Reviews (4)

Terrible Tech Support
Toshiba may make good products, but their support is the worst i have ever come across. They have lost my laptop for over a month now and do not care a lick about it. They're tech support team is in Turkey and they dont care a thing about anybody. They kept hanging up on me and refused to help me saying it will take some time. When i called back- no one knew anything and had zero updates. DO NOT BUY TOSHIBA PRODUCTS! Get a Gateway or Dell instead...two companies that actually care about their customers.

Where is the DVD/CD-RW Combo and the TouchPad?
I would have bought this laptop the first time I saw it, except that it does not have a DVD/CD-RW combo. I just didn't want to pay extra for a separate CD-RW drive.

Another big minus is that it does not have a touch-pad, which over the long run doesn't put strain on your finger as a pointing-stick does.

Oh well, I hope Toshiba starts putting touchpads on its upper-end notebooks in the near future.

WOW! Incredible package.
Only subnotebook to have full size key board (at least that is the way it feels to my very large fingers), yet to be a complete package with built in DVD rather than having to have a docking port and hook up an external drive any time one wants full usability. And, the years of experience shows in usability. This is my third Portege in the past ten years. Every one of them has had the convenience of being able to just shut it to put it into standby mode so that when it is again open it quickly fires up just where it was when it was shut. Others may have the capability to be programmed that way, but my portege's have always come out of the box with that feature. Support was great. I had a question on the fax modem and it took less than five minutes of touch tone menus and being put on hold to get to a technician who quickly answered my question. Reviews on places like CNET speak of the frustrations with Sony products that look great but fail in performance and support. The reviews are the reason I stuck with Toshiba and I'm glad I did.

Portege 4000 Series
This computer allows people to utilize the internet in so many different ways with the new features such as Bluetooth. The memory on this computer is enormous and the speed of the computer is great too. The screen's resolution is great for playing DVD's and other entertainment functions. This is a great computer for business that has so much more to offer. In my opinion this is a must buy. ... Read more

Product Description

Toshiba's latest addition to the Satellite Pro family, the 6100 Series is a competitively priced multimedia workhorse ready to tackle the most demanding applications a business user can dream up. Filled to the brim with cutting-edge features, the Satellite Pro 6100 offers integrated wireless technology, Mobile Pentium 4 Processor-M performance, and the fastest 3D mobile graphics on the planet. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Please Read before purchasing this Model
We purchased a Toshiba Satellite 6100 Pro in our office for our company president last year. Looking back it is one of the worst purchases we could have made. The laptop has been thru various stages of repairs in the last year, and just recently upon reboot the computer set its own power-on password locking the user out of his data for good. Do a google search for "BUILT IN HDD PASSWORD =" and you will see other Satellite owners have lost their hard drives as well. When you contact Toshiba they are aware of this "glitch" but can do nothing for you, but recommend a data recovery center that charges approx. $2500 to recover your data.Scary to think a product deemed best in class could prove to be quite the opposite.

toshiba ps610u-jm3n89x
Nice machine.A few minor nits:USB 1.0 (not 2.0), headphone jack in front (why there??) and Battery life about 1 hour, pretty short!Cannot enjoy the DVD player unless plugged in, because playing a movie kills a fully charged battery is less than 40 minutes.A second battery is available, but it replaces the DVD drive. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Being on a budget doesn't mean you have to sacrifice key features or solid performance. Toshiba's Satellite 1405-S151 notebook PC delivers the built-in connectivity, storage, and speed you need for home or work. Those who need leading-edge 3-D game performance should look elsewhere, but this bargain notebook is sure to meet the needs of most everyone else.

Measuring 12.8 by 11.2 by 1.7 inches and weighing 7.4 pounds, this system falls firmly in the desktop replacement category. Though a bit heavy for frequent travelers, the 1405-S151 uses an all-in-one design that offers everything you need in a single package. Those features include a built-in floppy drive, built-in DVD/CD-RW drive for playing movies and burning your own CDs, and a very large 30 GB hard drive. The integrated 56K modem and 10/100 network adapter will keep you connected at home or on the road.

Intel's 1.2 GHz Celeron CPU and 256 MB of PC133 memory offer speed for office applications, Web browsing, or multimedia creation. The large, clear 14.1-inch TFT display shows a 1,024 x 768 desktop, large enough that you'll be happy to abandon your bulky monitor for good. Trident's CyberAladdin-T graphics controller, which accesses 16 MB of external UMA video memory, isn't ideal for leading-edge 3-D games, but offers enough 2-D and 3-D power to handle practically any other application. It can also drive an external monitor at up to 800 x 600 resolution or even your TV through the video-out connector.

Built-in stereo speakers plus microphone and headphone ports will let you enjoy your favorite music or do voice conferencing. Two PC Card slots, three USB ports, an infrared port, and a parallel printer port offer plenty of options for expanding the system or connecting peripherals.

The system's keyboard section features a standard 85-key layout and a touch pad for cursor control. Pre-installed software includes Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Lotus SmartSuite Millennium Edition office applications, Intuit Quicken Basic 2001 finance software, and Norton AntiVirus 2002 virus protection, along with Toshiba's custom utilities and online documentation.

... Read more

Reviews (9)

terrible tech support
Toshiba may make good products, but their support is the worst i have ever come across. They have lost my laptop for over a month now and do not care a lick about it. They're tech support team is in Turkey and they dont care a thing about anybody. They kept hanging up on me and refused to help me saying it will take some time. When i called back- no one knew anything and had zero updates. DO NOT BUY TOSHIBA PRODUCTS! Get a Gateway or Dell instead...two companies that actually care about their customers.

Very Slow
It is a very nice portable, the screen is quite large so your eyes are going to be quite comfortable, BUT it is very slow. It isn't worth the money that you save. For most applications 1.2 GHZ is nothing and the processor gets very hot and noisy. The hard drive gets very noisy as well. I've had mine for 5 months now and I really need to replace it. In short, I don't really recommend it.

Best value in a notebook
When I researched the market for the best notebook/laptop that fit into my budget, this model stood out. With the a combo DVD/CDRW drive, no other computer offered as much for the price. If you are a power user, or are bothered that Windows XP is incorporated into the Toshiba package (you don't get a stand-alone Windows CD), this model is not for you. However if you are an average user looking to buy a complete, up-to-date laptop at a budget price, take a serious look at this one. I've owned it for six months and am happy with its performance and utility in every respect. I packed up and stored my desk-top; I'm not sure I will ever use a desktop again at home...

The money saved is not worth it
Well, while it is a good value based pc it isnt reliable or recommendable. The pc was owned for 3 months before it started exhibiting unreliable behaviour. Then at the 5 month mark it started shutting itself down. I thought it to be a power management problem and since I had just installed a wireless network card I assumed that I just needed to go back through the settings and make sure nothing had changed. 3 weeks later before I got around to finding the problem the machine died in the middle of the night. Now, upon trying to boot it makes a horrible popping sound and shuts itself back off again. From all research materials I have found this make and model is plagued with overheating and shorting problems. My recommendation would be to go with a little more expensive better quality machine. This one just isnt worth the trouble.

Be warned in advance !
This is another poor model from Toshiba made for first time buyers.

Let me give 12 reasons to buy it,
1. You want a laptop.
2. You don't have much money to spend.
3. You don't care about its 45 mins battery life.
4. You don't want or don't care for performance.
5. You have never heard of USB 2.0 or Firewire or Bluetooth.
6. You don't care for the noise or heat it will generate.
7. You don't care about system instability and overheating problems.
8. You don't care for graphics performance.
9. You don't want to play any PC games.
10. You don't care about its 8 pound weight or big size.
11. You don't care about irritating and nosiy Hard Disk.
12. You are a student and will install Linux on it anyways !

