Toshiba is pushing the netbook envelope with the NB520, a new machine that packs two Harman-Kardon speakers, sleep-and-charge ports, and tech that can playback audio from an attached MP3 player.
The Toshiba NB305 (read the review) was the first netbook to pack sleep-and-charge USB ports. Third-party, stereo-separated speakers located within the tiny shell of netbook computer, on the other hand, is brand new. Audio playback from a MP3 player via said palm-rest speakers is also noteworthy and cool.
For hardware, the NB520 packs a dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor (1.5-GHz, 1MB L2 cache, and 667Mhz FSB), 1GB of DDR3 RAM, 250GB shock-absorber HDD, and a built in webcam. So, standard fare there.
What's not so standard are the chassis color options available on the NB520: Warm Brown, Striking Lime Green, Daring Sunlight Copper, and Sophisticated Turquoise. We can't lie. The way the lid color matches the touchpad buttons is very cool in a "We loved Trapper Keepers in elementary school"-kind of sense.
Sadly, Toshiba has yet to announce this category-pusher stateside. So, for now, the NB520 is available for $599 in Singapore. For those of you who shop across borders, that'll be $450 in U.S. dollars.
Via Notebook News.com & Liliputing
