Toshiba Mini NB305-N440BL 10.1-Inch Royal Blue Netbook (8 Hour Battery Life)

Based on good computer reviews, I bought it and my daughter is very satisfied using it for taking notes in class. She just pops it into her purse and off she goes while she watches other people manhandle their larger laptops into carrying bags.
Battery life is much better than the HP 1000 that she had, about 6 hrs. Keyboard works well and the netbook has handy s/w tools that help once you're more familiar with it. Outside case is scratch-resistant. Has 3 USB ports. 250Gb HDD capacity is useful. HDD shock sensor was nice to have but I never mistreated a laptop while in use before. Little faster processor than the HP 1000. Webcam is better than HP 1000's. Windows 7 operating system is more user friendly than Vista, more like XP.
The big negative was the speaker placement, in front but below the keyboard so unless your ears are near your belly button, you have to push volume control to max or use headphones. Toshiba sells a DVD RW drive but I bought a less expensive portable DVD drive with a reputable brand thru Amazon. I bought a 2Gb RAM but haven't installed it yet. All-in-all, a great netbook to carry around.

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.

It is not really fast, it has a moderate capacity, etc. It serves grandly for reading email, for web surfing, and for substituting for a radio for night listening where reception sucks. We wanted a substitute for radio at our weekend cabin and it does that. We think it has been a good choice. As long as you don't think you should get high end performance from low end costs, you will be happy.

I purchased the Toshiba NB305 when my previous Lenovo gave up the ghost and I needed a device for use at the Boy Scout National Jamboree. Although the fit and function of the keyboard is just right, and the brightness of the screen more than adequate, three gripes surfaced. Minor was the inability to upgrade the memory to 2GB due to inaccuracy of the part specification. Second, the battery life went for 10 hours indicated after first charge to 4 hours after the second charge, and the device has remained at 4 hours since. But most aggravating and damning was the inability to connect to the proffered WiFi at the Jamboree staff site. While all around me were connected with their Apples, HPs, Dells and some older Toshibas, there I sat with my new NB305 and nary a trace of a signal. Chagrined, wiser, and with an opportunity to trade sleep time for internet time. If faced with a marginal signal issue again I shall probably opt for an external antennae/wireless.

Some folks here have posted that the memory upgrade to 2 gb doesn't work. Toshiba originally had the wrong memory upgrade listed on their site, and folks orddered it & it didn't work. I can see how it was frustrating since it took a while for the support forum to acknowledge that. If you go to Toshiba support forums now, they have listed there the correct memory number for an upgrade to 2 gb ! Great little netbook !
Update: Memory now available is Kingston KTT1066D3S/2G