Let me give you 12 reasons NOT to buy it,
1. Uses a desktop Celeron processor (very cheap), not Mobile Celeron or Mobile Pentium. This means laptop will get very hot, its fan will be very noisy, will use too much power and have much lower performance.
2. No USB 2.0, firewire or wirless access. What use is 1.5 GHz processor if you can't connect it to any other device at any reasonably fast speed ? Will you wait for an hour to burn a CD on a external CD-RW connected to an old USB 1.1 port on this ?
3. It bigger and bulkier than previous models. Again this is partly because of a desktop Celeron being used in this. Desktop CPU means more space for cooling it down etc.
4. Uses a slower memory speed, way below today's standard. Again this notebook won't have any fast performance with mp3 or multimedia stuff because of this. You will even have trouble finding the memory at this low speed when upgrading !
5. The keyboard isn't same a desktop, so keys are placed at different positions, some missing. But this might a case with most laptops though.
6. The touchpad isn't very great. You will end up buying a USB mouse.
7. Doesn't have older serial port, PS2 ports etc. Nor does it have any thing like Bluetooth or Firewire or USB 2. Yes you can buy a PCMCIA card for say wireless access or USB 2 or Bluetooth. But there's only on PCMCIA slot in it !
8. Because desktop Celeron runs so hot, you won't be able to use it a "lap"-top to avoid burning your skin. Beleive it gets very very hot !
9. The hard disk is much slower rpm and smaller in size. And it makes just too much noise.
10. Toshiba doesn't even include a Windows XP CD. All it has is a recovery CD to reformat the whole disk and re-install everything all over again & deleting all your data. Its horrible SW bundle, nothing worth a penny in it. Norton is only trial offer. Not even XP is included properly.
11. The new battery lasts around 45 mins on full charge. Who knows how much will it last for when it becomes old. Again cheap desktop Celeron has a major part to play in this.
12. Finally Toshiba doesn't make or design this laptop. Its designed/made by a cheap contractor in Taiwan and then sold as Toshiba brand. This is the truth, you can do some google search to verify this !

If you don't have lots of cash or urgent need for mobility you might wanna reconsider having the good old PC for now. Don't be mislead by Intel 1.2GHz label on it. There are reasons why Toshiba can sell it for so cheap and hopefully you enough not to regret later on. ... Read more

Product Description

With the Satellite Pro 6100 series, every business has access to groundbreaking mobile technology at an affordable price. The cutting-edge mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor - M and the phenomenal NVIDIA graphics chip raise performance and graphics quality to stunning new levels in the corporate notebook arena. Fully integrated wireless connectivity, including wireless LAN and Bluetooth, is a further significant milestone. Combine all this with Toshiba's unrivalled quality and reliability, and the Satellite Pro 6100 series sets a new standard in the value business line. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Featuring an all-in-one design--DVD, hard and floppy disk drives, and aone-touch Internet access button--the Satellite 1800 series offers high-endfeatures without breaking the piggy bank. Included are a 1.1 GHz Intel Celeronprocessor, a 14.1-inch TFT active-matrix display, 256 MB of RAM (expandable to512 MB), a DVD/CD-RW multifunction drive, a 20 GB hard drive, 10/100Base-TEthernet, V.90/56K modem, and Windows XP Home Edition pre-installed. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

My 1805-s207 is a lemon!!! I'll try Samsung next
I always loved Toshiba products so when it came time to buy a notebook, I turned to Toshiba first.

I bought the notebook in February 2002 and have had little use of it due to major problems. The first was the BIOS problem.
I downloaded the updated version and it still had problems. Each day the hard drive would display more and more serious problems until finally it quit.

I sent it to Toshiba. They replaced the hard drive. This was September. Gradually, the computer began to work slower and it took 5-10 minutes to boot up!!!

When I did a scan disk it could not complete the test and again I sent it to Toshiba about a week ago. They replaced the hard drive again!! I should get it back tomorrow.

I really hope this solves the problem.

Buy another brand if you can. 1 coworker of mine and email friend own samsung notebooks and they've had em for years with ZERO problems. I should have bought a samsung. They are the largest chip producer in the world. I am really disappointed in Toshiba.

Beware of sudden shut-downs!
I got this laptop for a birthday present and I have loved every moment with it. Other reviewers have covered most aspects of this computer in great detail, but I feel I must add something.

This laptop shuts down suddenly while you're working on your computer, whether you're playing music, a DVD, working on a word processor, or just fooling around on chat. I've checked Toshiba's online support, and they blame the BIOS, for which they have issued a patch twice at least. I have installed the patch twice, once on Feb 20 (I checked), and once April 25. It still shuts down suddenly.

I've called Toshiba Customer Support, and they suggest I take it to my local authorized dealer to have it fixed. Hopefully they can fix it, because I do love my laptop (my baby!) and it's a wonderful machine, except for this _very_ irritating (and scary--it's finals time, and I have lots of papers due) flaw.

DVD playback is choppy at times (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon wasn't as fun when the fight scenes were truncated or came frame by frame) but then again, I'm not really complaining . . . yet. After all, I didn't ask for this laptop for the sole purpose of DVD playback.

Everything else works fine, and I've been extolling this laptop's virtues wherever I go. I've influenced my roommate to save up over the summer for a laptop, though I suspect after hearing me yell at the computer when it shuts down for the third time in a night she won't be buying the 1805-S207. :\

Great product for the $
This is a great laptop and I encourage anyone who wants one to buy it. Of course this is NOT a intense gaming laptop though it played Age of Empires II pretty well on my laptop. I won't comment on the DVD/CD-RW drive since I rarely use it. Since I use it mostly at home or while I am at my university, given the battery life, I mostly sit near an outlet. But you can also buy an extra battery I'm just too cheat to do so.

Commenting about windows XP home backup utility it's Windows XP's fault for that. I installed Windows XP on one of my destop pc's and it didn't come with the backup utility either. I checked around and it seems that you have to manually install it from the cd. Damn windows xp home. I really didn't expect any company to manually install the backup utility but microsoft should have made it part of the installation. Anyway, the ir port is great for communicating with my cell phone and the screen size is a plus.

Overall the laptop is more than I bargained for so I'm very happy with my purchase.

Very Disappointed
I'm not sure if it because of Windows XP, but this PC runs slower than my older compter. My dial up on the internet is slower also. Ugh .. and I tried to return it after only two days and Toshiba won't take it back. I feel like they handed me the 'hot potato" and I'm stuck with it.
I will be putting it in the paper this week, and taking the loss, I'd rather just repair my old one, the one with a different brand name.

Best value notebook, great support, very few drawbacks
I actually own the Satellite 1800-S207, but the only difference is that my laptop has Windows XP Professional, whereas the 1805-S207 has XP Home. Other the OS, these two notebooks are identical.

I purchased this laptop (about 2 months ago) because of it's many features and the great price. I paid [$] including shipping over the internet, couldn't find a better deal for a notebook that has 14" screen, DVD/CDRW, 1.1GHz Celeron, etc.

I've had no problems with full screen DVD playback when the notebook is plugged in to the AC Adapter, and on batteries I've only had a jerky picture once or twice an hour (didn't bother me at all). I've read that other users have had issues with DVD playback, but I have had no major issues and am very satisfied. The speakers surprised me with their clarity and loudness, best I've heard in a laptop.

I've burned 2 CDs with no problems, the Roxio software worked perfectly and burned the CD-Rs at a fast 8x speed.

The display is a very nice 14" active matrix, with great brightness and resolution. I've had one pixel go out, but it's barely noticable and I've heard it's a common thing with active screens.

