| Laptops and Notebooks Reviews : Toshiba |
 | Toshiba Satellite L505D-GS6000 Laptop - AMD Turion II dual-core M500 / 16.0" HD LCD / 4GB DDR2 / 320GB HD / DVD SuperMulti Drive / Built-in webcam / Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Great value for money! -- 2010-07-31
This laptop works like a dream! This is my 2nd Toshiba laptop and though I had my heart set on a Satellite Pro (just because, LOL), this, to me, was a much better value for money ($530.00 before tax, from BestBuy). It has worked beautifully from day one and has never given me cause for regret.
My first laptop (Toshiba Satellite also) came with Vista and gave me no end of headaches, to the point where I had to change to WinXP and upgrade the memory. (After this, it worked great.) Because of this, I was a little wary of Win7 but I shouldn't have been - no problems there at all. It recognizes everything I stick in it (except for my HP printer, but it was easy to get the drivers online) and I've had no thought of upgrading the memory it came with, something I've had to do with every other computer I've owned.
I must also mention how much I like the keyboard - beautiful, wide keys and a number keypad (!!!), which my previous laptop did not have and which was a constant source of grumbling to me.
My one and only complaint about this product would be the speakers - quite frankly, they're terrible! But no biggie for me, I simply use external speakers.
Overall, great product at a great price!
Excellent but 2 flaws: sound, 64-bit limitations -- 2010-07-28
I helped in buying this laptop for my mother as a replacement for an old 2001 computer she was struggling with.
After setting it up for her I spent a day experimenting. Here is my assessment of the Satellite L505D-GS6000:
Pros:
- it runs smoothly on Win-7 with a minimum of the balky behavior experienced with XP
- video and video card are excellent
- the webcam is much better than expected
- battery life is well-inline with specs
- comes with Microsoft works, which is perfect for those not wishing to spend a lot of money
on software they won't use, such as the Office Suite
Cons:
- speaker, though turned up to maximum did not allow hearing of media player
- 64-bit software limitations are still severely limiting
- cooler will be needed, unless you like replacing the hard drive every 12-24 months
The sound quality can easily be improved with cheap speakers provided by Microsoft and Logitech, two reliable providers. The cost would be in the $30-40 range.
When I used Vista 64-bit in July 2009, I found it impossible to find replacements for expensive upgrades provided by Norton (antivirus), Webroot (Spysweeper) and others. Many technical software providers, such as AutoDesk require complete upgrades such as over $800 for AutoCAD Lt 2010. To my surprise, Win-7, which was a vast improvement over clunky Vista, would not allow me to run AutoCAD Lt 2007. I purchased AutoCAD Lt 2007 for about $1000.
Here's how I met the challenge. First, I went back to Win-7 32-bit, although this will cost me RAM; you need 4G minimum for Win-7 anyway (not 2G they said in 2006 - this happened before with MS XP!). I run a gamer machine with 8G, so I can tolerate using it all to run 32-bit Win-7.
With 64-bit Win-7, it's different. You will find that the new and improved Internet Explorer has a pretty good firewall according to PC magazine. However, I recommend using the Norton Internet Security package that comes with the Toshiba L505D-GS6000. It runs much smoother than the original Norton software of 2009. Next, you should add CCleaner, which is an excellent tool for removing cookies and such for free; go to CNET or another reliable free software site with less chance of picking up spyware.
Unfortunately, you will find than many 32-bit softwares won't run such as Avast! Free Antivirus. You will get warning that the software did not load or than no warning at all. Look for the software on your computer faceplate. If it isn't there, it probably didn't load. You can check using Control Panel too.
I'm advising everyone owning a laptop to buy a cooler. I've owned laptops for years and the new duo-cores run very hot; hot enough to eventually destroy the hard drive, CD player and even the CPU. You will want a fan-driven cooler because the so-called passive coolers don't do the job. I've tried both and you can expect to see a 20 F improvement with a fan unit compared to half of that with a passive unit. Believe me, it's cheap insurance. A cooler will cost about $30-50 and a new hard drive will cost about $200, so you do the math. I prefer a Targus twin-fan unit.
