Great Computer (with a few considerations) -- Toshiba Satellite Laptop
Written: Jun 18 '09 (Updated Aug 21 '09)
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Pros: good battery life, 3gb system memory, fast response, built-in webcam, 15.4" widescreen display
Cons: Updated Review -- lack of productivity software, weighs over six pounds, one big annoyance
The Bottom Line: My last Toshiba laptop had a great life, and I expect this Toshiba to live just as long (barring my clumsiness!).
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| dlstewart's Full Review: Toshiba Satellite A305-S6905 PC Notebook |
My faithful laptop computer met with an unfortunate accident. A cat, a dark hallway, and toes that tripped. The cat is okay. I'm okay. But the computer ..... That is why I now own this Toshiba Satellite Laptop Computer model # A305-S6905.
What Comes in the Box
* Laptop Computer with battery installed
* AC Adapter and Adapter Cord
* Power Cord
* Owner's Manual
Computer Layout
This is a nice looking computer. It has a glossy exterior in an interesting blue-gray shade. The interior is a glossy black, but there are thin gray horizontal stripes through it that mute the all-black appearance. No matter how you look at it, though, this computer has surfaces that show fingerprints. I'm a neat person, but still I can see my fingerprints dotted all over the interior and exterior of this machine.
What I like about this computer is that there are no ports or slots at the back of the machine. (I found those hard to reach on my old computer.) The drives, ports and slots are located on either the left or right side. The CD/DVD drive is on the right side of the computer toward the back. USB ports are divided between the two sides. The front edge of the computer does have a card reader slot (where I can insert the SD card from my digital camera), and the volume wheel is also at the front edge of the machine along with two jacks.
The keyboard is black with white lettering. The keys are a good size, too. I have no trouble typing on them. They also deliver a satisfying clicking sound that makes me feel productive when I type.
Above the keyboard is the power button at the left. To the right of the power button are located several media controls (mute key, play, stop, pause, forward, reverse). All of these controls glow with a white light, noticeable in low light situations. I wish a volume control was located there as well. Sometimes it is awkward fiddling with the volume wheel at the front of the computer ... having a volume control near the keyboard would have been a great addition.
I love the LCD 15.4" diagonal widescreen. The width is convenient for opening several documents and having them side-by-side while I work. It makes reference and comparison work much easier. My one complaint is that the screen is highly reflective. I can reduce the reflection by tilting the screen, but there is always a faint glimmer of reflection I can't eliminate. My old computer did not have this reflective problem.
However, despite the reflective surface, the video is beautiful. The colors are bright and the image is sharp. I am happy while watching videos on this machine. The audio is also quite good. I listen to my favorite radio station via the internet while working, and am quite pleased with the sound.
One of the items on my wish list for a laptop computer was a built-in webcam. This Toshiba has a very nice webcam located at the upper edge of the monitor screen. It comes with software that has a slide-out menu at the left of the computer screen. The webcam works great with excellent audio and video.
Operating System and Software
This computer is a 32-bit machine. It came loaded with Vista Home Premium (SP1). I was nervous about the Vista operating system, but I dove into the software with my Gateway desktop computer, and I love Vista. As with the desktop, the Vista operating system on the laptop has been trouble-free.
The one big disadvantage to this computer is that it comes with minimal productivity software. The machine comes loaded with a 60-day Trial Version of Office 2007. There is no Microsoft Works to fall back on. Once the trial version of this software is up, you will have to make a decision of whether to purchase the program or invest in other productivity software. I can see where the lack of software options will be a problem for students ... unless they have software they can load on this machine.
I loaded Office 2007 on this machine and regularly use the word processing and spreadsheet features. I also put Photoshop on the computer, and have had no problems with it. I can use the internet, MS Word, Photoshop and Dreamweaver at the same time without having system resource issues.
Battery Life
Another item on my wish list was long battery life. This Toshiba gives me between 3.5 - 4 hours of battery life. The battery is a lithium ion 9-cell. I like that I can work cordless on the computer for over three hours without having to worry about plugging in the computer.
An icon on the screen shows how much battery life remains in both percentage and in time (hours / minutes). If the computer runs low, it flashes a message to tell me the computer needs to be plugged in to recharge. I can still work on the computer while it is plugged in and recharging.
One thing about having a 9-cell battery in the machine ... it means the computer is a bit heavier than I would have preferred. I wanted a machine under five pounds. This one weighs 6.3 pounds. However, I opted for longer battery life over computer weight. This computer is pretty much staying on site with minimal travel, so the additional weight was not a big issue for me.
Notebook Mouse versus TouchPad
The touchpad on this computer is nice. It has a slightly textured feel to it so that you know your fingers are resting on the touchpad. Beneath the pad are two large silver buttons that act as the left and right "mouse" clicks. The cursor sometimes is hard for me to track, but this touchpad is easier than other laptop computer pointers I have used.
