Toshiba Mini NB205 Reviewed: Best Atom Netbook So Far?

We've known Toshiba's mini NB205 netbook was headed to the US since the beginning of the month, and the first units seem to be arriving.  LaptopMag's well-work test bench is one of the earliest recipients, and while the N280-based NB205 may be behind the curve when it comes to reaching the market, according to reviewer Joanna Stern it "rises above the competition".

Singled out for particular praise are the "beautiful" design, "spacious keyboard" and "exemplary" battery life, which manages to reach an admirable 8.5hrs.  There are also neat features such as the USB charging port which continues to supply power to peripherals even when the netbook is switched off.

Minor points of annoyance are the chunky screen bezel and the prolonged boot time.  The 1.66GHz N280 Atom is never going to be a speed demon, but it puts in a decent performance overall.  Considering the price – $399 for 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard-drive, plus WiFi b/g – anybody desperate for a current-N-Series netbook should look at the NB205; those with room to wait, though, might want to see the first Atom N450 machines launching in Q4 2009.