Toshiba NB505: the Black netbook (other colors available too)

Portability, affordability, elegance, lightweight, functionality. These are the things that a good netbook should offer these days and these are exactly the characteristics of the Toshiba NB505.

Weighing in at only 2.9 pounds and measuring 10.3 x 7.5 x 1.4 inches, the NB505 manages to keep the clear cut lines of the Toshiba trademark while being slim and classy. Available in black, but also blue, brown, green, orange and turquoise, the NB505 is as fashionable as it could be, being the perfect travel companion for students, but also for business users.

The 10.1-inch LED backlit widescreen display with 1024 x 600 pixels resolution is a very pleasant surprise, offering rich colors, as well as great contrast and brightness. You also get pretty good viewing angles (at least for a netbook).

The full-size keyboard is itself unusually comfortable and accurate, while the large touchpad with multi-touch control provides a level of responsiveness and functionality similar to those of a much larger notebook.

In terms of performance, the NB505 is not exactly what you would call a perfect gaming machine, but is pretty satisfying nevertheless. Powered by a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N455 processor and featuring 1 GB of DDR2 memory, Toshiba’s mini laptop is perfect for surfing the Internet, but can also get the job done when talking about playing a movie or two.

The battery is by far the biggest strong point of the NB505 and it is actually what makes this portable computer great for traveling. You should therefore expect about seven or eight hours of ‘’life’’ between charges, based on regular use.

Other features include Wireless and LAN connectivity, no less than three USB ports, which is great for a 10-inch netbook, but also a memory card reader. You don’t get Bluetooth or HDMI, but that shouldn’t be very surprising for a laptop of these dimensions. In terms of storage space, you get a hefty 250 GB SATA hard drive, enough for probably storing more than you will ever need on the NB505.

In terms of pricing, Toshiba’s 10-incher is very competitive as well, going for 258.98 dollars right now. That is substantially less than what other similar netbooks go for at the moment and it is also over 40 dollars less than the NB505′s initial list price.

See some other good Black Friday deals on Laptops.