Toshiba mini NB305-N410

The design of mini NB205 netbook was so good, from the overized touchpad and touchpad buttons to the metal keyboard and textured lid, that we wish Toshiba used it for many of its other laptops.The mini NB305 is even better than it's predecessor, sporting a sleeker chassis, louder speakers, and Intel's latest Atom N450 processor. Yes, the NB305's $399 price is a bit steep--and competing systems last longer on a charge--but we'll gladly take 8.5 hours of battery life when its paired with such a superior ergonomic experience.

Design

Toshiba trimmed down its netbook where it could: instead of the frame being uniform in thickness, as on the NB205, it tapers from 1.4 inches in the rear to approximately 0.5 inches in front, resulting in a svelte look. The front edge is also more beveled, so the system looks more rounded than before. The new screen bezel sports tapered edges; while it's the same thickness as on the NB205, it doesn't look as clunky.

The major aesthetic change from the NB205 and the NB305 is the battery. The former battery jutted out from the rear, but now it's tucked in underneath, trimming nearly an inch off the system (although the weight remains constant, at 2.8 pounds). The new position of the battery also adds the effect of slanting the keyboard towards the user; while this is supposedly more ergonomic, the change in angle is so slight that it's practically nonexistent.

Apparently pink wasn't a big seller, as Toshiba is no longer offering its mini in that color. The NB305 comes in blue, brown, or white.

Heat

Despite its smaller chassis, the NB305 didn't get appreciably warmer than the NB205. After playing a Hulu video at full-screen for 15 minutes, the touchpad measured 98 degrees Fahrenheit, the space between the G and H keys reached 94 degrees, and the middle of the underside was 93 degrees. Those temperatures are all slightly lower than the NB205 (99, 98, and 96 degrees, respectively). However, the NB305 has a smaller air vent; this translated into a temperature of 100 degrees in that area, versus just 94 degrees on the NB205.

Quick Specs :

CPU: 1.66-GHz Intel Atom N450
Operating System: Windows 7 Starter Edition
RAM/Expandable to: 1GB/2GB
Hard Drive Size/Speed: 250GB/4,500 rpm
Display Size/Resolution: 10.1 inches/1024 x 600
Graphics/Video Memory: Intel GMA 3150/Shared

Toshiba Satellite A505 (S6004)

A step up from the L505 series, the Toshiba Satellite A505-S6004 offers similar performance, but more style than its less expensive siblings. While it packs the same Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive, it packages them in a glossy black chassis highlighted by chrome accents and LED backlights. While we’re fans of the A505’s audio and video prowess, though, we can’t help but feel that its $769 price tag is a bit high compared to the competition given this notebook’s performance.

Design

The A505’s design is a departure from the blander (and cheaper) Satellite L505, but it lacks the ostentatiousness of a Qosmio system. Its styling is similar to that of the larger P505; the black lid is accented by Toshiba’s Fusion Finish (a wave of thin lines) as well as the company’s name splashed in chrome in the center. The deck, too, has the same finish, and while both are glossy, they do a fairly good job of hiding your fingerprints. The deck and lid are bordered with a silvery plastic trim, and the speakers above the keyboard are accented by chrome borders.

Above the keyboard are several touch-sensitive buttons: Eco Utility, Windows Media Player, Play/Pause, Back, Forward, Mute, and Volume. All are backlit, and responded quickly to our finger when we pressed them. On the less expensive L505, these are physical buttons, and the volume control is an old school wheel on the front edge.

Weighing 6.4 pounds and measuring 15.1 x 10.2 x 1.6 inches, the A505 isn’t a notebook you’ll be carrying around much. While its size and weight classify it as a mainstream system, it probably won’t leave your desk often.

Heat

Like other notebooks in this line, the A505 stayed fairly cool during our testing. After playing a Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes, the touchpad measured 93 degrees Fahrenheit, the space between the G and H keys was 91 degrees, and the middle of the underside registered 100 degrees. We consider anything over 100 degrees to be too hot.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The A505’s black, glossy keys provided very good feedback, and Toshiba was able to fit in a number pad without compromising the size of the layout.

Like the L505, the A505’s touchpad is nicely sized, and its slightly gritty surface—a contrast to the glossy palm rests—enabled our fingers to move about with little friction. However, it blends almost too well into the deck; we often had to look down to locate it. The silver mouse buttons are positively huge; unlike the L505, they’re not oval-shaped, and have a flat bottom edge that blends into the silvery accent around the edge.

Display and Audio

While the glossy finish on the 15.6-inch display returned a fair number of reflections, we were impressed with the contrast and colors on the 1366 x 768-pixel screen. When watching a Saturday Night Live sketch on Hulu, there was little noise in darker areas. However, Tina Fey’s red sweater really popped when she stood in front of a green chalkboard, and we could pick out individual strands of Justin Beiber’s hair. (Not that we were necessarily looking.)

