Toshiba Dynabook UX (aka NB200) netbook tested

Toshiba Japan’s Dynabook UX, the company’s first 10-inch netbook, is also known as the NB200 in Western markets. The Dynabook follows on from the 8.9-inch NB100 netbook and according to some, could go on to become a best-seller for Toshiba. Portable Monkey has followed its initial impressions of the Dynabook with a full review.

The model they played with corresponds to the Toshiba NB200-11H SKU planned for the UK market costing £366.85, bar the 6-cell battery. This is not the top of the range SKU, that accolade goes to the Toshiba NB200-10Z (Brown) and NB200-110 (White) which both include Bluetooth for a few pounds extra.

As we have seen with recent previews, build quality was above par compared to other netbooks. The chiclet keyboard was found to be very good, although not quite as good as the one seen on the Asus Eee PC 1000HE. The touchpad was nice and large with the mouse buttons having good responsiveness. Battery life on the 3-cell lasted a commendable 3.5 hours. One of the main negative points was a very low sound volume from the speakers. Check out the key points after the break.

Key points from Toshiba NB200 review:

• Excellent build quality all over. The feel is much better than most netbooks which are mostly plastics. However there is a small amount of flex on the bottom middle part of the screen lid.
• Extremely quiet netbook, it is virtually fanless.
• The NB200 chiclet keyboard has no flex at all, the build quality is excellent. The tactile feedback of the 1000HE keys is preferred though.
• The NB200 touchpad is roomy with a delicate striped pattern running across the surface. The two dedicated touchpad buttons are one of the best used on a netbook. No multi-touch gesture feels like a step backward though.
• Sound is disappointing. The speakers sound clear and not ‘tinnyness’ but the volume is just nowhere near loud enough. The 1000HE at about 30% is the same volume on the NB200.
• The glossy 10-inch LED display displays colours vividly and is adequately bright. The tilt of the screen is very limited though.
• Size is decent, towards the smaller end of 10-inch netbooks. Considerably thinner than the 1000HE.
• The NB200 also has the third best power brick seen on a netbook. It is of similar size to the Eee PC series power brick.
• There are two access bays on the back. One to access the RAM and another to access the HDD. Unfortunately, the screws holding down the HDD cannot be unscrewed with a standard screwdriver.
• The NB200 supports a maximum of 2GB RAM.
• The NB200 comes with some HDD shock protection software installed that quickly turns off your hard drive should it become involved in an accident.
• The 3-cell battery should last for 3.5 hours using the internet on the lowest power setting. If you watch movies non-stop on full brightness you’ll get up to 2.5 hours.