Everything is layed out logically, the touchpad works well and you can even use it to scroll up/down, sideways, and go back and forward pages when surfing the internet. Below the touchpad are also rewind, ff, stop and play buttons that can be used to play CD's when the laptop is off and closed. Hooking up the laptop to a TV to play DVD's is easy with the RCA out in the back, and I can close the laptop and use the above mentioned buttons during TV playback.

Performance is OK, I've never owned an Intel Celeron before, but it's plenty for the majority of applications. This is NOT a gaming machine, graphic intensive games like Links at full res or Unreal will not work well on this machine. However, strategy games like The Sims or Civ3 work flawlessly.

There are a couple of other minor drawbacks. I'm not too excited about the 2.5 hour battery life, but for [$] I'm willing to sacrifice that feature. It's also a bit heavy and bulky, but that doesn't bother me too much since I don't travel much and this was a desktop replacement.

Another thing to mention is Toshiba Support. This is one of the major reasons I bought this laptop, because many other user comments I read about felt that Toshiba offered the best phone support. I had a minor bios issue, where after extreme extended use (like 6 straight hours of working on a grad school paper in a hot library), the bios would suddenly shut down the XP OS. I called in and the technician answered right away, we upgraded my bios and the problem was solved in 10 minutes. Haven't had this problem since then.

Overall, I feel this is the best value notebook currently on the market, and with good price/performance and great tech support, I plan to stick with Toshiba for years. ... Read more

Product Description

Toshiba Portege is a range of stylish portable PCs that strike the optimum balance between ultra-portability and performance. Super-compact dimensions, stylish cases and robust durability make these machines the ultimate road warriors, perfectly equipped to handle life on the move.Perfect for road warriors, the Portege 2010 is built with a sleek, yet strong magnesium alloy casing that is 25 percent thinner than that of a standard notebook, and able to withstand the rigors of the constant mobile professional. Equipped with a high-capacity HDD, a generous amount of RAM and a powerful Intel processor, the Portege 2010 is capable of handling all your tasks in the office and on the go! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Featuring a cost-effective Intel Celeron processor and middle-of-the-road accouterments, the Toshiba Satellite A15-S127 Notebook is a wise choice for budget-conscious individuals, students and anyone who needs a computer that'll handle the basics.

The key word here is economy, and to that end Toshiba has selected one of today's best "bang for the buck" processors to power the Satellite A15-S127, the 2.0 GHz Intel Celeron. Accompanying the Celeron is 256 MB of PC2100 DDR memory and an Intel 852GM graphics chipset with 32 MB of shared video memory. With this level of power, the system certainly can't be called upon for complex 3-D rendering, high-end games or demanding multitasking. It is, however, perfectly satisfactory for standard word processing, database and spreadsheet activities, e-mail communication, and Internet surfing.

Measuring 13 by 11.5 by 1.5 inches and tipping the scales at just 6.1 pounds, the Satellite A15-S127 is relatively compact and comfortably lightweight. Inside, you'll find such amenities as a 15-inch display screen (1024 by 768 maximum resolution), integrated stereo speakers, a full-size 85-key keyboard with 12 function keys and a TouchPad pointing device, an adequate 30 GB hard disk and a DVD/CD-RW drive through which you can burn and listen to audio CDs, archive files, and enjoy the latest Hollywood blockbusters. In its stock form, the Satellite unit does not permit DVD burning.

Connectivity options are plentiful but not particularly state-of-the-art. Though the system does feature two USB 2.0ports for plug and play peripherals, an integrated 56K modem and an RJ-45 LAN network port, it does not include a high-speed FireWire port (often used to link devices such as digital camcorders). Furthermore, wireless networking is available only as an option. Bundled software includes Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Works and Intuit Quicken Basic 2001. Battery life is estimated at a commendable 3 hours, 13 minutes. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Bad Motherboard, bad design
I purchased this laptop 1 year ago next month. It is nothing but trouble. Looks ok, but operates horrible. This is NOT a laptop designed for your lap. It has a sticker on the bottom saying that it will burn bare skin. It gets really hot, really quick. NOt to mention, 3 days ago my motherboard randomly went out. I reasearched this problem and found that MANY Toshiba laptops have this problem. Toshiba will do nothing for you. I've tryed. If you buy this laptop, I PROMISE you you will not be happy after awhile. Pay about $200 more and get a nice IBM.

Good Cost - Performance deal
I bought the Toshiba Satellite A15-S1292 for about $550 after all (annoying)mail in rebates and for the cost I paid, its an amazing machine.I have also installed Redhad Linux operating system (I can work in either Redhat Linux or Windows XP)and a wireless PCMCIA card & there have been no problems.I dont have extreme processing requirements & for all the work that I do,this machine is pretty fast.

Things I like-
1.There is ample palm-rest space - so there is no strain at all when typing.

2.The display is an inch above the keypad and it gives you a feeling that you are looking into an ultra thin monitor.

Things I dont like-
1.Junk Software that comes along - Quicken,AOL,Drag'n'Drop - the cd writing software(was Horrible).
2.The keyboard is bouncy & really annoying.

A note to those who want to play with BIOS settings. Normally if you want to enter BIOS,pressing F1 or F8 or Del key(One of these three) will take you there.But with Toshiba you will have to start up XP first and then go to BIOS through Toshiba console.

Overall I would say that this is an EXCELLENT performance for a budget system.

4 month experience with a15-s127
I bought this due to the cheapest price. The performance of laptop for Matlab, Solidworks and Arena is similar to Pentium 2 733 desktop Pc. I donot suggest you ,if you are planning to use some programs which require more cpu power.
It has a severe problem with touchpad or related with pointer. It jumps and destroy what you write. It is not suitable to install more than 10 programs.
Network and modem are working properly.
Cd writer causes problems sometimes. I have to fix it to write a cd.
Appearance : It has a good looking.
As a summary, You should pay more to get a better one.

Great Machine, Especially for the Price
I have two other laptops, a Panasonic ToughBook for work and a Dell Latitude.I immediately noticed the Toshiba Satellite has a solid feel and is comfortable to use, much more so than the Dell. I have not noticed any problem with the touchpad as mentioned by other reviewers.There is plenty of space for your hands to rest on the keyboard, and I noticed my hands do not tire as easily. The keyboard is well laid out.It is virtually silent, unless the fan is briefly running.I did find that the unit gets quite warm, but I use it on a lap desk.The 15" screen is very bright and clear; the resolution is great!The sound through headphones is very good. I am used to having two card slots, so having one, was different, but hey, I only use one card at a time anyway, for my wireless. Two USB slots are enough for me and I consider the combo DVD-RW drive a plus.All in all, this is turning out to be a stupendous buy, made more so by the fact that I paid less than $500.00 brand new, after (the dreaded) rebates.In my opinion, to get something this wonderful for this price is certainly worth the rebate hassle!

Owner of S127 and S157.Best budget laptop of 2003.
As an owner of a Toshiba S127 and this S157, I can tell you that this thing is pure quality.Dell's laptops have gotten almost pitiful in quality, while IBM are insanely priced.Where's the quality, inexpensive laptops?Toshiba is your answer.

Trust me guys.Get this model.I bought the S127 and ended up giving it to my mom.This model comes with the built in wireless Internet (which is awesome), 40GB of storage, 512MB DDR (XP uses MUCH more than 256MB even doing the simplest tasks), and 2.2Ghz Celeron (you can't tell the difference between 2Ghz & 2.2 Ghz,trust me).