However, I prefer using a mouse with any computer. I installed a Logitech V200 notebook mouse, and it works great. It has a USB receiver that plugs into the side of the laptop.
Connecting to a Printer
My previous laptop ran Windows XP, and I had it connected to an HP 1000 LaserJet printer. Despite its quirks, that HP printer runs like a champ. I really wanted to connect it to my new laptop with the Vista operating system.
Surprise! The HP website informed me that they had no compatible print drivers for Vista. However, some moments spent with Google doing research on my dilemma, I found my solution.
From the HP website, I went to the "Software & Driver Downloads" link at the bottom of the page. On the next page, I typed "laserjet 1000" in the search box. On the HP LaserJet 1000 Printer page, I scrolled down and selected "Microsoft Windows XP" - even though there are Vista links, they just say no drivers are currently available. I then downloaded the "HP LaserJet 1000 Host Based Driver". Vista told me the driver did not download, but it did! In the download area on the computer, I clicked the executable driver to install it. The HP LaserJet 1000 now appeared in the Add Printer area. I set the printer as my default printer and have been using it ever since.
Disclaimer -- This solution worked for me. I am not endorsing this method as able to work for anyone else.
Laptop Heat
One thing that impresses me about this computer is that it tends to stay cooler on the bottom compared to other laptops I have seen and used. Still, to be safe, I do use a laptop cooler under this computer. The additional fans in the cooler will extend the life of the laptop. I often have the computer on for up to four and five hours at a time. Touching the bottom of the computer, it never feels burning hot.
Going Wireless
This laptop came with integrated wireless. I had no trouble connecting it to the existing router in the house. This machine is a breeze when it comes to internet connection. I zoom around the internet and often have multiple internet windows open at the same time. Internet connectivity is great; uploading and downloading files is easy.
Noise - The Fan
There is no getting around the fact that laptop fans are noisy. This Toshiba computer does generate some noise, but it is a hushed sound compared to some other laptops I have used. I have no trouble hearing the television or my music while using this computer.
I do have this laptop sitting on a notebook cooler, though. The cooler generates quite a bit more noise than the laptop.
Purchasing
I bought this computer from BestBuy for $599.99. I see that they are now offering it for $549.00.
UPDATE -- August 21, 2009
A weird thing happened with this machine. I haven't been to any unusual websites, and I did several thorough virus and malware scans, which turned up zero infections/problems with the machine.
Here's what happened. I booted the laptop as usual. Except the password box automatically filled in with a very long stream of asterisks (my password was not that long). No matter how I tried to delete the long list of asterisks, the computer always re-entered them. It would not allow me to type in my password.
So I booted the comptuer in Safe Mode (tap the F8 key while the computer is booting). It took several tries for the computer to boot into Safe Mode, too. Finally I was in Safe Mode, and I reset my password (you'll see the option in the Control Panel settings). For a week this worked fine. Then, you guessed it, the same thing happened where the long string of characters was automatically entered into the password box.
This time I entered in Safe Mode and selected the "no password" option. I have not had a problem with the machine since I did this. So I don't know if this is a Toshiba flaw or something else. But I thought I'd better mention it. I keep my main files in another location (not on the laptop), so not having the password option is not a big deal for me. However, I can see where this would be an enormous problem for those who need their comptuers password protected.
Summary
I am enjoying this Toshiba Satellite Laptop Computer, despite a few glitches. Please make sure you read my update above the Summary area.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Specifications
14.3" wide x 10.5" deep x 1.5" high
Weight: 6.3 pounds
Intel Centrino Core 2 Duo Mobile Processor T6400
2GHz, 2mb on die Level 2 Cache, 800MHz System Bus
Mobile Intel GM45 Express Chipset
3gb RAM (expandable to 4gb) -- PC6400 DDR2 SDRAM
320gb SATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
i.LINK (IEEE 1394) port and 3 USB ports
1 (one) eSATA / USB combo port
DVD plus-minus RW / CD-RW drive
Double-layer support
Supports DVD-RAM
Labelflash
15.4" WXGA diagonal widescreen LCD (1280 x 800 resolution)
Native support for 720p content
Built-in Harman/Kardon stereo speakers
Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
128-1294mb dynamically allocated shared video
5-in-1 bridge media adapter
Supports Secure Digital (SD), Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO,
MultiMediaCard and xD Picture Card formats
56 Kbps modem
Built-in 10/100 Ethernet LAN with RJ-45 connector
Intel Wi-Fi Link 5100AGN network connection (802.11 a/b/g/n)
Copyright 2009 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $599.99
Operating System: Windows
Screen Size: Greater than 15 inches
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