2 units DOA, dont buy
Written: Jul 29 '00 (Updated Aug 23 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: small, light weight, windows 2000 preinstalled
Cons: Hot under hand, No internal CD
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| dhusch's Full Review: Toshiba Portege 3480CT (PP348C-4PU82) PC Notebook |
Three weeks ago the first unit arrived with problems. The PC card stopped working when the unit heats up. Also the computer gets uncomfortably hot where I rest my right hand after about 30 minutes of use. We sent the unit to a local service center to replace the motherboard so that we wouldn't waste another day installing software. Toshiba was unable to ship a replacement part after a week and is unable to say when they can ship a replacement.
We ordered a replacement unit from PC Connection. The pointing device on the new unit did not work; also the new unit also had PC Card problems and overheating problems. Another reviewer did not experience heat problems so perhaps we were unlucky and got two bad units. I strongly recommend avoiding the Portege line until Toshiba figures out their manufacturing problems. Also Toshiba is unable to ship replacement parts after 7 days. If you do buy a Toshiba, make sure your retailer accepts returns without a big restocking fee.
To be fair; the big 4 American laptop makers have their share of manufacturing quality issues as well. I cant recommend a single manufacturer that consistently has good quality in laptops.
Original review from two weeks ago:
The PC card adapter has intermittent problems that cause the external CD or the wireless LAN adapter to sometimes lockup and bring the machine to a grinding halt. This is really 3 problems all combined.
1) There is no built in DVD or CD so it is necessary to use a PC Card or USB CD player. The other reviewer said he put in a DVD and relaxed; well he certainly wasn't doing it on an airplane because there would have been cables all over the place.
2) The computer comes with a LAN port extender with a built in Ethernet. While this sounds great, it is actually quite awkward. The normal position for a port extender is behind the computer. However the cable plugs into the right side and goes straight to the right. The cable is quite thick and to have it loop around to the back takes up 60 sq inches of desktop space. Thus the company computer guy tried butting in a wireless LAN card so we could bypass using the port extender.
3) Both The wireless LAN Ethernet (PC Card) and DVD-CD Port noteworthy (also a PC Card) had intermittent problems where they would freeze up and operations would come to a grinding halt. I believe it is a heat problem because it only happens after the computer has been on a while. The case gets so hot that it is uncomfortable to rest the hand on it after a while. Its possible that I was unlucky and happened to get a defective box, but it could point out a fundamental design problem for the entire model line.
Here is the original review I wrote last week with a few edits...
Windows 2000 came preinstalled. Contains internal modem, no problems. All hardware setup issues worked great thanks to Windows 2000. (except for PC Card problems) The unit is small and light as promised. It is almost compact enough to use in an airline coach seat when the seat ahead is reclined.
Machine goes into "hibernate" mode when closing the screen and reawakens on opening. Toshiba seems to be able to make this work; other manufacturers such as Dell, Gateway, IBM, Compaq dont seem to make a working suspend a big priority. It takes about 20 seconds to go into hibernate and 20 seconds to reawaken; a bit long if airport security makes you turn it on to prove it is not a bomb.
There is no CD-ROM, DVD, or diskette included. They can be added (extra cost) through the Lan-port extender (included) or by a PC Card. I got a DVD-CD Port noteworthy using the PC-Card. The CD stopped working intermittently and may need to be returned. (I now believe it is a problem with the computer itself) An Ethernet connection is available on the included Lan-Port extender. The extender contains only 1 PS-2 port for a keyboard or mouse and 1 USB port. If you want to use both external mouse and keyboard, the only option is to get a USB keyboard. These are recommended for reasons soon to be explained.
My biggest complaint is that the unit gets quite hot. The harddisk is right underneath where the right hand rests. I recommend using an external keyboard when not traveling, and placing a napkin over the unit to keep your hand from getting hot. It might be advisable to use a pair of fingerless bicycle gloves.
Recommended:
No
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dhusch
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Reviews written: 11
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