I scored my S157 in brand new condition for $825 off some really nice guy off eBay I struck a deal with.(I picked it up locally)

I'm going to review every single thing about this laptop, sequentally.Please note that this is an unbiased review:

1.) Keyboard: Probably the best keyboard i've ever used in over 18 years of computers.I loved these soft key laptop keyboard.Doesn't have that annoying cursor thing in the middle of the keyboard that some people like to use. (Most despise it, though)

2.) TouchPaD: Works great. Two basic buttons, silver color, and work perfectly.

3.) 15" XGA screen. The screen is nice, bright, and vivid, but I definately could use SXGA (1280x....) XGA is only 1024x768 and is just enough for basic tasks

4.) Speakers: Silver titinium stereo speakers. They work adequately for basic needs. What can I say? They're laptop speakers.Go pickup some Logitech Z-340s for $30 at Best Buy.They will compliment these nicely.

5.) Design: Design is superb. The laptop is suprisingly thin (1 inch) and the colors are perfect.Really great job.

6.) Weight: 6.15 lbs, according to my measurements.

7.) LEDs: The LEDs are great.5 basic small LEDs that tell you what's going on.Nothing fancy.

8.) 802.11b Wireless (S157 only).This is great. You can save your PCCard slot; you can also disable/enable the device whenever you want.Someone mentioned somewhere that the built-in wireless card means it uses the notebook as an antenna. I don't believe that though.

9.) CD-RW/DVD ROM: Works perfectly.I would've perferred a trayless drive (like the Pioneer 16x DVD drives) but hell, this is great. They both work great.

8.) Battery Life: Battery life is not as good as I would like it to be. I get 2 1/2 hours max out of this computer on a full battery charge, assuming light working conditions.Extra battery costs $150+tax at Best Buy or Circuit City.I'm using my mother's S127 batter. ;)

9.) Noise Level: Both computers are dead silent.There is a fan that turns on once in a while to cool the computers.The fan isn't loud at all.

10.) PC Card Slot: It only has 1 PC Card slot, but that's not an issue anymore now that I have built in wireless internet

11.) Ports:
Serial: Great but I don't use it.
Parallel: Ok, I still don't use it.
2x USB 2.0: Now, this is beautiful.I have several USB devices, some even USB 2.0, that I use with this computer.
Neither models come with S-Video, DESPITE what some specifications say.The model also comes with external VGA for connecting to a projector or external monitor.
RJ45 (Ethernet) AND Modem already installed.What a great value.

12.) Performance:
Hard drive: Works decently. Only 4200 RPM, so don't expect mind-blistering performance, but it's fast enough even for an end user.

Processor: 2.2Ghz Celeron is like a crippled P4; nevertheless, it performs almost all basic functions with ease. Gamers apply elsewhere.

Sound: No comments.Sound works. :)

Video: This is my biggest complaint (besides the microphone) about this model.Comes with 32MB Intel Extreme Graphics (Shared).Because it's shared with system memory, people tend to think it's 64MB Intel graphics; believe me, it's NOT.It's 32MB Intel extreme graphics that will let you do only the basic video or gaming.Don't expect any kind of performance from this.I really wish Toshiba had put an ATi Radeon mobility in here, but for the price I'm not complaining. :-)

* Software: I don't use the software that comes with this bundle, but make sure to check the personal cons below for additional details.

* Toshiba Utilities: As with most utilities, I don't like running manufacturer's utility files, but Toshiba's aren't _that_ bad.(I still don't run them, though).They allow you to control most of the function buttons at the topic and assign them different functions.

Build Quality: This is where the laptop truly shines.Putting IBM's insanely high quality and price tag, this is the best laptop you can get for budget-price quality.Toshiba rules.

Personal Cons:

* No built in Microphone.The thing has a port for a microphone, but I really, really wish Toshiba had put one in.I know this isn't an issue for most people, but I use microphones on a daily basis.They're cheap, granted, but that's another thing to lug around.

* Rebates: Ugh, I hate rebates.I got my S127 for $760 (after 8.5% tax) and after $250 rebates.I got my S157 for $825 cash from some guy on eBay.

* One thing that annoys me is that Toshiba has loaded this comp with plenty of useless junk like AOL, Special offers, etc.This is an easy fix.I just wiped the drive and put XP Professional on there and boom, it's done. :)The S157, IIRC, comes with Microsoft Works, which I don't use.

If you want more detailed pictures of this laptop, search on www.newegg.com.They have both models and detailed pictures on it.
I hope I haven't missed anything. :) ... Read more

Product Description

Toshiba's lightweight Tecra 8200 incorporates Intel's mobile processor offering corporate customers breakthrough performance in a mobile platform. Providing blazing speed that until today has been unprecedented in a notebook, the Toshiba Tecra 8200 delivers outstanding performance to meet the demands of today's mobile professional. Additionally, featuring integrated Wi-Fi technology, Toshiba's wireless notebook enables users to have instant high-speed access to an Ethernet network without the hassle of cords or cabling. The Tecra 8200 Series of portable computers is ideal for medium-to-large sized businesses requiring stable, scaleable solutions that allow them to support multiple configurations throughout the enterprise with a consistent software image and compatible accessories.The design of the Tecra 8200 gives customers the freedom to incorporate the latest technological advancements into their enterprise without having to spend time or money re-qualifying systems. The award-winning Tecra series of notebooks has delivered business customers stable platforms, common components and long product life cycles while lowering total cost of ownership. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Some users simply don't need the power of a high-end portable computer.Nor do they want to pay the price such cutting-edge technology demands. Forthem, Toshiba's Satellite 1005-S157 notebook may be just the ticket. Although itwon't effectively run today's most demanding programs, the 1005-S157 willcapably support applications such as word processing, client and sales contactmanagement, e-mail, and Internet surfing, all at a price that won't break thebank.

It won't break your back either. The ultra-affordable 1005-S157 is alsoultraportable at just 10.6 by 12.2 by 1.4 inches in diameter and a mere 6.17pounds. At the heart of the system is Intel's 1.06 GHz Celeron processor, acost-effective chip that handles most basic tasks in a timely manner and sports256 KB of Level 2 cache for improved data speed. Toshiba has paired thisprocessor with 256 MB of SDRAM (expandable to 512 MB), an adequate amount formost any mobile application.

At 15 GB, the 1005-S157's hard drive will suffice nicely for most uses but isnot intended to handle a flock of space-hogging programs or files. The unit'ssingle modular bay will support a recordable CD-RW drive yet is thoughtfullyconfigured by default with a DVD player, through which you can enjoy yourfavorite movies on those long cross-country trips. A 3.5-inch floppy disk driveis ready to run older and smaller programs or provide quick data backup.

To help you better experience your multimedia goodies, the system features anefficient two-way, end-mounted speaker system and a 14.1-inch TFT active-matrixdisplay capable of 1,024 x 768 resolution. Die-hard gamers should note that theintegrated 8 MB Intel 830MG video controller is adequate for most applicationsbut not powerful enough for the latest and greatest 3-D games or animationpackages.

Although it is substantially less expensive than Toshiba's top-of-the-lineSatellite notebook, the 1005-S157 nevertheless offers a similarly attractivemetallic blue-silver color scheme and futuristic design. Under the hood, you'llfind a keyboard section featuring 85 full-size keys, 12 additional functionkeys, a TouchPad pointing device, and scroll function. Expandability is somewhatlimited, yet the unit is equipped with two all-purpose PC card slots, three USBports for plug-and-play peripherals, a parallel printer port, and a 56K modemfor basic Internet connectivity.