My only complaint is that the laptop makers haven't caught up. The fan for most laptops draw air in the bottom through a tiny 1-2 inch grated spot in the lower upper left corner of the laptop and expell at the side. Wouldn't it be nice if the cooler fan were located near the inlet? A push-pull system would improve cooling. When it gets really hot, i.e., in the 90's, I use a wash cloth and ice pack to cool my computer for web-brousing. The wash cloth goes under the ice pack to catch humidity collecting on the ice pack. This works well.
If this review was helpful, please add your vote.
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 | Toshiba PORTEGE M200 Tablet PC (1.5 GHz Pentium M, 512MB, 40GB Hard Drive)
Good solid laptop - tablet hybrid -- 2004-10-07
I got my M200 several months ago and am very satisfied with it.
However, I use it less than I had anticipated, so I only gave it 4 stars.
Common Tablet Features - neat, but not much used.
I enjoy taking notes in different colored pens, with the ability to erase notes written in "pen" and to add space between lines already written. I use the Journal and the pen for to-do items or short lists. For longer documents, I prefer to type. While suring the web, I find it inconvenient to have to open the input panel to write the web address, and then to look for and peck the "enter" or "go" button. I have used a pocket-pc for a number of years and often attempt to use the same input shortcuts on the laptop which do not work. I get confused between the pen input shortcuts on the tablet and the pocket-pc. I really love many of the "power toys" games that were offered free by Microsoft. I use my pen to play these games. So far, I do not use OneNote much. It forces me to use a different methophore to organize my files (from many folders to a single, very large, binder). This is really inconvenient for me because I have a lot of folders and subfolders already organized. I have reorganized one small project into a binder, but I don't think I will be transfering over more files into the OneNote format. I most often use the pen as a pointing device with full access to the keyboard in the "laptop" mode. I find the pen easier when I am moving a lot of files around (especially in FrontPage).
I have a fully configured desktop 2 Ghz machine at home with 17" LCD monitor and real keyboard. The M200 is great, but does not match user-interface with a full desktop. I do use it more at the office.
Machine specific review:
The screen has a bad glare in "tablet" mode when I am at my office where ceiling lights are directly over my desk. Glare is not an issue at home where a table lamp sits next to the laptop. All the colors seem to be washed out when I get a bad glare. The screen is wonderful with a very high resolution when there is no glare. The pen feels silky smooth when it glides on the screen. Keyboard is excellent! Love the cushy bubble-like feel. Audio recording is amazing. It has noise-cancelling through 3 tiny microphones build into the screen bezel. Music sounds very good through plug-in headphones. Built-in speaker (mono) is loud and good enough for hearing recorded conversations. It has a very extensive set of ports including an SD card slot. It is very fast, even with modest memory (I have the Dolthan version). Ethernet connection is fast (have not tries wireless yet). Battery seems to last about 4 hours of continuous light use. Overall, it feels solidly and well built. The hard disk made annoying, continuous, clicking sounds when I first got it. But after I turned some processes off and twicked power save options (and windows has optimized itself) I don't hear the clickings as often. I thought not having a CD/DVD drive might be a pain, but I found it to be easy to set up another desktop with a CD/DVD drive to share it on the network. I thought the 4.5 lbs weight might be too heavy but I find it to be not too bad. I am glad I bought a hybrid instead of a slate model, since I am not using the pen very much. Setting aside the tablet features, the M200 is a very well made high performance laptop with an amazing screen (in the right viewing angle). But if I were to exclude the tablet features, I could have gotten a 2.4 lb laptop (Toshiba R100) or a 3 lb laptop with a built-in CD/DVD drive (Panasonic W2). So, I gave it only 4 stars, but I still think I made the right choice. I may learn to use more of the tablet features in the future as I grow more proficient at it, and I use it occassionally now.