Audio, too, was well above average. While playing videos and listening to music, the Harman Kardon-powered speakers were able to fill a room easily at full volume without becoming distorted. When playing Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” we could clearly hear the guitar through the right speaker while the bass line thrummed along in the left; neither drowned the other out.

Ports and Webcam

On the right are two USB ports, modem, power, and a tray-loading DVD drive. On the left is a third USB port, VGA, Ethernet, HDMI, eSATA, headphone and mic, and an ExpressCard/54 slot. Underneath the front lip is a 5-in-1 memory card reader.

The A505’s webcam recorded crisp video that displayed colors accurately in bright light, but struggled a bit when it had to rely just on fluorescent lighting; while colors were still decent, video became much grainier. Regardless, there was virtually no motion blur when we waved our hand in front of the camera, and the microphone (to the right of the webcam) picked up our voice clearly during a Skype call.

Quick Specs :

CPU: 2.13-GHz Intel Core i3-330M
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
RAM/Expandable to: 4GB/8GB
Hard Drive Size/Speed: 500GB/5,400 rpm
Display Size/Resolution: 16 inches/1366 x 768
Weight: 6.4 pounds

Toshiba Satellite L505-ES5018

Consumers on a budget have to be careful where they spend their cash when buying a new notebook. The Toshiba Satellite L505-ES5018 isn’t going to dazzle you by any means, but for those whose needs are basic, this $587 mainstream system ($529 through Best Buy) gets the job done with a modicum of style. However, a last-generation processor and poor battery life means that your money can be better spent elsewhere, even if you want to stick with Toshiba.

Editors’ Note:Portions of this review were taken from our earlier review of the Toshiba Satellite L505-S5966.

Design

For a sub-$600 system, the Satellite L505 is attractive but not exactly striking. Its lid and keyboard deck sport Toshiba’s Fusion Finish with a grey Breeze pattern—essentially, lines running diagonally across the system. Both the lid and deck are glossy, but the neutral color hides fingerprints. The design is carried across the touchpad, making it all but invisible when viewed from certain angles. While this is a clever touch, the fact that it is also flush with the deck had us looking for it a little harder than we should have. The keyboard and bezel are a matte black that contrasts nicely with the rest of the chassis.

At 15.1 x 10.2 x 1.6 inches and an even 6 pounds, the Satellite L505 isn’t exactly travel-friendly, but it’s a reasonable size and weight for a 15.6-inch system. Still, the HP G62t is a svelter 5.4 pounds.

Unlike the L505-S5966, there are no media playback buttons above the keyboard; a power button is all you get. Toshiba continues to use an old-school volume wheel, which in this case is on the front edge of the chassis.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The gritty matte silver keyboard on the L505 matches the deck, and provided very good feedback, although we did notice it had a bit of flex. Thanks to the wide 15.6-inch screen, Toshiba was also able to cram a full number pad to the right without sacrificing the size of the keyboard.

The touchpad is generously sized, and its slightly rough surface resulted in almost no friction when moving our finger across it. As we mentioned previously, however, its nearly seamless blending with the surrounding deck sometimes made it difficult to locate. The silver mouse buttons below were huge and crisp.

Display and Audio

The 15.6-inch screen on the L505 was suitably bright, and its resolution of 1366 x 768 is more than adequate for its size. However, the viewing angles could have been better; we had to tilt the display back further than we normally do in order for it not to appear washed out. When set at the ideal angle, though, watching movies on the 16:9 aspect ratio display was enjoyable. When watching clips from Saturday Night Live, colors were bright and crisp, and blacks were deep.

The stereo speakers on the top of the deck were moderately loud and had decent separation while watching movies. As we expected in this price range, bass was virtually nonexistent on Notorious B.I.G’s “Big Poppa.”

Ports and Webcam

Arrayed along the right side of the Satellite L505 are two USB ports, modem, and a Kensington lock slot; on the left is VGA out, Ethernet, headphone and mic, and an eSATA port that doubles as USB; unfortunately, this port doesn’t include Toshiba’s Sleep-and-Charge technology. Also lacking is an HDMI port, which is far from a deal-breaker, but can be found on such competitors as the HP G62t.

A 1.3-megapixel webcam and microphone above the display provided passable images in a video chat over Skype; while a little drab, a caller could make out the color of our eyes. However, there was a bit of motion blur when we waved our hand about two feet away from the webcam.

Quick Specs :
CPU: 2.0-GHz Intel Pentium T4400
Operating System: Windows 7 Home premium (64-bit)
Ram/Expandable to: 3GB/8GB
Hard Drive Size/Speed: 320GB/5,400 rpm
Optical Drive: 8X DVD+/-RW
Display/Resolution: 15.6 inches/1366 x 768
Weight: 6 pounds