Review of Toshiba Satellite T110 and Linux

I bought this netbook-sized laptop one month ago. Apart from its compatibility with Linux, two competitors in the same prize and weight range fell out in the checkout process against the T110: Dell’s Mini v10 and Toshiba NB305-10F. This model won by technical specifications, basically Celeron processor superior to Atom and 2 GB RAM. The only trade-off in specs was the longer battery duration of the Toshiba

Linux for the Toshiba T110
The blogosphere did provide solutions to a number of issues with Linux. Specifically for Ubuntu: https://launchpad.net/~toshiba-t100-series
- screen brightness
- microphone detection
I checked Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (the Lucid Lynx) from the Windows 7 boot. Having verified that everything fell into its place, I installed standard ubuntu-10.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso on its own partition for dual booting with Windows.

I didn’t have any problems with hardware, including network and wireless connections, webcam, etc. I enjoy the laptop with Ubuntu a lot. Battery life is good enough for a 2 hours European flight on Easyjet including their usual delays.

What I miss on the Toshiba T110, in order of importance

• A proper TouchPad mouse behaviour, both in Windows and in Ubuntu
• SIM port for mobile broadband internet
• 7200 rpm hard drive instead of a 5400 rpm. Is it the only bottleneck of the hardware?

What accessories I might buy for the laptop

• Privacy screen filter