A breakthrough technology, sign of things to come. -- 2004-07-05
This thing is amazing. Since I got it a month ago I no longer touch either of my desktops and I nearly stopped using paper (I mean, to write on!). Superb 1400x1050 resolution exceeds anything you find useable on a desktop monitor. The tablet mode is great, too, with high resolution, intuitive interface and a comfortable pen. I write equations a lot, which is basically impossible with just a keyboard and a mouse, so the tablet mode is very handy. Handwriting recognition is very good, not that it matters, since most people type faster than they write, anyway. Speach recognition is also built in, but I never bothered to train it properly, and it's useless without training. Microphone and (monoaural)speaker are good enough for Skype and MSN Messenger, but not for watching DVD movies. Which is a moot point since there is no built-in optical drive of any kind. Had to buy an external USB 2.0 DVD-RW. No Firewire port, either. Can't have everything. Not yet anyway. Battery life is good, about 4 hours in the long-life mode, enough for most domestic flights, if you hate the inflight movies. The wow factor is fun, too, no question, especially when I take handwritten notes on it. I wish this tablet was thinner, as it's hard to write on a surface a full inch above the table level, so I either prop its far side with something, or simply keep it on my laps. It gets a bit hot at full power, but quite nice in the long-life mode. Built-in wireless networking is 802.11b, not .g, which is good enough for now. As this technology matures (thinner, slide-out keyboard, more tablet-friendly apps etc.) it will likely displace both regular laptops and pure tablets, since the price difference is not that high.
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 | Toshiba Satellite P505-S8980 18.4" Notebook (2.2GHz Core 2 Duo T6600 6GB RAM 500GB HDD Blu-ray Read Only Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit)
Absolutely amazing POWERHOUSE notbook (refurbished model) - cheap and Feature-Packed!! -- 2010-05-03
This is just an absolute powerhouse, monster of a notebook which is definitely the definition of DESKTOP-replacement!! I have bought a few of these allready for both - me and my relatives and everyone's been nothing but absolutely amazed at these great notebooks. I got mine for really low prices because they were refurbished. You have to make sure you get some kind of warranty - Toshiba provides it on refurbished models as well (3 months or so) - also make sure to check the condition of the notebook. Some people will list refurbished when its really refurbished and then used. Make sure its in "back to new" condition. Ask the seller if its not listed. That's my few cents on these.
The 2.2Ghz processor with 6GB of RAM and a half a Tera Byte (500GB) Hard Drive along with a bundled Blue-Ray????!!!! For $700 or so??? Common, it doesn't get better than that. Would definitely recommend to anyone!
Cheers!
ES
Great features, no dedicated graphics - possibly bad memory module -- 2010-04-05
I like the screen and the blue-ray player, thew graphics processing does seem to lag. My biggest complaint is the the computer frequently crashes/reboots inexplicably.
After consulting with friends I am of the opinion that one of the memory modules may be corrupt. The fact alone is responsible for my 2 star rating
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 | Toshiba Satellite L305-S5924 15.4-Inch Laptop
My 4th and LAST Toshiba... -- 2010-07-29
This is my 4th Toshiba laptop. When I purchased this new laptop I'd NEVER had a single instance where I needed to call Toshiba for support. I know what I'm doing and if its software related it can be fixed with a systems restore or a re-install. The problem with this laptop is that there is not enough air being circulated through it to effectively cool it down. So here begins my saga with Toshiba Technical Support.
I had the laptop for about a month when it started overheating, once every week or so. Then it increased to every few days. I really didn't want to send my new laptop back in to be repaired. But, by the 2nd month the HDD failed and I had to send it back for repairs. I told them that this laptop had serious issues and that it had reached extremely high temperatures on many occasion and that it was pretty much 'fried'. Believe it or not, I am not joking. All they did was replace the HDD and send it back. The said they tested the CPU fan and it was working. Duh, I could have told them that. The 2nd time the HDD crasheed they replaced the HDD and fnas. This also didn't fix the problem. I finally had to send it in a 3rd time. This time they kept it for about 5 weeks. They said they replaced the HDD, the motherboard, and bla bla bla. Well, when they sent it back it was finally out of warranty and surprise, surprise... This didn't work either. I now have a crappy laptop that is out of warranty. Thanks Toshiba. Explative! Explative!
