 3 it has more then my MacBook has which is great in this tiny package. It also has a ethernet port, Mic and Headset jack, and of course a SD/SDHC card slot.
With its long batter life, like weight, great style, I think I am going to enjoy carrying this around and not minding it.
My youtube video up until I had to much running actually played quite well. I didn't notice any slow downs until I over taxed the system.
This notebook is almost perfect. The biggest gripe of all I have is the sound. Its nearly non-existent on this netbook. I think the biggest issue is the placement of the speaker. Its underneath the netbook and gets covered by your lap. Nothing a headset can't solve but I thought I would point it out.
**Update** I wrote this at 3am and in my rush to get to bed, I forgot to mention two important things.
1. The screen. The screen is just gorgeous for a netbook. Its bright, and colorful and even when you pull it off of AC power to go to the battery it dims a little but not so much that it becomes uncomfortable.
Keep in mind it does have a terrible 1024 x600 which only affects how much scrolling you'll do. As far as text goes, its very sharp and readable.
2. The Battery. I'm currently using the Netbook on battery and I find that it remains cool. It hasn't heated up on me after about an hour of use.
The next part about the battery is that it juts out the back about an inch so that its not flush against the netbook. This will probably mean you may have to get a bigger case besides the 10.1 inch size. Even though the battery sticks out the back, it does sit flat on a flat surface. The battery doesn't raise the back end up at all.
** End of Update One**
**Update Two**
As promised I said I'd be back after testing the battery. I unplugged the AC power at exactly 12 Noon. Between 12 noon and 12 midnight, I've had a 2 hour nap, and 1 hour watching my favorite TV show. The netbook set idle and went into sleep mode during those times. Before I went to sleep I stuck my iPhone on it so it could charge it. This took my battery down to about 94% by the time I awaken again. It is now 11:55PM or five til midnight. That's 12 hours being off AC power. I am at 13% battery life.
Subtracting time for my nap and TV watching, I had roughly 9 hours of battery life. This was only using it to surf and chat. I haven't run youtube videos or anything like that. I didn't do any energy savings to try and get more life from it. I used whatever it defaults to and I'm really happy with it. Before when I tried to conserve battery the screen would be so dark I could barely see it. This has been a pleasure to use.
I've used it on my lap all day. No heat issues. The palm rest stays cool and the bottom is barely warm. I've yet to install any ''real'' programs on here besides Aim. I will attempt Microsoft Office 2007 once I have that 2GB stick and i'll let you all know how that goes.
I have a 2GB stick coming tomorrow. I will update more later.
Also, I'm completely use to the keys now. My one point off is for the sound. Its REALLY low. It is a netbook, but if sounds important to you without using a headset, this isn't the netbook for you.
**End of Update 2**
**Update three**
I plugged the net book in last night a little after midnight at 10% remaining charge. I find while the battery last a long time, it takes a long time to charge. I took about 3 hour and 40 minutes give or take a few minutes to go back to 100% charge. Still, for the battery life you get I think thats small, however it may stop you from wanting to buy a second battery.
Another side note, I'm finding a few of my XP/Vista programs won't install. Microsoft messenger and Aim installed fine. My 3m Post-it-notes (XP and Vista compatible)won't. This isn't because of the netbook but because of windows starter. Apparently if you upgrade to one of the the other Windows 7 offerings, their is compatibility with XP and Vista. Windows 7 Starter is crippled because of this. They've even taken away your ability to change your desktop background, you have to pay the 80 dollar premium if you want these features. I thought I would point this out, while 80 for an Upgraded OS is not bad, it is expensive when its nearly 1/4 the cost of the netbook. XP while old was still a full OS and I myself never had a problem with it getting the job done. If you wait until there is a Windows 7 Version you'll be fine but it could mean buying software over you already own, making Microsoft's upgrade cheaper in the end.
I just popped in 2GB of memory. I can confirm the one spot that gets warm on the netbook is the memory. I'm very surprised I feel no heat from the hard drive.
This review has turned into a book. I may comeback if I find anything worth while to inform you about.
**End of update Three**
**Update 4**
Per request, I've started testing video playback. I played a couple of YouTube videos and the playback was pretty smooth. I didn't notice any jerkiness and it was actually better then I thought it would be. I also watched a few clips on Hulu and as long as it wasn't in full screen mode, playback was pretty smooth. In full screen model I notice some very subtle frame drops or skips. I say subtle because I was studying it to see if I noticed anything. If I hadn't been looking for it I'm not sure if it would have hampered by experience or not.
I finally tested a pair of headphones and Music playback was smooth and nice and loud, so a headset won't be an issue with this Netbook.
I noticed when I'm installing programs that the memory does heat up. Thats the only time I noticed it heating up beyond its normal temps. I wish I had a temp monitor so I could see what idle temps are. If I find one I'll post it.
If you want better Video playback, go with the HP 311. The Nvidia ION 9400 is going to be a lot better for video and output in HD.
**end of update.**
**Update December 10,2009**
I wanted to revise and add a new negative to my review. First the sound I discovered once I plugged my headset in and the realtek manager pops up showed the sound wasn't all the way up. So my sound isn't as weak as I thought. However it is still low just not nearly as bad as I first thought.
My main negative, I notice every now and then when using the touch pad that it won't response to my finger swipes. This last for 1 to 5 seconds and then its fine again but it is annoying when it happens. I...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: Toshiba Mini NB205-N330BL 10.1-Inch Royal Blue Netbook - 9 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter)

