Toshiba NB200 netbook

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Toshiba returns to the front of the stage with the imminent arrival of its NB200. Stripes on the lid, stripes on the monitor bezel, even stripes on the trackpad. And although admittedly most netbooks and laptops are made of plastic, we rarely sit there thinking about it. In our time with the NB200 we could think of nothing but.It looks innovative, but looks only go so far if you're not going to want to type on it. There's a neat 'hidden' power button, which turns from silvery plastic to translucent white when your machine is switched on. Not revolutionary, but sort of cute. The program, a new model with equipment revised upwards as a slab 10.2 inches, keyboard and touch pad sized better and more ergonomic, an Intel Atom N280, the presence of Wi-Fi 802.11 n with Bluetooth or a disk drive receiving an accelerometer, a novel to date on a netbook. But the most radical change, and certainly the most visible, was held at the design level. Toshiba has decided to strike a major blow to distinguish clearly the lack of boldness in force among its competitors with its NB200 declined in a version with a brown finish / gray very successful. You'll understand that the manufacturer seems to find a place in the world of netbooks after beginning rather shy.The NB200 has an absolutely enormous 9-cell battery, which is almost unheard of in the netbook market. We're not sure why it is so rare, though.

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Specification of Toshiba NB200 netbook

1. Processor : Intel Atom processor N280
   
   
2. Operating system : Genuine Windows® XP Home 32-bit Edition (pre-installed, Toshiba-HDD recovery)
   
   
3. Design Colour : Satin Brown
   
   
4. System memory
   
   
   • Standard : 1,024 MB
   • Maximum expandability : 2,048 MB
   • Technology : DDR2 RAM (800 MHz)
   
   
   
5. Hard disk : 160 GB
   
   
   • Display
   • Size : 10.1 "
   • Type : Toshiba TruBrite WSVGA TFT display with LED backlight
   • Internal resolution : 1,024 x 600
   
   
   
6. Graphics adapter
   
   
   • Manufacturer : Intel
   • Type : Mobile Intel GMA 950
   • Memory : up to 224 MB total available graphics memory with 512 MB system memory
   • Memory type : Shared
   
   
   
7. Interfaces
   
   
   • 1 x DC-in
   • 1 x external monitor
   • 1 x RJ-45
   • 1 x external microphone
   • 1 x built-in microphone
   • 1 x headphone (stereo)
   • 3 (Left 1, Right 2) x USB 2.0 Sleep-and-Charge
   • 1 x integrated VGA Web Camera
   • 1 x 2-in-1 Bridge Media slot (supports SD Cards up to 16 GB and MultiMedia Card up to 2 GB)
   
   
   
8. Expansion : 1 x memory slot
   
   
9. Wireless communication
   
   
   • Compliancy : Wi-Fi
   • Network Support : 802.11b/g
   • Wireless Technology : Wireless LAN
   
   
   
10. Wired communication
    
    • Topology : Fast Ethernet LAN
    • Speed : 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX
    
    
    
11. Sound system
    
    
    • Supported audio format : 24-bit stereo
    • Speakers : built-in speaker
    
    
    
12. Keyboard
    
    
    • Keys : 86
    • Windows keys : Yes
    
    
    
13. Pointing device
    
    • Type : Touch Pad
    
    
    
14. Battery
    
    • Technology : Lithium-ion
    • Maximum life : up to 9h05min (Mobile Mark 2007)

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Exterior design of Toshiba NB200

Just extract its shipping carton, the Toshiba NB200 captivated from the first glance. The colors brown / gray is particularly successful and different from those generally offered on netbooks, mostly white or black. In addition, Toshiba has opted not propose smooth glossy as it is generally customary. The NB200 receives for his part a raised area particularly pleasant to touch, also a visual effect rather successful. The screen lid is made of thin textured plastic with the Toshiba logo front and center in silver metalic plastic. Toshiba engineers made the interesting choice of placing the power button in the middle of the screen hinge where it is exposed even when the netbook is closed. At first I was concerned this might not be the best position since it means the power button could be accidentally triggered inside a backpack or laptop case, but the button is disabled if the screen lid is closed.

Two doors allow access to internal components. The smallest is dedicated to the location of the RAM while the second largest, contains the hard disk. However, the latter is closed by screws with no less star power, to be opened only by authorized persons. Unlike some of its competitors that focus on the audio quality of their netbook, Toshiba is satisfied with a simple single-chamber system on its NB200. Accordingly, sound quality is not his strong point. It shows nevertheless sufficient for a specific use. For better sound quality, it is probably better to use headphones.

