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The Toshiba NB100

Pros – easy ‘out of the box’ loading Ubuntu Linux version, good screen for the money, fast internet connection

Cons – internal styling, battery life and options, price (for the average spec)

Summary
Toshiba have held out for long enough and clearly felt compelled to enter the
netbook market. The price of the Toshiba NB100 is pretty keen given it is a ... well, Toshiba. But that’s the point of the NB100. Toshiba has a top notch name in the pc market and that’s why they hope you’ll splash the cash on the Toshiba NB100 because as netbooks go it certainly won’t set the world on fire. It’s a reasonable all-rounder but with the exception of the screen it’s just a bit dull! Frankly it’s hard to see why you wouldn’t plump for an Eee for the same or less money.

First Glance
There are 3 colours in the range – black, champagne gold and silver. We tested the black version which has a really smart piano black lid which is a good start. It’s a shame then that when you open the lid the casing inside is a bit plasticky and slightly out-dated looking. At 1 kg the weight is very agreeable. The screen is a belter – just 8.9 inch but again for the money it has a good 1024 x 600 resolution and high gloss finish (which you will either love or hate). But whilst the screen is good the keyboard is a let down. Ok small screen = small keyboard but some of the main keys are reduced in size and squashed in. If you have chunky fingers the Toshiba NB100’s keyboard will take some getting used to

The Essentials
The Atom N270 processor turns at 1.6Ghz. The base model has a 512mb Ram which combined with the N270 processor is easily man enough to drive the excellent Ubuntu Linux operating system. The Linux system is about the best we have seen and unless you really can’t deal with life beyond Windows then we’d suggest you save your money and stick with it. If you do go for the Windows option then you will benefit from the 1024mb upgraded Ram. At 80 Gb the HDD is pretty standard. The only available battery option, however will barely give you 3 hours usage.

What more do you need to know?
The built-in camera is just 0.3 megapixel which is a disappointment. The 4 in 1 card reader’s a nice addition but that’s about all that’s worth noting. No 3G connectivity as standard or bluetooth although the standard wi-fi connectivity seems very responsive

Options
- Windows or Linux
- Black, gold, silver
- Increased Ram of 1024mb
- From 80 to 120 or 160Gb HDD storage