To help get you started, Toshiba has preconfigured the 1005-S157 with a numberof useful software products, including Microsoft's Windows XP operating system,Lotus SmartSuite Millennium Edition, and Intuit Quicken Basic 2001. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

You can't go wrong with this solid laptop.
This laptop is exactly what I was looking for. It's extremely well-built, and I haven't had any problems at all with mine after four months use. The 14.1 inch active-matrix display is bright and the colors are vivid. It comes with plenty of ram and a decent-sized hard drive too. While this isn't a top-of-the-line laptop, it doesn't cost three times as much either. And while it won't run the latest 3D games, it will do everything else just fine. Well actually, come to think of it, I did load "Trainz", an excellent recent 3D model railroading simulator on it. I was stunned that it ran at all, but was really surprised that it ran at 30+ frames per second at 800 x 600 resolution (by the way, the default and maximum resolution for the computer is 1024 x 768). Now I can design and run my model trains wherever I go (a bonus is that Trainz does not require the CD to run the program). It's got just 8 megs video ram, but I'm amazed at how well it runs some older Windows games too. What initially sold me on the Toshiba brand was how nice the keyboard felt to use and how well the touchpad worked. Nonetheless, I do highly recommend getting one of the small optical USB mice that are available (mine's a Belkin and I like it). Touchpads are okay, but a real mouse is much much easier to use, and if you get an optical mouse, you can use your leg or any other surface to mouse on with no problems. The 1005-S157 comes loaded with Windows XP home edition. It was my first exposure to XP and I must say I love it. It's a very stable operating system, and when put together with this very stable and solid notebook, it's a wonderful combination. Battery life is on the short side however, but at about 2 hours of normal use, it is just fine for me. All-around an extremely nice value.

Great Price but....
...I'm sorry if it's out of stock for you.

I was really looking for a notebook around Xmas 2001 but I had been putting off that purchase for a while and relying on my work computer. Then with recent economic turmoil, I knew I had to go out & find a new computer (in the event my company takes my work computer away!!!)

This computer is amazing! I was initially worried with the Lotus Smartsuite software being incompatible with Microsoft software, but it is compatible with MS Office products. The DVD Rom works fine. Boot up time is fine. It's lightweight and the price is virtually the same as a good quality TV.

Drawbacks would include a missing serial port (but you can buy a simple parallel to serial converter). Gaming might be a problem, but I'm not planning to play Madden 2002 on it. ....As far as a 15GB hard drive, I need to find out where the TOshiba CD-R/W drives are at to do some hardcore backups of data...

PS: Grab that Canon S300 inkjet printer with the Toshiba rebate money. You won't regret it!!

I love this Notebook!
I got this notebook for my 13th birthday and I love it. It is reliable(I have not had 1 crash!), fast (at least on dvd, Windows Media Player, the Office Suite, and on older games), and VERY cool looking. My favorite feature is its built in DVD drive. I have to have used it 4 times more than anything else on the notebook. The battery life isnt that great, but I gut it used, so a new one would probably be fine. All in all I like it a lot.

Good price, piss-poor quality
I will never buy another Toshiba notebook again. I had always heard they did not run the smoothest, but made up for it in durability. In my experience, Windows XP constantly crashed, mysterious errors appeared constantly, and it often overheated and turned itself off. However, the durability was even more degrading. The battery and the AC adapter both fried within about a year and a half of purchase. Then the screen kicked out shortly thereafter, all conveniently after the warranty expired.

Horrible computer and customer service
Please read all of these reviews. Notice they are all from people who recently acquired the computer. Thus, the reviews are positive because they haven't given the computer time to break down which it will probably do. I bought this computer 1 year ago and have had to return it 4 times to Toshiba for repairs. Each time the repair has taken over 2 weeks, and the customer service has been awful. Please be very wary of buying this computer, and from Toshiba in general. It randomly shuts down, the LCD malfunctions, and if you check the Toshiba website forums you will see that other customers have had this problem with satellite computers. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

In many respects similar to Toshiba’s stunning P25 series of desktop replacement notebooks but sporting a lighter, more portable chassis, slightly downgraded components and a more affordable price point, the Satellite P15-S409 Notebook PC is a good solution for power-hungry business and personal users who can’t financially justify top-of-the-line gear.

Those who can’t live without the benefits of a full-featured stationary PC will find plenty to like in the Satellite P15-S409 Notebook. For starters, Toshiba has fitted the unit with a sizeable 15.4-inch widescreen display screen capable of dazzling 1280 by 800 resolutions. It has added a spacious 60 GB hard disk spinning at a snappy 4200 RPM and enclosed a versatile DVD Multi Drive through which you can not only watch the latest Hollywood releases, but also burn your own home movies to DVD media.

Moreover, the unit is blazingly fast. Driving the Satellite P15-S409 Notebook is a potent 2.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor with Hyper-Threading Technology for more efficient CPU usage and a scorching 800 MHz processor system bus clock speed. Matched with this speedy CPU are a generous 512 MB allotment of PC2100 DDR SDRAM memory (expandable to a full 2048 MB) and an NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5100 graphics chipset with 32 MB of dedicated video memory. Thusly, the system will handle most anything you can throw at it, including many 3-D games.

Other critical features include an IEEE 1394 Fire Wire port for fast interaction with devices such as digital camcorders, a trio of high-speed USB 2.0 ports for plug and play peripherals such as scanners or external drives, two memory slots (both of which may be simultaneously occupied), a single PC Card slot, and an impressive variety of interior and exterior one-touch controls. Communication facilities include 802.11wireless networking, 10/100 Ethernet LAN and an integrated 56K modem. Unlike some of today’s super-efficient ultra-lightweight notebooks, the Satellite P15-S409 Notebook features just 2.28 hours maximum battery life. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Great desktop replacement machine
I recently bought the Satellite P15-S409 and I'm very happy with it so far. The system configuration is excellent, the screen size and picture definition are very good, and the price beats most competing brands offering the same features. I considered buying the Dell 8600 which is a great machine too but the Toshiba P15 offered the 2.8GHz Pentium IV processor with HT, a SD memory card slot, and an extra USB2 port which is always useful.
There are only 3 issues with the P15 that if corrected would make of this a kick ass laptop: Replace XP Home with the Pro version, improve the sound system, and make it a little less bulky.
Other than that, the Toshiba P15 is a great buy and will most likely satisfy the needs of demanding users like myself.

Incredible
I purchased this laptop 3weeks ago. All I can say is--- it is absolutely a quality machine. Being a gateway customer for my previous computers, I was concerned about trying another brand. Well, NO LONGER.

The laptop is extremely quick (@ 2.8 HT p4) and the full-size keyboard is nice for long typing sessions. I can't possibly do the 15.4" widescreen justice with a description----you have to simply check it out at your local store! UNBELIEVEABLE! The look of the toshiba is sophisticated with a modern sleek look. The wireless 802.11g is backward compatible with b and worked easily with my d-links b router. The DVD player is as good as most home systems and the widescreen adds the extra flair of being in a theatre. You can't beat the rare front-loading DVD/CD RW-----finally someone figured it out! The DVD writer is essential, and being able to burn DVDs for back-up (wink, wink)is awesome. A 800mhz system front bus speed,60g HD, 512 MB memory,p4 hyper-threading and the numerous USB, s-video, etc... outputs makes this little man a portable media center. I have been plesantly surprised at the temp the laptop runs over long periods of time-----with a laptop table (a must to prevent overheating and to preserve your computer) it has yet to be uncomfortable

Yes, the battery life is short, but hey you're pushing quite a system here----buy an extra battery and "ta-da." The system is a little heavier than say a centrino system, but what is a pound or 2 when considering the ability of this machine. Tech support for questions about applications and specific info has been normal----call-in and on hold for 15mins, however, trouble shooting on-line is quicker.A warning to hard-core gamers the stock video card is not adequate for the ultra memory,video intense games. But then again, no hard-core gamer is looking at this type of system configuration! See alien-ware or sager.

