- 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N455 processor
- 1 GB DDR3 RAM
- 250 GB SATA hard drive
- 10.1-inch LED backlit widescreen display; Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 video processor
- Microsoft Windows 7 Starter, 8.3 hours of battery life
Product Description
Enjoy the lighter, brighter side of mobility with our award-winning, super-compact NB305 netbook - a companion PC offering a smart, comfort-driven design and exclusive convenience features for light, on-the-go-computing. Thanks to excellent high-speed connectivity, the renowned Intel Atom processor, and up to an eight-hour battery life rating, this innovative best-in-class netbook lets you enjoy all the benefits of today’s fast-moving digital world, putting you in... Read More About This Product >>
3comments:
This is on NB255-N245.
I am returning mine, which I have never done.
Given her good reputation, I don't want think this product represents the Toshiba quality and assume I got a lemon. This is the reason I gave 2 stars instead of 1.
The problems I have are;
1. Fn key suddenly stops working and I have to reboot the unit each time.
It looks that F8 + Fn, on/off of WiFi, often triggers this but not always.
2. Short battery life. With power saver mode on and other saving measures such as half-dimmed screen, no external device attached and frequently turned-off WiFi, I get only about 5 hours at max.
The claimed is "up to 8.3" hours.
- I am using this mostly for internet and word processing, no heavy stuff.
3. Although not always, Skype doesn't work properly.
- I can hear but not be heard. The "check setting" message of Skype says my computer is too slow to make a call.
Away from my specific problems, this is my take on this netbook.
My expectation on netbook are:
1. Long battery life, at the least 6 hours with reasonable work load.
2. Capability to handle web surfing, MS Word and Skype.
3. Small size and light weight since I travel a lot.
4. Low price.
I chose this Toshiba due to the following facts:
1. Lower price tag: ~ $300.
2. New products: Thought accumulated experience makes a better product...
2. New CPU, N455: I know practically same as N450 but doesn't hurt.
3. Wireless-N.
4. Great brand name.
No complaints about the speed of the CPU, Windows 7 starter, small screen, 1G RAM and the lack of recovery disc, which are granted in the first place.
Pro's:
1. Keyboard is full size and feels big.
2. Probably, USB Sleep and Charge, although I never used it since I cannot afford to divert any power from the unit.
3. Price.
4. All the nice things generally applicable to netbook such as small, light, ....
Con's:
1. Battery life.
- Mine is not satisfactory but, to be fair, I saw a review at Netegg claiming 9 - 10 hours(!!).
2. Hard to read icons on the hotkeys.
- They are small and in dark gray on black keys. It is hard for me but maybe not for other people. You can enlarge one of the pictures and check it.
3. Protruding battery pack.
- I knew it and thought it a trivial. But after carrying the unit everyday, I found it is very annoying and it also makes the unit bigger than other netbooks. When thinking of the extra stress applied to the two connecting points and the fact this is a battery, it is a bit concerning for me.
Although this doesn't bother me, maybe applicable to some people.
4. Built is very cheap and feels very cheap.
Basically a mass of cheap black plastic. If you are a kind of person who puts a cover on your Blackberry or iPhone, this is not for you, definitely. I kind of like this "in-your-face" attitude, refreshing.
Although I never planned to expand to 2G, one of the reviews here says it is not upgradable.
If this is the case, I see very few reason why people buy this netbook at the price tag of about $300 or even 250.
*** As of 7/29/2010 ***
The refund process with amazon was very smooth. Just got an email saying they processed the refund.
It really pays to buy at amazon, excellent customer service.
Rating: 2 / 5
My 11-year-old niece saved up to buy a netbook, and I talked her into a Toshiba because I'd had a Toshiba laptop in the past that was rock-solid. Well, she received it yesterday and immediately started getting an error message that says "Warning: A problem with the cooling system has been detected." It then shuts down. Beach Camera, the Amazon storefront that sold her the netbook pushed her off on Toshiba, and I don't envy the customer service nightmare my niece's parents are going to experience dealing with them. Probably best to avoid this item.
Rating: 1 / 5
Count me in as one who is disappointed.
I did my research and bought the laptop and recommended memory for the upgrade on the same day (about a week ago now - NB305440BL) and attempted the install, got frustrated at the 2nd install attempt, and finally returned the memory.
Got on the Toshiba website and found that this laptop does NOT support DDR3 as advertised. They anticipate being able to support it in late September 2010.
Not a great way to start out with a new product. This is my first Toshiba product since my portable cassette player in 1988. I've always had Sony VAIOs (in fact my laptop is still a VAIO), but thought the battery life of this product would be worth a try. I originally was going to set mine up, then buy a white one for my wife...but I've decided to get her a Sony VAIO P Series. At least I know that Sony stands behind their products and releases specs that are to be believed.
I find it hard to believe Toshiba didn't finish their homework when designing this, writing out the specs, printing the manuals, building the webpages, etc.
Other than that, the laptop has poor sound quality (which is documented with the other NB305s), and comes with Windows 7 Starter. If you aren't familiar with Starter, it is crippled in the hopes you will spend $79 to upgrade to restore features you had in Windows 3.0 (like changing your background).
Overall: Disappointed.
Rating: 2 / 5
Post a Comment