Small enough to throw in a purse or bag, the affordable, super-compact 10.1-inch Toshiba mini NB205 netbook--which weighs just under 3 pounds--is designed with smart features like a full-sized keyboard and touchpad, long battery life, 3 USB ports (including one Sleep and Charge port) and a hard drive impact sensor that protects your data. You'll also get excellent battery life with the included six-cell battery that provides up to 9 hours of battery power--enabling you to go through an entire day of school, work or errands without worrying about a recharge.
It comes pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Starter operating system, which combines the latest in reliability and responsiveness with the familiarity and compatibility of Windows. It includes new Windows 7 features like Jump Lists to help you to better find and manage files, and connecting to printers and peripherals is easier than ever. (Learn more about Windows 7 Starter below.)
Created especially for mobile devices, Intel's 1.6 GHz Atom N280 processor uses an innovative design structure and hafnium-infused circuitry that helps reduce electrical current leakage in transistors--which means longer battery life when you're on the go. It also includes the Intel 945GSE graphics chipset, which provides browsing the internet, emailing, running basic PC applications and enjoying online digital media. This model of the Toshiba mini NB205 (NB205-N330BL) has a distinctively styled cover in Royal Blue, which is accented by a textured finish with a Matrix pattern. It features a 250 GB hard disk drive, 1 GB of RAM (upgradeable to 2 GB), 54g Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g), Bluetooth connectivity (including stereo music streaming capability), Fast Ethernet, and a Secure Digital memory card slot.

Key Features
10.1-inch LED backlit widescreen display (1024 x 600-pixel resolution) provides richer colors and clearer definition--perfect for browsing the internet
Windows 7 Starter makes small notebook PCs easier to use because it puts less between you and what you want to do--less waiting, less clicking, less hassle connecting to networks. And Starter combines the latest in reliability and responsiveness with the familiarity and compatibility of Windows. (Learn more)
Get more features with Windows Anytime Upgrade.A small notebook PC running Windows 7 Home Premium is even easier to use. The new taskbar and advanced navigation features make launching programs, opening files, managing windows, and getting around your PC faster and easier. Personalize your PC to be just the way you want it with helpful gadgets and desktop themes--even turn your desktop into a slideshow of your favorite photos. And you get the best entertainment experience on a PC. With Windows Media Center, you can watch shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV.
1.66 GHz Intel Atom N280 processor combines performance and efficiency to explore the Internet and stay connected while mobile (Learn more)
250 GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 RPM) with an impact sensor that helps safeguard your data by "parking" the hard drive heads in the event of a drop or sudden movement. (Learn more)
1 GB of RAM (800 MHz; 1 memory slot; upgradeable to 2 GB)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator GMA950 with up to 251 MB of dynamically allocated shared graphics memory
Webcam (0.3 megapixels) integrated into the bezel for easy video chats and teleconferencing
Three USB ports with one Sleep and Charge port on the left side, allowing you to charge your mobile phone and other devices even when the notebook is asleep or off.
Full-sized keyboard (85 keys)
Integrated Wi-Fi networking (802.11b.g) so you can communicate, browse and share while on the move
Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity enables you to communicate and synchronize with Bluetooth-enabled peripherals such as PDAs and cell phones as well as enjoy wireless stereo music streaming (thanks to its embedded A2DP profile).
Fast Ethernet wired networking (10/100)
Built-in mono speaker
Up to 9 hours of battery life from included 6-cell battery
Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.6 x 1.27 inches (WxDxH)
Weight: 2.93 pounds
Environmentally focused with RoHS compatibility (reducing its environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances), Energy Star 5.0 compliant, and EPEAT Gold compliant
Warranty: 1 year warranty with international limited warranty coverage

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion This Toshiba mini NB205 notebook has an integrated 54g wireless LAN that's compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g networks as well as Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.1 + EDR), which enables you to communicate and synchronize with Bluetooth-enabled peripherals such as PDAs and mobile phones. You'll also be able to stream music to compatible Bluetooth-enabled headphones and speakers thanks to the embedded A2DP profile. It offers the following ports:
3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
Analog video output: 1 VGA
Memory card reader compatible with Secure Digital (SD), Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC), and MultiMediaCard (MMC)
1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack
10/100 Fast Ethernet

What's in the box This package contains the Toshiba mini NB205-N330BL netbook, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions.
It also comes with the following software: Norton Internet Security 2009, Microsoft Works 9, Windows Media Player, Google Toolbar, Toshiba PC Health Monitor
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Windows 7 Starter makes small notebook PCs easier to use because it puts less between you and what you want to do--less waiting, less clicking, less hassle connecting to networks. Windows 7 Starter combines the latest in reliability and responsiveness with the familiarity and compatibility of Windows.

Intel Atom Processor: Your PC's Perfect Internet Companion Take the Internet to more places with the long battery life and flexibility of a compact, lightweight netbook powered by the incredibly small, amazingly smart Intel Atom processor. It features a design structure that packs in 47 million transistors into a single chip sized at just 22mm (0.87 inches), and it uses just 2.5 watts of power--less than 1/10 of the 35 watts used by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor--for excellent battery management. This 1.66 GHz Atom N280 processor also includes a power-optimized front side bus of 533 MHz for faster data transfer on demanding mobile applications and a 512 KB L2 cache (which temporarily stores data).
Hard Drive Protection While the highly portable nature of mini-notebooks exposes them to the knocks and bumps that are an inevitable feature of life on the move, the Toshiba mini NB205 features a 3D-accelerometer monitoring system that detects freefalls, shocks and vibrations and protects the integrated HDD to secure against the loss of any personal data.

Click here for more information about Toshiba Mini NB205-N330BL 10.1-Inch Royal Blue Netbook - 9 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter)

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