Overall, I'm super surprised and satisfied with the p15. This is the total package. You must consider this before purchasing a laptop!

STRAIGHT TO THE FACT REVIEW ON THE P15-S409
I have had this laptop for over 6 months now. Here's my review:

PROs:
- Good lookin!
- Nice wide screen
- P4/ 2.8 GHZ/ 60GB HDD is great
- Love the DVD/CD burner

CONs:
- It comes with XP Home. It SHOULD have XP Pro. I had to upgrade mine, but you have to take care to upgrade it before you install SP1. This was a big issue for me.
- Battery life is about an hour. With P4 and all the applications, this is expected I guess.
- No INFRARED port!! I was disgusted when I found this out recently.
- Toshiba Support is NOT good. They do not even have a decent user forum on their site!!!

EVERYTHING else is fine. I love this laptop, despite its 3 shortcomings above.

Taking a chance from Argentina
It took me a long time to decide which Toshiba notebook model to chose. I had an old model Toshiba notebook that rendered excellent service through four years and I never thought of replacing it with any other brand notebook.
The P15-S409 has been an excellent choice. It is a very good combination of a relatively lower price with every service needed.
Wireless, DVD burner, an excellent 15.4" widescreen, an incredibly fast start up and downloading. There is practically no time delay in the printing process.
I use it for my business replacing my previous desk PC with
excellent results because it has a very easy to handle keyboard.
I took a big chance being from Argentina as I had the Toshiba sent by air freight. But a good packaging brought me a perfect working unit. As a matter of fact, Toshiba has a good service unit in my country. This is a highly recommendable notebook.

Istanbul Turkey Support + Bad DVD/CD Burner NOW at depot
I sincerely wish I had read the reviews HERE before I bought my Toshiba P15-S409 notebook PC.
Almost immediately after purchase on 2/4/04, the DVD Multi Drive failed, and unfortunately I was just over the 14-day Best Buy return period. Faced with getting it fixed, I was PROMISED by support (in Istanbul Turkey)that with "Depot" repair -- PROMISED that I would have it back, fixed, within 5 DAYS. As of today, 12 days, later, it sits in depot repair and the web status report says the repair is "ON HOLD" waiting for a backordered replacement DVD/CD drive. Complaints to their service people (also in Turkey) yield "canned" replies on the phone, polite, but completely unable to "escalate" to a US-based supervisor. They absolutely refuse to replace this BRAND-NEW MACHINE with another one.
Upon repair, I will put this machine up on E-bay and chalk it up as a bad mistake. Never again, will I ever, I repeat, ever buy a Toshiba product EVER again. Why don't these companies have a clue? Not only do they remove jobs from the US but they get really negative customer feelings, from poor support. My next letter will be to PC World "on your side". ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Considerably larger (16.4 by 11.5 by 1.8 inches, 9.9 pounds) than the average portable computer yet packed with more high-end amenities than most desktops, Toshiba’s new Satellite P25 series is designed for discriminating individuals who won’t accept anything less than the very best. This model, the stunning Satellite P25-607, sits at the very top of the P25 lineup as one of the most capable and exciting notebooks manufactured to date.

Those who can’t live without the benefits of a full-featured stationary PC will find plenty to like in the Satellite P25-607. For starters, Toshiba has fitted the unit with a whopping 17-inch display screen capable of a dazzling 1440 by 900 resolution. It has added a pair of high-quality harman/kardon stereo speakers and enclosed a versatile DVD multi-drive through which you can not only watch the latest Hollywood releases and burn audio and data CDs, but also record your own home movies to DVD media. You can even record television programs via the integrated TV tuner. Thusly, the Satellite P25-607 is one of very few notebooks to deliver a true state-of-the-art desktop multimedia experience to your mobile world.

Moreover, the unit is blazingly fast. Driving the Satellite P25-607 is a potent 2.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor with Hyper-Threading Technology for more efficient CPU usage and a scorching 800 MHz processor system bus clock speed. Matched with this speedy CPU is a generous 512 MB allotment of PC2100 DDR SDRAM memory (expandable to an extraordinary 2048 MB) and a powerful NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 graphics chipset with an impressive 64 MB of dedicated video memory to help efficiently display 3-D games and applications.

Other critical features include a 60 GB hard disk, four high-speed USB 2.0 ports for plug and play peripherals such as scanners or external drives, an IEEE 1394 FireWire port for fast interaction with devices such as digital camcorders, two memory slots (both of which may be simultaneously occupied) and two PC Card slots. Communication facilities include 802.11wireless networking, 10/100 Ethernet LAN and an integrated 56K modem. Bundled with the Satellite P25-607 are Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, Microsoft Works, and a variety of multimedia utilities. Average battery life expectancy is 2 hours.

More About Microsoft Windows XP Media Center

What sets this PC apart is that it is powered by Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004, which offers the features, reliability, and power of Windows XP Professional, plus advanced digital entertainment capabilities. The Media Center interface offers you more types of entertainment to enjoy: TV, Personal Video Recording (PVR), Movies, Music, Photos, Videos, Radio, and DVD. Use the remote control to enjoy from anywhere in your room.

TV & Movies 
Watch TV when and how you want, and never miss a moment of your favorite programs.Pause and rewind live TV. Record a TV episode, series, or category. Automaticallyrecord a personalized selection of TV programs using Keyword Record. Media Centerdownloads the latest program listings for you and even wakes up from power-savingstandby mode to record programs, so you can watch shows on your schedule.
 	 
	Photos & Video
	Easily edit your digital pictures and digital videos, and then launch a dynamic slideshow complete with animated transitions and your favorite soundtrack. While viewing a picture, zoom in to see more detail. You can rotate, correct red-eye, and print your pictures using the remote. Play slide-shows straight from digital storage devices.
 	 
Music & Radio 
All your music is stored in one digital jukebox and using the remote, shuffle your entire music collection according to artist or genre or listen to your tunes through playlists that learn what you like. Tune in FM stations and pause live radio. Full-screen visualizations pulse to the beat of the music. Cool on-screen effects show music information, such as track title, track time, and artist.

... Read more

Reviews (11)

Everything but the kitchen sink
I have not generally been kind to Toshibas, but I must say I took a liking to this one the first time I booted it up. It is impressive to look at, quite high-tech with great lines and lots of cool colored lights. But it's what's inside that counts.
It has a very, very fast 2.8 GHz CPU with an ample 512 megabytes of 800 MHz FSB RAM (expandable to 2 gigs), a 64 megabyte dedicated vidcard and a 17" display that is unbeatable. The 60 gigabyte hard drive, though, is a bit smaller than I would have expected.

That it has a digital TV tuner, can play and record DVDs as well as CDs (so it can be used as a true media center instead of just as a PC) and that it features a full function remote control are all just that much more "lagniappe" (oh, that's a cajun word for 'that little bit extra' you didn't expect but were pleased to get).
Anyway, why only 4 stars? Well, mainly because this computer is not really a laptop, unless you have a very, very big lap. This is a desktop masquerading as a laptop, and believe me, at a whopping 10 pounds it isn't going to be making very many trips. That may all be fine and dandy, but there is a significant penalty for it being called a laptop, namely a higher price than an equivalent desktop media center (look at the Gateways, for instance) would command.
For most folks, this is overkill. Where would it be perfect? I would say it would be true Nirvana in some lucky person's dorm room, though it would also look most handsome under anyone's Christmas tree!

