Toshiba NB200

Since netbook components are pretty much standard across all models, manufacturers don’t have much wiggle room when it comes to boosting battery life and a big bunch of cells is really the only option. That’s certainly the approach taken by Toshiba for the NB200 and its bountiful 63Wh battery pack gives bags of mains-free use.

Externally, the NB200 is also much better looking than Toshiba’s earlier netbook efforts. It has the usual glossy with matte plastic case combination, but it’s executed neatly, with clean lines and a pleasingly slim profile. The battery pokes from the back end like a bit of an afterthought, where a long cylinder of cells with the same diameter as a 1p piece runs just behind the screen. As ever, this will get in the way if your bag’s netbook carrying compartment is particularly tight, but the shortcomings are really more aesthetic than practical.

The lid’s hinges are good and stiff, without a trace of wobble, and the screen folds back far enough to make the Toshiba NB200 comfortable to use on a lap (although it doesn’t fold back flat). There’s a wide bezel around all four sides of the screen, but this fits nearly flush with the display and has a mate finish, so it really isn’t that much of a distraction.

The screen’s glossy finish inevitably won’t appeal to all, but it is exceptionally vibrant and clear — one of the best we’ve seen on any netbook, in fact. The 10.1” diagonal and 1024 x 600 resolution doesn’t offer anything different to any other netbook available, though.

Toshiba has done a cracking job with the NB200’s keyboard, however. It’s almost full-size, fills the full width of the case and has large, flat keys with broad tops. It’s solid across the entire width too, and extremely comfortable to use as a result — if you need a netbook for lots and lots of typing, this is one for your shortlist.

As big as the keyboard is, there’s still plenty of room of a wide palm-rest and Toshiba has been sensible and fitted an equally expansive touchpad. It doesn’t support multi-touch (not a big deal, if you ask us), but it is accompanied by two equally large buttons that have a strong, positive click.

If we’re being picky, our only real quibble with the interior design on the Toshiba NB200 lies with the power button. Since there’s no space above the keyboard for it, this sits in the middle of the hinge, just below the screen and when lit, its bright while light is something of a distraction when you’re working. . Hardly a deal breaker, we admit, but an annoyance nonetheless.

The core specification of the Toshiba NB200 is the same as just about every Intel Atom-powered netbook we’ve ever reviewed — Atom N280 processor 1Gb of RAM and a 160Gb hard drive. Performance is pretty much on a par with the rest of the Atom pack, too — fine for general productivity use and web browsing, but a bit too slow for anything more demanding.

Of course the ace up the Toshiba NB200’s sleeve is that big 63Wh battery and this pays off big time when it’s working away from the mains. In BatteryEater Pro’s demanding Classic test, the netbook ran for just over five hours (Wi-Fi off, screen at 60% brightness) and this almost doubled in the much less punishing Reader test.

In practical terms, this means that you can probably expect to get around seven or eight hours’ typical use with the Toshiba NB200 on battery power with Wi-Fi enabled — enough for a full working day or a trans-Atlantic flight.

Toshiba lists 16 different models on the NB200 product page, although the differences really only lie with the processor (Atom N270 or N280), battery life and colour. The cheapest model is £269, but the NB200-13L we reviewed has an SRP of £305 and is available from Amazon.co.uk for £266. This makes it the cheapest netbook we’ve so far reviewed with this kind of all-day battery life — and that makes it a great buy.