Toshiba Mini NB305-N410BL Netbook Review

The Toshiba Mini NB305-N410BL: The Netbook of Choice for On-The-Go Bloggers

In the realm of on-the-go technology, we now have an almost infinite number of options for what to bring along: palm devices, phones, and so on. But netbooks are still tops for most critics and users because of their ability to provide instant web and basic office applications, right on your lap – literally.

Among the many netbook brands comes the Toshiba Mini NB305-N410BL - an updated version from Toshiba’s award-winning NB205 series. This particular netbook model has been included in Consumer Report’s Top Ten list, so we were interested in taking this product and seeing whether the hype really lives up to the actual product. Here’s what we’ve uncovered in our research so far about this mini notebook computer:

Reliable Hardware and OS

On the inside, the Toshiba Mini NB305-N410BL does not really have much difference among the many models out there. Actually, there really has not been a standout among netbooks in terms of hardware specs. So we are just pleased that this Toshiba model carried the requirements of a standard mini notebook. Take a look at the list:

” 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 processor
” 250 GB Serial ATA hard drive
” 1 GB of DDR2 RAM
” Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 video processor
” Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n)

This Toshiba netbook carries a good array of hardware for basic web surfing, video streaming, music playback, and storage for carry-on files. With the Windows 7 Starter OS that comes with the model, applications booted pretty fast and web pages loaded quite satisfactorily.

Average (But Enjoyable) Performance

Screen resolution was 1204×600 on the 10-inch LED display. For its small size the bright colors and easy-to-read text on the screen are a great asset. You should have no problem enjoying your favorite websites in standard mode.

As mentioned the computer did a pretty satisfactory job of opening up apps like word processing documents, spreadsheets, and webcam conversation software. Other reviews mentioned a little skipping and lagging during video playback, but so far, others have not encountered this trouble.

Typing was comfortable on this mini notebook model’s full keypad, and browsing through pages and zooming into pictures was easy thanks to the multi-touch keyboard. The matte, textured covering of this model is great because it means less propensity for fingerprints and obvious scratches, compared to other netbooks.

One particularly standout feature of the Toshiba Mini NB305-N410BL mini notebook computer is its special sleep-and-charge USB port. Even when the device is turned off, you can use the battery’s life to charge devices like cellphones, cameras, or music players. And battery life is something this netbook’s good at – the included 6-cell battery can hold up to eleven hours of unplugged life (it’s more like nine hours with heavy apps and multiple applications open at once, but we’d have to say that’s still a pretty good statistic.)

Verdict

We recommend the Toshiba Mini NB305-N410BL as one of your choices for a truly on-the-go device. Its solid performance and long battery life make it the perfect personal or business companion for you.