Wonderful with a few drawbacks
Great machine, well worth the money and with what's on the market today spending over two thousand dollars you are sure to want your money's worth. This is the machine to give you just that. The 17 inch screen is the best I have seen to date on a notebook or a monitor and a double bonus of getting the new XP pro media version - - for the people that don't already know media version - - its just XP PRO with new media built in, so you still get the great XP pro. The remote functions control your dvd cd tv radio and taping features so you can now control your remote controls that run all your needs on one system. I am used power house systems so the power of this system is a little slow for being called a desktop replacement. Bootup time with nothing on the system takes up to 2 min and shut down is even slower but please don't let that stop you from purchasing this great system. I am used to power house 3.6 gig systems like Alienware, however I wanted a system that would cover what I could do on the powerhouse system and be mobile at the same time. You do lose a little speed but your all the way mobile with this wonderful 17 inch system. My other gripes are the keyboard is downright painful to use and that forced me to buy another one. I also put another 512 mem in to speed up the machine hoping that would increase bootup and shutdown times but no help. The wireless on this system is amazing I had to do nothing but turn it on and it found it and I was up and running. This machine has more extras on it than a brand new Hummer. All and all I give it two thumbs way up.

The Baddest Bad Boy out There
I teach high school and own a graphic art company. This machine can do it all. From Premier Pro to Photo Shop CS to Electric Rain's Swift 3-D, there is not another machine that can even remotely touch it. It is not a gaming machine, mostly due to the 64 megs of video ram, however, when I replaced the two slots outfitted with 256 MB of 2100 ram and put in a gig of 2700-333 MHz ram (2X512), that incidentally, fit perfectly, I could have never fathomed the results!! This is a true media center in every facet and aspect of this well deserved title. I am working on some stuff at the local state university branch, where they are using top of the line Macintosh machines, and this thing blew them all out of the water on comparative rendering times, screen resolution, and memory overload, mostly because I didn't have any memory overload. Additionally, I use Corel, Bryce, Poser, Illustrator, and a few other parametric vectoring programs, etc, etc., and I have been overwhelmed by the capability of this machine. It runs like a Lamborghini and rides like a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. The screen is deep, opulent, clear, and dazzling. The keys have a nice, natural feel to them. Every part of the machine screams out major graphics. I run and work out, so the 10 lbs. or so, that so many seem to complain about, isn't any hindrance for me. I take it everywhere because my work is that important to me. I guess it comes down to this...If you want to run with the big boys, don't whine about the load because in the final analysis, I can guarantee that this machine will walk easily through any tasks, and I do mean any tasks at all, you put to it. It is, unreservedly, the only true desktop replacement I have found out there besides its big brother, the P25-S609. Believe me, I have looked around everywhere. I recently created a 13 minute movie with the windows movie maker program, complete with music, 50 or so transitions, and several video clips for a funeral. Can you imagine something not working during a funeral??? With only a half hour to work with before the funeral, I hooked it up to an Infocus projector, and I had no doubts that this machine would pull off the job with no complications and so, I was correct. This is the one bad, bad boy, if you can handle it. This machine is not for everyone, but if you need the best, this is it. I would most assuredly stake my reputation on this machine, because I already have. It is one awesome piece of technology for the true graphics professional..RP

WOW x 2!
HI, I my name is Frank and I am currently in China. I had this brought to me by a friend whom visited the US..... I got this computer because my previous one was a Toshiba, which I sold and wanted to stay with it because this brand I trust, unlike the lemon which I bought from Compaq several years back. This computer is really good.. the sound is WOW! You can adjust equalizer to suit your music needs... from Club... to classical sounds... this is amazing.. you can even play a music and hear it as if you where in the toilet.

Now let me start....by saying that I bought mine with the Toshiba recommended Roller/Backpack case (and it is like a luggage man but very good a WELL padded). The 17" screen is awesome and very easy on the eyes.... You CAN turn off the mouse pad.... As I have an external mouse hooked to it.... The three fans that it comes with are very quite even if all of them come on at the same time... but you can hear them..... the only sound side to this is that you must leave the open to hear quality sound... even though the computer is off... unlike my 1800 Toshiba were I could actually close the display and still hear some sounds... but not as good as this though. The keyboard needs some time to get used to, but the keys are a pleasure to type on and very speedy (I do agree with the other person who said that they needed to expand the keyboard a bit and or put a keypad next to it since there is a large wasted space - but you have to also consider the components within).

The only reason I did not buy the HP is because the cooling sucks... my friend has one (not the 17" model though) and he needs an external fan to cool it. The brands with the best cooling systems are Sony and Toshiba in that order, but you get more value and more gadgets with this one. I also did not think a need for a TV tuner.. I never use it and if I was in Australia I would just turn on the TV with a bigger screen. A word of WARNING ... NEVER install anything when the XP software tells you that you should stop installation. I did that and ended up formatting the whole drive because my webcam that I used previously did not want to go to bed with XP... also ... you will need a boot CD to completely format your drive... the quick format that the restore cd comes with does not clean it and leaves some nasty bugs, which won't let your system to boot up again. You must completely format it... once you have completely formatted the drive, you then can insert the Toshiba Restore CD and then reinstall everything.

Another downside to it is that it weighs a lot.. but that does not matter since most of the time it is at home and when I want to travel, it just goes straight into the case and onto somewhere else.

Oh.. the only good thing about this computer coming with a TV tuner is that you can leave it in and take out the battery so that you do not reduce its life considerably if you leave it in the computer while it is plugged in.

That is all.. I do recommend this machine to anyone over any other machines.... Toshiba is a QUALITY brand name and I will continue to buy their products... but make sure you do a lot of research into other brands before making your decision... thanks and take care

Frank
http://clik.to/myurl

Terrible Tech Support
Toshiba may make good products, but their support is the worst i have ever come across. They have lost my laptop for over a month now and do not care a lick about it. They're tech support team is in Turkey and they dont care a thing about anybody. They kept hanging up on me and refused to help me saying it will take some time. When i called back- no one knew anything and had zero updates. DO NOT BUY TOSHIBA PRODUCTS! Get a Gateway or Dell instead...two companies that actually care about their customers. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Shopping for a feature-rich multimedia mobile computer offering a high-octane processor, supercharged graphics, stereo sound with built-in subwoofer, and a large high-resolution display? The Toshiba Satellite 5205-S503 notebook PC delivers all of this in an advanced, stylish design.

A 2 GHz Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor-M provides premium computing power across a broad range of productivity and multimedia software. The notebook’s 512 MB of memory--expandable to 1 GB--and 512 KB of L2 cache smoothly run multiple applications simultaneously. A 40 GB hard drive offers abundant data and multimedia download storage.

A multifunction DVD/CD-RW drive lets you watch movies, and listen to and record music and back up data on CD. Sound from the notebook’s built-in Harman Kardon stereo speakers with subwoofer is enhanced by 3-D sound support with HRTF 3-D positional audio, Direct 3-D sound, and hardware acceleration for DirectSound and DirectMusic.

The 5205-S503 includes a 15-inch SXGA+ active-matrix display that, coupled with an nVidia GeForce4 460 Go graphics controller and 32 MB of 250 MHz DDR external video memory, supports up to 16 million colors at 1,400 x 1,050 resolution.

The 7.1-pound, 12.9-by-11.6-by-1.8-inch 5205-S503 includes an integrated 10/100Base-T Ethernet interface with RJ-45 LAN port and built-in 56K V.92 modem with RJ-11 connector. Other ports include three USB 2.0 interfaces, a TV-out interface, a FireWire interface, and a secure digital card slot. A 32-bit CardBus-ready PC Card slot supports one Type II card.

The notebook includes a Toshiba remote control device with power on/shutdown, CD/DVD/digital audio play control, volume control, keyboard emulation, task change, maximize window, and a TV button. The 5205-S503’s keyboard includes 85 full-size keys with 12 function keys.