With a maximum height of 30 mm, the NB200 is average. It easily manages to slip down a bag or a bag between two documents. Weight, 1.3 kg, it is comparable to that offered by its competitors. The PSU has a footprint content (96 × 43x29), while being light enough (130g). He slips and gets so easily forgotten in the bottom of a bag. The first impression with the new NB200 is positive. It has a particularly successful design, both original while remaining discreet and luxurious. The material used on the hull exterior is pleasant to the touch while offering the advantage of not being sensitive to fingerprints. The finish is particularly fine, the assemblies are adjusted to the millimeter. Toshiba makes a flawless here, see if the same is true for the interior.

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Interior Design of Toshiba NB200

The interior is just as successful as the outside. The entourage includes slab reasons cited in previous page. Little difference, however, the matte coating giving space bright. Toshiba has obviously failed to resist the temptation to implement a glossy surface as many models on the market. The gray color of the keyboard is perfect with the brown.


Screen and Speakers

The NB200 has a glossy tile. This strengthens the contrast and offers brighter colors and more flattering. In an environment with brightness controlled, reflections will be slightly annoying. The situation differs when the user is in less optimal conditions, such as cons update or outdoors. Vertical viewing angles are average, with obvious color inversion when viewing from below and some over-exposed colors when viewed from above. Horizontal viewing angles are very good with colors only starting to shift at extreme wide viewing angles. The uniformity of the backlight is satisfactory even if the images appear dark leaves a slight gap between the top and bottom of the slab. The built-in speaker performance on the mini NB205 is acceptable for listening to system sounds or very short online video clips, but overall the speaker quality is sub-par for a netbook. The built-in speaker is located on bottom front edge and can't produce enough distortion-free volume to push sound up toward the user. If you want to use this netbook as a mobile entertainment portal then you need to invest in some good headphones. On the bright side, the audio output from the headphone jack is good when paired with earphones or a good set of external speakers.

Keyboard and Touchpad

An ultra-portable star brand. Little difference, however, the NB200 features independent of keys, a provision appeared for the first time on the MacBook Air and since widely adopted, including some Vaio or some eee PC. The touchpad itself is an ALPS model with excellent sensitivity and only minor lag. The scroll zones required a bit of adjustment in our review unit, but once we increased the scroll speed everything seemed fine. Clearly, the NB200 keyboard is effective, while enjoying a comfort similar to that offered by an ultra-portable. The sound issued during the strike is discreet and strengthens the feeling of having my hands a top model. Small flat, however, a slight bending is noticeable by exerting pressure on the right side of the keyboard, below the "Ctrl". Unfortunately, that opinion quickly changes once you start typing. Although the keys are nice and large with excellent spacing to prevent typos, the keyboard falls victim to the same thin and flexible plastics used in the construction of the chassis.

With dimensions of 79 × 39 mm, the touchpad has a consistent size for a netbook and shows once again, more like an ultra-portable. After adjusting the parameters. The coating used is pleasant to the touch and offers a sliding fast.

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Performance of Toshiba NB200

The drive must be satisfied as on most netbooks market with a storage of 160 GB's performances are in the average category. Little difference, however, compared to the competition, the hard disk NB200 has an accelerometer to detect any impact. While most netbooks finish booting into Windows XP (including launching all startup applications) in less than 45 seconds, the NB205 takes more than 70 seconds to finish loading all the bloatware during Windows startup. The cooling fan inside the mini NB205 is louder than we like to hear from a netbook. Whenever the CPU is under stress (such as when watching a YouTube video) the cooling fan kicks on and sounds like a weak hair dryer. It's loud enough to be moderately annoying in a quiet classroom or office. Considering the abundant air vents built into the NB205, I'm a little surprised the cooling fan has to work so hard. All Intel Atom-based netbooks have nearly identical performance in terms of actual real-world use. Overall performance with the Intel Atom platform is very reasonable for daily activities like Web browsing, email, using Microsoft Office, listening to music, and watching DVD-quality movies.

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Conclusion for Toshiba NB200 netbook

With this new model Toshiba has probably taken advantage of mistakes with his previous netbook. The mark on the back and front of the stage with a model armored assets.

Starting with a design that will not leave anyone indifferent. The colors brown / gray is very successful, it brings a touch of freshness in the world of netbooks rather monotonous, dominated by white and black. But the NB200 is not content merely to design a particularly successful, able to seduce both business users as people looking for a machine trend. It also has a particularly neat finish but also a keyboard and a touchpad comfortable and effective. Atom processor N280 appears slightly faster than its predecessor, the Atom N270, without undermining the autonomy since the NB200 oscillates between six and twelve hours depending on the parameters chosen by the user. What use its netbook serenely throughout the day. Most netbooks don't have particularly great speakers, but listening to music or online videos wasn't fun on the NB205. If you're looking for a good netbook for $400 or less the Toshiba mini NB205 deserves a close look, but there are many alternatives to consider in this price range.

Pros:

• Easy access for upgrades
• Large touchpad
• Good battery life

Cons:

• Weak plastic construction
• Severe keyboard flex
• Unimpressive speakers