Please don't buy this Toshiba. I will not be buying any Toshiba ever again. They have lost a loyal customer.
Crappy product -- 2009-11-01
After only 3 months of very light use, I have had problems with this Laptop. The final straw was when the Wi-Fi card fried and that was it. 3 MONTHS and i hardly ever used it. DONT BUY THIS....ITS JUNK!!
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 | Toshiba Satellite A505-S6020 TruBrite 16.0-Inch Laptop (Black/Silver)
Stay far away from this one. -- 2010-08-18
I bought this laptop after reading quite a few reviews and had heard Toshiba made a good laptop. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience. From the beginning the laptop had trouble and after returning it to out-of-box state I did manage to get it to work for the most part for approximately 3 weeks before it returned to the screen freezing and on reboot you would just get a black screen. Oh, and did I mention that these run hot? Even with a laptop cooler this thing will be pumping out hot air constantly. I don't think the fan ever quits running.
So I sent it off for repair along with a note detailing the problems it was having and that re-imaging the HD wasn't going to fix the problem. Well, of course they sent it back saying they had re-imaged the HD and it tested out fine. So I turned it on, pulled up a browser window and once again it locked up. I really wanted to like this laptop but it's made it utterly impossible.
At this point I have exhausted all of my options through the telephone customer service and have sent a certified letter requesting a refund and filed a report with the Better Business Bureau. Toshiba called today and told me there is no option to refund my money and the only thing I can do is send it in for re-repair.
Tomorrow I will contact the merchant I purchased it through, along with my credit card company and see if there is some way to return this useless fire hazard.
Happy except for the battery -- 2010-08-17
I am very happy with this laptop overall, but I am disappointed with the battery. I followed the instructions to maximize the battery life written by another reviewer, but I still only get about an hour.
Here are the windows experience results that I got:
Base score: 5.9
Processor: 6.1
Memory (RAM): 7.2
Graphics: 6.4
Gaming graphics: 6.4
Primary hard disk: 5.9
I ran Cinebench 11.5, and both the CPU and OpenGL came in 6th.
CPU: 2.71 pts
OpenGL: 16.57 fps
The only other thing I found pretty annoying was the loud high pitched noise it had when you pressed the volume buttons on the case. To disable the sound, launch HWSetup.exe (C:\Program Files\TOSHIBA\Utilities\HWSetup.exe), click on the "Button Setting" tab and change "Function Button Sound Notification" to "Disabled".
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 | Toshiba Satellite Laptop L505-S5988 Intel Core2 Duo 2.1GHz /16" TFT-LCD widescreen with TruBrite technology/ 4GB ddr3/ 320GB/ Double-layer DVD±RW/ Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Toshiba Satellite Laptop L505-S5988 - Used -- 2010-06-30
I ordered a used Toshiba Satellite Laptop L505-S5988. Received in 2 days and in very good condition. Windows 7 runs pretty fast on this machine. For this price range it is well worth the money.
The only negative is that speakers suck for this laptop line. This is the problem of this model. I improved sound quality and volume to a certain extent by installing latest HDA drivers from Realtec website.
A wonderful laptop, except the speakers -- 2010-04-11
This is my 2nd laptop. My first was a 2006 HP DV5063CL, back when the quality control dropped, but they still had a good reputation. I love this laptop. Fast, well equipped and has a great keyboard. I have always used a USB plug-in keyboard on my HP so that I had numeric keys available without the Num Lock gyrations. Well, the Satellite has a built in numeric keyboard. The touch of the keys is pleasing as well. I not only don't need my keyboard, I don't want it either.
My only complaint is the lack of quality in the speakers. They sound tinny. Even with all drivers updated. Their volume is not that great either. My HP laptop had Altec Lansing speakers, and sounded much better than the S5988.
Still, speakers are a minor point. I will use external speakers at home, or a USB sound D/A converter with the external speakers, or headphones at home and when I am out.
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