Installed software includes Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Works, Intuit Quicken Basic 2001, InterVideo WinDVD, Norton AntiVirus 2002, and Adobe Acrobat Reader. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

All in one mutli-media laptop
This is a very impressive little bit of engineering... I'm typing this review on the S503 and have put it through it's paces. First this is the only laptop I've ever seen with an integrated subwoofer, what's not to love about that. Second you have USB 2.0 and Firewire, so plug in those cam-corders and make your own on-site edits. The processor packs some power but it lags a little in online applications, patience is a virtue. However you wont feel that typical 'I'm on a laptop' lack of power. The remote is a nice add-on, didn't know what I'd use it for untill I saw that this computer plugs right into an RCA on your TV, not just video etc, but the FULL screen all the time. This leads to Divx movies with friends or DVD's where you might not have one. The screen is so bright and vivid you may just want to watch movies on the built in 15" screen. There's an SPDIF output regular stereo and allegedly digital optical enabling dts if your reciever allows. The lid is made of a soft plastic and scratches much to easy, take good care of this one. I've heard that Toshiba has one of the best customer service satisfaction ratings above dell and gateway. Overall I'm very pleased to be leaving my 2 compaqs in the dust, they never lived up to their potential, Toshiba has consistantly blown away my expectations.

Pretty package but not THAT great!
No question, this baby's a real looker, but:

1. For some reason my HDD keeps needing to be defragmented, about once every 10 days. It's only 4500 RPM instead of 5400 RPM, which slows things down considerably despite the 2.0 GHz processor and 512MB of DDR.

2. Could've used: a floppy drive to transfer data to older PCs that don't have USB, CD-ROM (burning individual docs to a CD just to transfer them is a pain anyway), or Ethernet connections. So simple, so cheap, why not...?

3. A parallel port for hooking up to older printers that don't have USB plugs.

4. Some way of locking the power-off, because mine keeps turning on during transit!

5. The touchpad is an annoyingly useless POS; having a dual stick-pointer like the Dell would be much better.

6. Remember that this laptop is more of a DESKTOP REPLACEMENT, not a true portable notebook! I mean, it's huge (most laptop cases are too small for it) and fairly heavy ... and really not designed to be lugged around.

That said, I don't entirely regret buying it. It's relatively fast for a laptop, does have very good multimedia, and a beautiful screen. ...

my workhorse...
I bought this unit in 10/02/02, a couple of days before they actual "official release date". I DID NOT DO not even 1 seconds of research:), just went to the first electronics retail store near me and browsed the laptops they had in display...found a Toshiba but asked for a 2.0GHz processor and the salesperson told me that they've just received some.
Until now it showed the same reliability as my old Inspiron, never had a hiccup...
To refute some claims from others regarding this product:
1) It is PREWIRED for wireless mini-PCMCIA cards...I bought Dell Truemobile 1350 card. It installs like a RAM stick and VOILA! you have "wireless"...
2) Agreed that Toshiba saved some money with the MK4018GAS HDD...but I waited for the Hitachi super duper 7200rpm, 60GB drive to get a little cheaper and bought one. Works like a charm (OUT OF THE BOX, did it myself, no conectors, no settings...get out of the caddy the old HDD, put in the new one,..simple) and guess what, the old Toshiba HDD sits now in a tray in the Style BAY and I am the proud owner of a "100GB" laptop:)
3) The USB ports...I have plugged all kind of peripherals into them: printers, external TV tuners, mice, keyboards, digital photo and video cameras...they are plug and play...
This laptop is the champion of "customizing" ease: new 7200rpm HDD put in in less tha 5 min, cheap 2nd HDD(do it yoursef), StyleBay DVD-R/RW/RAM...Toshiba had a sale for them...2nd battery...etc, everything for very few compared to others (Amazon will not allow prices shown so I will not write one)

THE ONLY GRIPE: runs very hot...but this is when playing a 2004 flight sim for more than 4-5 hours:)

Excellent notebook!
I've purchased this notebook after doing some extensive market research. My first obvious choice was Dell but I found their comparable models to be overprized. I was also concerned with overall Dell's build quality, which seems to have been sliding down lately. The only concern I had about this model was 4500 RPM HD. If that is a real big issue for you, go with 5205-S507 model, which has 60 Gb HD. That 60 Gb HD is still 5400 RPM but higher HD disks density makes for a bit faster HD. The 5205-S507 model also comes with nicer screen but I couldn't justify the price difference.

I've had this notebook for about two months now and I am extremely happy with it. It runs fast all applications, handles latest games nicely, and looks great. As another reviewer pointed out, this is not a small laptop so finding a case for it is a challenge. I'd suggest checking Targus CK55 laptop case sold at BestBuy.

Great Laptop
I bought this laptop as a desk top replacement. It is much too heavy for a lug it around on airplanes laptop.

It has great features and will meet 90% of any super users requirements.

On little nit: the keyboard and touch pad are awkward (I am used to the IBM keyboard and the pencil eraser "mouse") and I always seem to be moving the pointer when I don't want to. The touch pad is very sensitive even after resetting it.

Buy it. it's a great machine. ... Read more

Amazon Product Description

The Basics
As the midlevel model in Toshiba's powerful, multimedia-friendly A75 roster of portable computers, the Satellite A75-S226 notebook provides a good compromise between price and performance. Featuring a 15.4-inch widescreen display perfect for DVD viewing, an extremely potent Intel Pentium 4 processor, and all the connectivity you'll need for the latest digital camcorders and cameras, the Satellite A75-S226 is a fast machine ready for most any home or remote application.

The A75-S209 features a 15.4" Wide-screen XGA Display with TruBrite Technology.

Processor At the heart of any computer lies the CPU (or processor), a massive collection of miniature transistors that governs the speed and power of the entire unit. Some of today's notebooks are equipped with high-end CPUs on par with those found in top-of-the-line desktop PCs, though these machines are usually noticeably larger and more power-hungry than their less powerful counterparts. For the Satellite A75-S226, Toshiba has selected a super-fast 3.06 GHz Pentium 4 532. This CPU is part of the new second generation of Intel's potent Pentium 4 series, offering improved power efficiency, extra Level 2 cache for quicker access to recently viewed data, and hyperthreading (a technology that allows a single-CPU system to behave at times like a double-CPU system). Running at 3.02 GHz, this is a very powerful CPU that'll handle virtually anything you can throw its way. Memory Computers typically store information on their hard drives, but they keep frequently and recently accessed data in random access memory (RAM). More RAM means faster computing, superior multitasking, and less strain on your hard drive. The Satellite A75-S226 includes 512 MB of RAM, an allotment that's considered quite adequate even for a lot of multitasking. The system also allows you to expand to a whopping 1.5 GB, more than enough for any situation you'll ever encounter.

Video
CPUs are usually so busy doing basic calculations that they need help translating visual output to the screen. This is the duty of the graphics card (or graphics controller). This system's graphics controller is an ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 IGP with 128 MB of shared video memory. Though dedicated video memory would be ideal, the truth is that 128 MB is an impressive amount, even when shared. As such, the Satellite A75-S226 will smoothly and accurately display all 2-D and most 3-D applications. You may need to upgrade the video controller if you plan to operate super-high-end games and 3-D animation packages, but the system is otherwise a video powerhouse.

Display
At 15.4 inches and featuring a widescreen format suitable for playing movies on DVD, the unit's WXGA TFT active-matrix display is great for multimedia enthusiasts. The screen's highest supported resolution of 1,280 by 800 pixels is superior to the genre's average 1,024 by 768, delivering crisp images and lots of fine detail.