The laptop that I really take with me
Written: Jun 29 '06 (Updated Jul 08 '06)
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Pros: Thin, light, reasonable office performance, super quality keyboard, super build quality
Cons: Short battery, no USB2.0/FW/Bluetooth, max 512MB only, strange key positions, small HDD
The Bottom Line: Super thin and super light coupled with reasonable office performance - will travel with you everywhere. The high tech of laptop engineering.
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| imreasztar's Full Review: Toshiba Portege 2000 (PP200U-0000G9) PC Notebook |
Here's the summary of a 3 year run with my Toshiba Portege 2000 laptop.
This machine was top of the laptop world both in design and technology when it came out. In fact, it was so well made then that although technology advanced a lot it still rules even compared to recent machines.
The power of the system is very office oriented - poor both in CPU and graphics: PIII 750 MHz/512 Kbyte, 512 MB/100 MHz SDRam, 16 MB Trident XP Ai1, 12.1in/1024x768.
The screen size and resolution is just perfect for this mobile use. I have experienced that larger screens result in pushing the laptop away from me, somehow the same screen estate. Also, the 12.1in size fits super well in my bag, and the whole laptop is so thin that it takes up really no space in an office bag - I carried this laptop always with me.
The HDD is small, slow and makes an annoying clicking sound. This is the HDD that Apple used in first iPods and for an mp3 player it was decent. However, this slow HDD really holds back Win XP performance and was a major point of disappointment to me. Unfortunately, there was no real option to upgrade, given this 1.8in HDD is proprietary (widely available is the 2.5in format).
The keyboard is a mixed bag. First, it is of super quality, I think the best keyboard I've ever typed on, even including the IBM ThinkPad X20. However, control key positions are awkward and need a lot of adjustment. Insert is too close to the spacebar, tab and backspace is too small, there's only 1 Ctrl key, and there's no standard-conform International English layout available. The touchpad is of good quality, but again, very small - I preferred to carry an external optical mouse with me.
When the machine is closed, the keys touch the screen and leave a strong trace because of all the dust and grease accumulated.
Connectivity is basic; the only useable port is the Ethernet port. WiFi works well, but there's no Firewire, no USB 2.0, or Bluetooth. There's only 2 of the USB 1.0 ports, forget to add a printer, mouse, pendrive, camera, etc. all at the same time. There is a PCMCIA port, but it falls under the right hand-mouse space, so when there is a USB 2.0 PCMCIA card with an external HDD on it, there's no chance for comfortable mouse use.
The machine is silent in general. However, when something makes the CPU run at 100%, the system fan kicks in and makes a very loud noise as it pushes the air through the tiny holes. Draws all the attraction in a library.
The speaker is super tiny, so poor it only works for beeps really. I never watched a movie with these speakers.
There's a nice set of system applications programming quick keys for folders/programs and adjusting settings for the port replicator, system power, network and security.
The standard battery works for 1h-1h30m in general, the second battery enables for 3 hours altogether.
The Toshiba Portege 2000 would seriously need: TV-out, firewire, USB 2.0, standard battery for 3 hours.
Technical support is also frustrating. First, Toshiba had great service, but the Portege 2000 model is so top of the range and that it sells only in a small quantity. So they don't store parts locally and the configuration options are also very limited (HDD, choice of keyboard, memory, etc.).
There is no optical drive, so I bought a Sony MPD-AP20U external CDRW/DVD-Rom drive to install applications and to occasionally burn audio CDs. Otherwise, I could perfectly live without the optical drive. The only situation I missed it is when I was at a friend and wanted to grab some audio CD.
The follow up models were:
Portege 2010 (PIII 866 MHz 512 KB)
Portege R100 (P-M 900 MHz ULV) (max 1.28 GB memory), Trident XP4m32 LP 32 MB
In summary, this is a nice laptop for taking notes and work on office applications, and the super thin+light design makes this a really portable machine. Well worth the money if you find it on eBay.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2000
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 701-800
Screen Size: 12 inches
RAM: More than 256
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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Epinions.com ID:
imreasztar
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Location: Budapest, Hungary
Reviews written: 28
Trusted by: 6 members
About Me:
Bio/chemical engineer who loves mobile tech
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