Review: Toshiba NB200
The netbook war is back again with Intel coming out with new Atom processor and all netbook manufacturers refreshing their existing netbook model with the new N280 processor. I’m glad I got my hands on the new Toshiba NB200 netbook to review.
The Toshiba NB200 is the first netbook with Intel Atom N280 processor that I get to review. Having previously reviewed 2 N270 netbook (and played briefly with a couple more), the Toshiba NB200 certainly feels faster in terms of booting up and shutting down. It might be because of the new Intel Atom N280 (1.66GHz) processor or some tuning that Toshiba has put in place.
The design of the Toshiba NB200 is pretty interesting. The design on casing is simple yet good looking. Plus you can tell that its a Toshiba from far. Comes in Brown, White, Blue and Pink. (Or rather, Satin Brown, Snow White, Indigo Blue and Silky Pink) At 26.3 x 19.23 x 3.225 cm and 1.18 kg, its slightly bigger than most netbook around but weighs about the same. This make the 10.1 inch screen look smaller because of the bigger border around the screen. In fact, I lost count of the number of people who thought its a 8 or 9 inch screen from first look. (I’ve measured to confirm its a 10.1 inch)
The Toshiba NB200 comes with 1gb RAM and a 160gb SATA harddisk with shock absorber. It’s always good to have harddisk shock absorber. It protects the harddisk when moving or when you drop it. This is one feature that a lot of netbook omits to cut down the cost.
The NB200 comes with a VGA port, mic jack, earphone jack, ethernet port, SD card reader and 3 USB port. Yes, you hear me right, 3 USB port. Can throw away your USB hub already. (Kidding kidding) But its good to see more and more netbooks coming with 3 USB port.
It’s weird that Toshiba decides to put the power button in the middle of the netbook. When turned on, the power on button is lighted and looks ugly. OK, maybe it depends on the eye of the beholder, but I’ve yet found anyone who likes the power button placement. Good thing to note is that the power on button is disabled when the netbook lid is closed.
The keyboard isn’t very comfy to type with. According to the specs, its supposed to be a full sized keyboard. But I feel that it isn’t really full sized. The keys are smaller because of the tiled style and bigger spacing between the keys. It certainly takes a while longer than usual to get used to typing on the keyboard. And the tilde key (~) is positioned next to the SPACEBAR instead of being next to “1″ where it is usually found on a Qwerty keyboard. Good thing is, touchpad is pretty big for a netbook and the touchpad buttons are generous in size.
I’ve been using the Toshiba NB200 for almost 2 weeks. I quite like the fast boot up. Having 3 USB port is pretty handy, especially when you have lots of USB devices. I love the webcam, the resolution is the best so far among all the netbook I’ve laid my hands on. Strangely, I couldn’t find the specs for the webcam. Should be 1.3 megapixel, but I may be wrong judging on the picture quality. Might be higher. The NB200 might get a little warm after prolong usage. But I’ve seen warmer laptops before. Its funny that Toshiba have a warning label at the bottom of the netbook, advising users to avoid prolong contact with the base to avoid heat injury to the skin. The netbook might be warm, but I don’t think it will become so hot until it will injure the skin. You might want to take note of the measurements of the Toshiba NB200 when buying notebook sleeves as it is slightly bigger than most netbook.
It seems like more and more netbook/notebook manufacturers are choosing commando style for their card readers. By saying commando style, I mean leaving their card reader uncovered and not providing a dummy card to prevent dust from entering. Sad to say, the Toshiba NB200 is one of those netbook with such commando style SD card reader. To make it worse, the SD card cannot be completely slotted into the card reader. It leaves just a little bit of the card protruding out. This might pose as a problem to some people when trying to remove the SD card, especially if you have short nails.
The Toshiba NB200 is now available in the store for S$899.
In Short:
A fast netbook with shock absorbing harddisk but some rough edges still needs fine tuning.
Likes:
Fast boot up and shut down.
Harddisk with Shock absorber
3 USB port
Dislikes:
Keyboard
Hard to eject SD card
Position of the power on button
Many thanks to Mary from Toshiba for sending the review unit.
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6 Comments »
Leave a comment!
Hi, do you know if they sell the NB200 with a 3G sim card slot anywhere around the world? Th the Phililippines, we only got the 3-cell variant, without 3G. No 6-cell batt anywhere.
Thanks!
Prec: Try contact Toshiba head office in Philippines. They should have a clue.
NOOB REVIEW! MESSING A LOT OF POINTS!
THE LONELY USB AT THE LEFT IS A POWER USB! WILL NOT TELL YOU,DO YOU RESEARCH! yet YOU FORGOT TO MENTION ALLOOOOT OF THINGS!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOB
a bit tiny,toony good try thou,,
i do reviews since reviews was for hussies
stizzi: Messing or missing? I think you mean missing.
Of course a lot of points are missing. I only touch on points that will affect people’s buying decision. If people are looking for a detailed review like how many screws or exactly how much voltage, I think there are other blogs that do it.
with all do respect i make sure i write with a sarcastic scent, anyhow @I only touch on points that will affect people’s buying decision.! excuse me ?? this sleep and charge USB function is a feature… so obviously would effect the buyer decision !!
@people are looking for a detailed review like how many screws or exactly how much voltage, I think there are other blogs that do it!!?
so why u do reviews in the first place bro??
Dude next time do a good one,Cool?
peace out.
stizzi: You may think that the USB charge function will affect buyers decision. I don’t think it will. When I first heard of this feature, I thought it is cool. Then I asked several people who are not so techie. They don’t see a need for it. It is only during very rare case do they find the need to use that feature.
What what you think is a major selling point may not be always applicable for everybody. And the final buying decision will not be based on something this minor. Besides, the Toshiba NB200 is not the only netbook with the USB plus power.
If you feel that it is a major selling point, just state in the comment NICELY. If you want to be rude in your comment, don’t expect me to be kind to you.