Close, but consider your needs
Written: Apr 26 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Thin, lightweight, big keyboard and screen, powerful
Cons: Short battery life, fragile, few built-in ports
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| tl098711's Full Review: Toshiba Portege 7140 |
Everyone is searching for the ultimate extremes in a laptop. They want speed and power, big keyboard and screen, long battery life, but an extremely lightweight and thin case. The Toshiba 7140 is the best bet, although I'd recommend folks really figure out what their priorities are. Many manufacturers are trying to build powerful ultra-thin, ultra-light laptops, and although they are getting better, I think you still need to choose between power and features versus thin and lightweight. You can't have both (yet) and get a durable, stable laptop. Toshiba's comes the closest today to meeting this need.
Pros:
Thin (l inch thick)
Sleek and attractive look
Lightweight 4.4 lbs
Large screen (13.3 TFT active matrix)
Large keyboard (larger than most)
Built-in 56K v90 modem
Fast (can get upto a PIII 650 mhz. processor)
3 year warranty (never get a laptop without at least a 2 year warranty!)
Cons:
Most common I/O ports (ps/2, serial, parallel) are only available via the "I/O Port Expander", which dangles off the side using a cable; another piece to carry with you (and lose)
All drives (other than HD) are external. Floppy is external; if you want a CD/DVD drive, you either have to buy the net/DVD dock, or buy a 3rd party PCMCIA or USB CD.
This unit is not as durable as a larger model. It will not stand up to the kind of punishment heavy travelers would put on it. The screen is so thin that if weight were exerted (overstuffed carrying case; book placed on top of closed lid), that the screen could be damaged. If you get it, get a really good carrying case and don't overstuff it or beat it up.
Short battery life. The battery life is very short on these. You are lucky to get 2 hours. Plan on carrying extra batteries, buying extended life-batteries, or stay near an outlet.
Fan constantly running. Because it is so thin, the fan seems to run nearly constantly to keep it cool. This can get annoying to some folks.
The pointing device. Like all Toshibas, it has a "pencil eraser" pointer in the middle of the keyboard. Some like it, some don't. If you don't (like me), plan on carrying an external mouse, touchpad, or trackball. Since there isn't a PS/2 port directly on the 7140, you'll have to use the Port Expander or find a USB pointer which works (test it!).
DVD flacky. As already pointed out, DVD playback is iffy using the Net DVD dock. It's a nice feature in theory, but don't plan on relying on it if you really need/want DVD.
Conclusion:
If you really really need a super-thin but powerful laptop, consider the 7140. I'd recommend, however, that you look at the Toshiba Tecra 8100. It's more powerful, a tad cheaper, and only a pound heavier. And you won't have to carry around a lot of spare parts. If you don't need the power and want something really light (but more durable), look at Toshiba's Portege 3110 (or it's new successor, the 3440). But I'd take the Toshiba 7140 any day over any of the Sony's. Toshiba has a better warranty, and has service to back it up. Sony is notorious for non-existent customer service and short warranties. If you buy a 7140, buy a good carrying case (like a Targus) and treat it gently.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
tl098711
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Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 5 members
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