Toshiba is one of the last laptop manufacturers to launch a netbook, but it has finally caved and the NB100 will be on sale at the end of October in the UK. As far as netbooks go, the NB100 is one of a handful that actually embrace the concept fully, in that it’s small, light and cheap.

We got to spend some time with a pre-production model and made a video of our first impressions – after the cut.

Manufacturers are having a hard time differentiating their netbooks without losing sight of the original netbook concept, and Toshiba is no different. The NB100 has essentially the same specification as every other netbook available and the hope is that the name alone will sway some buyers.

Toshiba hasn’t forgotten that a netbook should be portable above all else though, and the NB100 is just a bit bigger than the Asus Eee PC 901. At 1kg, it’s lighter too, although it does have a smaller battery. Toshiba reckons the 5200mAh cell is good for three and a half hours of use though, which isn’t bad for a netbook of this size.

The glossy 8.9in screens runs at 1024 x 600 and the keyboard, while cramped, has keys that are a little larger than on the similarly-sized Eee PC 901. Not something you’d want to spend long periods typing on, but then that’s true of any laptop this size.

The NB100 will be available in two versions, one with Ubuntu Linux and the other with Windows XP Home. Specifications are essentially the same, but the Linux model makes do with 512Mb of RAM and an 80Gb hard disk, the Windows one ha 1Gb of RAM and a 120Gb drive. Otherwise, it’s standard netbook fare – Intel Atom N270 processor, and so on…

Both models will be available from the end of the month – the Linux NB100 will cost £259 inc VAT; Windows XP Home will cost £299 inc VAT. Look out for a full review shortly, but in the meantime, here’s the video:

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