Hasta La Gadget!

One of the first things we did when our copy of Windows 7 RTM arrived at PCMag Labs was to bring our array of netbooks out of the dark ages of Windows XP and into the next generation of Microsoft’s OS. The new Toshiba mini NB205-N210 was one of the first to receive the upgrade, and it handled the transition perfectly. Installing the OS was a breeze; drivers were automatically found for all of the hardware, giving it the same functionality coming out of the install as it had in Windows XP.

As our laptop expert Cisco Cheng noted in his review, the NB205-N210 is the vanilla ice-cream of netbooks: unexciting, but still pretty sweet. The generic netbook hardware isn’t a problem for Windows 7. It runs with the beautiful Aero interface looking almost as nice as it does on a desktop. Even features like Flip 3D work without many hiccups.

Like most netbooks, the Toshiba mini NB205-N210 can’t handle high-definition Flash video without making it look like a slideshow. Windows 7 does nothing to change that. But standard-def YouTube and Hulu videos ran well, with only the occasional stutter to detract from ultraportable viral videos. There seems to be very little performance overhead with the new OS; everything runs just as well as it did in XP.

Though Windows 7 doesn’t improve the netbook’s middle-of-the-road keyboard and lack of outstanding hardware, it manages to bring the dated interface and feature set of XP into the Aero-infused present, even with those constraints. The Toshiba mini NB205-N210 isn’t just a respectable netbook. Consider it Windows 7-ready as well. For an in depth look at the netbook, check out our full review and benchmarks here.