Best Electronic Reviews

Specification:

Operating system: Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, Windows Vista Premium;

Dimensions: Height = 1.53″; Width = 11.6″; Depth = 9.80″; Weight = 4.5 lb;

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T7200, 2.00 GHz;

Memory: comes with 1024 MB PC5300 DDR2 SDRAM, or 2048MB PC5300 DDR2 SDRAM; Maximum RAM is 4096 MB;

Hard drive: comes in 60, 80, 100, 120GB, 5400 RPM;

Graphics/Display: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 with 8MB-128MB shared graphics memory, 1024 x 768 resolution;

Sound: Stereo Speakers (built in), Built in Microphone;

Ports: RGB output port (for monitor), Headphone and Microphone ports, 3/4 USB v2.0, RJ-11 Mode, Docking connector (Underneath the computer), Ethernet port, PCMCIA card slot, 5-in-1 Media Card Reader (Memory stick, Xc Card, Multi Media Card, SDIO, Memory Stick Pro for new Sony Cameras.);

Networking: Wireless 802.1 a/b/g, Dial up modem, Inter Pro/1000 Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.0 plus EDR (Toshiba Bluetooth Driver Software), Integrated Verizon Wireless EVDO (On newer Protege M400, Specially S4034);

Included: Li-Ion (4700mAh), AC adapter (75W), Finger Print Reader, Hot key Security and password Security;

Warranty: 3 years parts and labor and 1-year Battery (exchanging old battery for a new one.)

Pros:

* Very good Processor for a computer of this kind. This computer is the first Tablet PC to use the Intel Core 2 Duo processor. The battery life is amazing. Our tested life is around 3 hrs and 30 minutes, which is pretty close to what Toshiba says ( 4 hrs.).

* If the computer comes with Windows XP tablet edition, 1 GB of RAM could be enough, but most likely needs to be upgraded to 2 GB; If the computer comes with Windows Vista, it is highly recommended to get 2GB or higher.

* The CD/DVD drive is pretty powerful; Maximum speed for the CD-ROM is 24x, CD-RW 10x, DVD-ROM 8x, DVD-R double layer 2x, DVD-RW 4x

* The Wireless 802.11 a/b/g is decent, but the bluetooth communication makes the networking of this computer very impressive.

*The 1024 x 768 resolution on the LCD screen gives you a nice, clear picture.

* I like the design of the Pen. When stored, it hides on the side of the computer, unlike the Fujitsu Tablets, whose pen’s tend to fall out of storage.

* This computer has nice features like a built in Media card and express card readers (xD, memory Stick, memory Stick PRO and Multimedia Card). The finger print reader is very useful, especially if you leave your computer near other people, but you still want it to be secured.

Cons:

* The fact the the screen only turns to the left is inconvenient. Toshiba needs to work on that aspect of the design.

* The graphics is all shared and there is no dedicated graphics and that gives you not as good graphics as dedicated computers would do.

* The computer’s wireless card does not support ‘n’ routers. ‘n’ is the new upcoming technology of wireless cards.

*The battery life is great for the first year, but the battery dies very fast after a year or so.

* After a year of use the AC adapter cord tends to get cracks at the joints near the adapter. This could be dangerous. If you are under warranty, you can call Toshiba, and they send a new one free of charge.

* The screen has a tendency to mess up and dead pixels appear after couple of months. Also, dust particles collect under the screen over time.

* The HDD (Hard Disk Drive) protection tends to malfunction. Occasionally when this happens, the HDD freezes.

* The speakers are rather small and do not provide a quality sound.

* Toshiba’s customer service is poor.

* The cooling fan for the HDD is very loud and sometimes becomes annoying.

* The wires connecting the screen to the base sometimes short circuit and don’t function right. This causes the screen to flash off for a second or two.

Overall:

Overall, this laptop is a good choice for a business man or student. Definitely not a good choice for gaming or picture/movie editing. The higher amount of RAM, the better performance you will get out of the computer. The 2.0 GHZ intel core 2 Duo is excellent for a computer of this kind. The CD/DVD drive is pretty powerful and does most everything you need to do now-a-days. The fact that you get a Media Card reader to download pictures from your camera on a computer of this kind is very good. The weight of this computer is 4.5 pounds, very light! The battery life is very good for the first year. After the first year, life starts to decline. It is a good idea to get a free battery from Toshiba (from the warranty) near the end of your first year as your battery declines.

This computer has a feature called the HDD protection software which protects the HDD from shocks. Based on experience, I highly recommend that you not turn off this feature. Otherwise your HDD will start freezing frequently and you have to send it to Toshiba to get it fixed (usually it is covered under your warranty). Toshiba’s customer service can be frustrating.

Specification:

Operating system: Windows Vista Home premium;

Dimensions: Height = 11.3″; Width = 15.7″; Depth = 1.8″; Weight = 7.2 lb;

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo, 1.66 GHz;

Memory: 3072MB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4097 MB;

Hard drive: 250GB, 5400 RPM;

Graphics: 1440 x 900 screen resolution, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (shared) 251MB;

Ports: 6 USB ports, 1 Firewire, Express Card, VGA card, Media card, S-Video out, NO PC card;

Additional Features: The Labelflash disc-Labeling

Networking: Wireless 802.1 a/g/n, dial up modem, Ethernet card, Built in webcam, (BLUETOOTH NOT INCLUDED);

Included: 6-cell Lithium-Ion battery; 65 W AC Power Adapter;

Warranty: 12 months Parts and 6 months labor manufacture warranty

Pros:

* This Intel processor gives you a better battery life comparing with equivalent AMD processors. The Core 2 Duo processor gives you more power than the standard 1.66 GHz processor because it has two engines.

* The 3 GB RAM included in this computer is very good. Since windows Vista requires you to have at least 1024 MB of RAM, one can get a lot better performance with 3 GB of RAM.

* The Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 is a decent graphics card, it’s good to watch movies and a lot of games, but some games like half life 2, Halo 2, or CS might have problems with it.

* The 250GB of hard drive is enough space for a basic use and great for a laptop of this kind; 250 GB of hard drive is very hard to fill up unless you have got a lot of music and movies (dvd quality).

* The Wireless 802.11 a/g/n is a strong wireless card since you can get the ‘g’ and ‘n’ wireless.

* The 1440 x 900 resolution screen is very good for a laptop and since the screen is 17” , you can get a very good picture quality out of the computer. The 17″ screen is very good if you are using the laptop a lot and do not have an external monitor.

* The Labelflash disc-Labeling is a technology that Toshiba usually uses to create label on labeflash media

* Nice features like a built in webcam, Media card, and express card readers (xD, memory Stick, memory Stick PRO and Multimedia Card)

Cons:

* The Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 is a decent graphics card and some games wont be played on it. cards such as GeForce Go 8400M are a lot more powerful than X3100 and have better performance.

* The computer’s wireless card does not support the ‘b’ routers, but on the other hand ‘b’ is very old and not many people use them anymore.

* The battery life is not that great because you are getting a 6-cell battery and since the laptop has a 17″ screen, the battery life won’t be more than 2:30-minutes.

* comparing to other brand computers, the laptop is a little bit heavy and thick

* Does not have a Built in Bluetooth

Overall:

Overall, this laptop is a very good and an excellent choice for a average user. Not that great for gaming but you are still able to play 95% of new games. The 3 GB RAM is very good for a laptop of this kind. You are able to burn/play CD and DVDs, download pictures from your camera to your laptop by using the Media card reader. The processor of the computer is very powerful and has a high performance on Windows Vista. The battery life is a little bit short which could be better if you get a 9-cell or a 12-cell battery directly from Toshiba.