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Conclusion The Toshiba Mini NB305 has a 10.1-inch screen with a dual core Intel Atom N550 CPU, 1GB of DDR3 RAM, and integrated graphic chipset. You will get decent performance from this netbook for daily computing tasks such as web surfing, checking email, document processing, etc.. but not for demanding like Full HD video streaming, video editing, or serious gaming. While the Toshiba NB305 isn't best performer in terms of processing capability, it's second to none when it comes to ergonomic experience. Both its metal island-style keyboard and large touchpad are among the best we've seen. Also its battery life last for 8.5 hours under normal usage, which is one of the best in the market. |
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Toshiba Mini NB305 Overview
Toshiba NB305
While the NB205 has everything that we would recommend for a netbook (i.e. ergonomic metal keyboard, large touchpad & touchpad buttons, excellent battery life, unique textured lid that’s anti-smudges, etc..), the two biggest complains on the Toshiba NB205 are the bulky battery that sticks out from the back of the machine, and the weak speaker that hide below the front edge of the system. Not only Toshiba has retained all the good features of NB205 on the NB305, they have also solved those 2 issues on the new model. Instead of jutted out from the rear, the battery is now tucked in underneath, causing the keyboard to be slanting towards the user and giving a more ergornomic angle for typing. Also, the speaker on NB305 is much louder compared to the one in NB205. Another improvement that the NB305 has over the NB205 is weight. Toshiba NB305 is slightly lighter than its predecessor at only 2.6 pounds.
Performance And Battery Life
In terms of performance and battery life, there’s not much difference between NB305 with its predecessor. Laptop Magazine manage to get 8:37 hours from their battery test (continuous Web surfing over Wi-Fi), while Engadget gets 6:30 hours from their battery drain test (video rundown test with brightness set to 65 percent). In terms of performance, the Toshiba NB305 is similar to other Pine Trail netbooks – good for daily tasks such as web surfing, checking email, document processing, etc.. but not suitable for HD video playback. This is the
The only drawback of the Toshiba NB305 is that it’s more expensive than other Pine Trail netbooks such as the Asus Eee PC 1005PE
Related Videos
Take a closer look at Toshiba NB305 in the following video:
Brief introduction of NB305 netbook by Toshiba:
Conclusion
The Toshiba NB305 is still one of the best netbook in the market. Although the price is slightly higher than other Pine Trail netbooks, it’s keyboard and especially its touchpad are second to none, and to us that’s worth the premium.
| Joanna Stern from Engadget says: |
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The Mini NB305 doesn’t perform better or last longer than the other Pine Trail netbooks out there, but there’s just something about it that we like better than the rest. Sure at $399 it’s more expensive than the longer-lasting $380 Eee PC 1005PE, and even $100 more than the entry level Aspire One 532h, but it’s more comfortable to use than them both. And when it comes to netbooks, that may just be enough to shell out the extra cash.
| Michael A. Prospero from Laptop Magazine says: |
Given Rating:
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The mini NB305 is still our top pick among consumer netbooks because it’s so comfortable to use that you almost forget that it’s a netbook. It’s keyboard and especially its touchpad are second to none, and to us that’s worth the premium.
| Cisco Cheng from PC Mag says: |
Given Rating:
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The Toshiba mini NB305 netbook carries over many of the qualities that made its predecessor, the mini NB205 so lovable, and it’s still the netbook that gives you the most for the least amount of money.
| Weight (lbs) | 2.60 |
| Display Size | 10.1 |
| Resolution | 1024 x 600 |
| Display Type | Glossy |
| CPU | 1.5 GHz Intel Atom N550 Dual Core |
| RAM | 1 GB DDR3 |
| Hard Drive | 250GB (accelerometer-protected) |
| Graphic Card | Intel GMA 3150 |
| Battery | 6-cell (48 Wh) |
| Max Battery Life | 8.5 hours |
| Webcam | 0.3MP |
| Bluetooth | No |
| Operating System | Windows 7 Starter |
Bought one of these Toshiba netbooks and I think they are pretty good for the money paid (bought it on amazon.com and got it in 4 days). I think it is the perfect size for travel as it doesn’t weight much, yet it is big enough to use comfortably when at home.
I was looking for a carrying case for it that I can use by itself or easily put inside my briefcase, book bag, etc.. and found a small company that makes a pretty good case for this unit and sells them for under $12 with free freight at http://www.nuvo-tek.com.
Lastly, if anyone knows of where I can buy a good, but inexpensive, portable battery pack (not an additional battery) to recharge this unit at least twice during a week-long trip, please let me know.