Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Toshiba Fashionably Late to Netbook Party

Toshiba may be a bit late to the netbook party, but it hopes to differentiate the Toshiba mini NB205 by offering features that focus on design, comfort and durability.

People love netbooks because they're small and portable. Of course the trade-off for that portability can be a cramped keyboard and touchpad. Toshiba claims it designed the mini NB205 for comfort without the compromise. It includes features such as a 10.1-inch diagonal widescreen LED backlit display, full-size QWERTY keyboard and a traditional, laptop-sized touchpad - all designed to make extended typing and Web browsing more comfortable.

Moving beyond comfort to portability, the mini NB205 comes with a hard drive impact sensor that's designed to protect data from bumps and dings, and it also features a "sleep-and-charge" USB port for charging various electronic devices whether the mini is powerd on or off. A six-cell battery provides up to nine hours of life, according to the company stats.

The Toshiba mini NB205 series is available in two configurations that feature distinctly different styles. The mini NB205-N310 sports what Toshiba calls a "unique and stylish textured finish" with a chrome hinge in a choice of four metallic accent colors: Sable Brown, Frost White, Indigo Blue and Posh Pink.

The mini NB205-N210 has a more sedate look about it, which Toshiba refers to as "fusion finish in Black Onyx cover." The keyboard's done in a black matte finish.

Toshiba hopes the combination of stylish design, comfort and durable portability will make the mini NB205 stand out from a crowded field.

"We're raising the bar in the mini notebook category with a premium brand that truly delivers on the portability promise these companion PCs were originally designed for," Jeff Barney, vice president and general manager of Toshiba America Information Systems, said in a written statement.

Toshiba mini NB205 Features

  • 10.1-inch diagonal widescreen TruBrite backlit LED display (WSVGA)
  • Windows XP Home operating system
  • Intel Atom N280 processor (1.66GHz)
  • 1GB DDR2 800MHz RAM, upgradeable to 2GB
  • Spacious storage with a 160GB HDD
  • 802.11b/g wireless and 10/100 Ethernet
  • Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR (mini NB205-N310 only)
  • Toshiba Hard Drive Impact Sensor
  • Lightweight at only 2.9 lbs.
  • Six-cell battery
  • One USB port with Sleep-and-Charge and two USB 2.0 ports
  • Built-in Webcam, speaker and microphone
  • Toshiba PC Health Monitor
  • RGB port for connecting to external displays
  • Memory Card Reader Slot
  • Security lock slot
  • One-year international limited warranty

Pricing

Available June 23, the Toshiba mini NB205-N310 will sell for $399, while pricing for the mini NB205-N210 will be $349. You can purchase both netbooks at major retailers, e-tailers and direct from Toshiba. You can also buy the mini NB205-N210 through Toshiba Preferred Partner Program resellers.

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