At my workplace, virtually nobody used bulky old desktop computers. Everybody is assigned a notebook computer, which not only frees up a lot of desk space, but also allows up to work on our own PC whether we're at our desk or in the lab. It's a system that work quite well. And being the corporate environment that his is, the laptops are all Toshibas. It seems that Toshibas is quite popular in the corporate notebook computing market. And our Satellite Pro 4300 computers clearly demonstrate why.

There's about 75 of these machines being used in the office day-in and day-out, and many are taken home with the employees also. In over one year, I have yet to see one single problem with any of these machines. Quite impressive considering the abuse they are put through.

But let's get down to the things that make this notebook a great corporate workhorse. First the specifications:

-Intel Mobile Celeron processor, 667 MHz
-64 MB SDRAM
-10 GB HDD
-Integrated DVD-ROM drive
-Integrated Floppy drive
-Integrated pointing device (little know in the keyboard)
-One USB port
-One RS-232 serial port
-One parallel port
-Integrated 56k modem
-14.1" TFT active matrix screen
-External monitor connector
-Composite NTSC video out
-2 PC Card expansion slots
-PS/2 mouse/keyboard port
-Lithium Ion battery

There are a couple of very strong points about this configuration. First, the screen is very nice and readable and big enough not to be a nuisance when working. the 1024x768 resolution is sufficient for day-to-day tasks. I'd rather look at this than a 17" CRT; it's much easier on the eyes.

The full complement of ports allows connecting it to practically anything, and the integrated modem is nice to have on the road. The external VGA monitor connector is a must to connect the laptop to a boardroom projector, and the composite out is nice, since I can bring the laptop home and watch a DVD movie on my television without any special connection.

Battery life, although not exceptional, is in the general average for similar notebooks. Battery life is generally 2.5 hours with default power conservation settings. This reduces considerable to about 1.5 hours when a network interface card is in place however.

This is not to say that the hardware configuration is perfect for the corporate crowd though. While the 667 MHz Intel Celeron processor is sufficient for day-to-day office tasks, the 64 MB of RAM is clearly lacking. We've upgraded many of our laptops to make them more useable with current software.

The lack of an on-board network interface is quite intriguing however. Considering that this notebook is aimed at the corporate market, the omission of the network interface port is unexplainable. In our case, we installer wireless network adapters in the PC Card expansion slots, but this is not common practice in most offices where the network remains wired.

It would also be nice to have two USB ports. In order to connect my iPaq to the computer, I have to use a special adapter to plug my mouse in the PS/2 port. It’s not the end of the world, but why not put two ports?

But my two biggest issues with the Satellite Pro 4300 are it weight and fan noise. I don’t recommend this notebook for long distance treks on foot. It gets cumbersome after a while, and you wish you had that 4-pound Sony Vaio… But then you set up in a quiet place to get some work done, and the fan comes on to aggravate you. The internal fan only works intermittently for about 5 seconds at a time, and it’s really loud. Loud enough to make people notice in a library. I’ve seen quieter desktop computers that this. I can’t imagine how loud the new Toshibas with 1 GHz + processsors must be.

But then again, that’s the price to pay for a notebook that can stand to a lot of abuse without showing any signs of failure. As a computer to use instead of a desktop, noise and weight are not big issues, and so the Satellite 4300 is liked by most people in the company. If only they could install more RAM direct from the factory…


Recommended: No

Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Celeron
Processor speed: 601-700
RAM: 64
Internal Storage: DVD