Rating: 
Summary: Not so happy!
Review: Compaq makes better Notebooks, also Compaq Presario 725US Notebook (Athlon-4 1600+) is faster and cheaper right now. I recommend Compaq Notebook for extreme performance. I have been running Compaq for 2 weeks now, and did not find anything wrong with Compaq Athlon-4.
You will not be disappointed!
Thank you Amazon for great product and fast delivery!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Value, A Couple Gotchas
Review: Have had my 5105 for 2 months and have the following observations:- Wake up Apple! The resolution of the screen (1600 x 1200) blows away the PowerBook I have and all current models. It is time to put an LCD and keyboard on your rack mount computers because that is what it will take to keep up with this machine's number crunching power. - The Wi-Fi capabilities might as well not be there. The bottom of the computer has a slot for some kind of 802.11/Bluetooth card. But I can't find the card(s) for sale at Toshiba.com or anywhere else. I'll probably end up buying an Orinoco card when I go wireless. - Only having XP Home on the machine is a drag. When I started installing Visual Basic .Net I didn't have a bunch of stuff I needed. Toshiba HELLO!, this is a power user machine! - The synaptics LCD touch pad is amusing but not well supported and will take some time to begin to use. Amazingly the only place I could find information on how to work it (tap twice when you think you need to tap once) was in the manual. Not on the Toshiba or Synaptics web sites. The calculator has been useful 5 or so times in 2 months. - Windows XP update has done a good job of updating the drivers for this machine. The only manual driver installs I've have done are the BIOS updates (installable from windows with 1.6 and later). - Working with an external monitor is annoying because:
(a) Windows XP does not automatically identify the monitor and remember your desktop settings (MicroSoft's fault).
(b) So when you plug in the monitor you have to manually click on "extend my desktop" (MicroSoft's fault)
(c) With the Combo drive ejecting to the right of the unit and the video connector on the left, the monitor "wants" to sit on the left. The XP dialog (of course) assumes the monitor sits on the right, so you have to drag the icon EVERY TIME you connect your external monitor. (Toshiba are your enginerds actually USING the products they design?) - The sound is unbalanced on my unit. I think because the "sub woofer" on the bottom is closer to the right speaker, the sound feels unbalanced to the right. Not a big deal for me as I plug in to Boston Acoustics, but curious that Toshiba didn't catch this. Or, is it just me? I bought this model because it already had the add-ons I needed for a number crunching contract job. The value is commendable as even 2 months later the price has not fallen and the specs remain competitive. Usually I buy the week before the new models are announced. :-( The warmth of the 5105 however, can't compare to the G3 500 mhz PowerBook it is replacing. There is something cold about the design, like the process was driven by cranking out a checklist rather than incorporating enthusiasm and community. Speaking of community, to date I haven't been able to find a site to support the Toshiba like [website] or [website] have supported my PowerBook. The Toshiba forum on CompuServe is a purgatory of whining about startup problems. Problems, problems, problems, without any Toshibish interjections of answers.
Rating: 
Summary: 2 failure in less than monh after purchase
Review: Hi I bought my Toshiba laptop in October 2002. After only 15 days my HDD was dead. Toshiba fixed it for 10 days. Few weeks later my CD burner died. I burned only few CD before it happend.
This time I was waiting 2 weeks. So in less then 2 months, my Toshiba died twice, and I spent 4 weeks instead of enyoing my new computer, waiting home and with new ulcer on my stomach.
Now is working good, but I do not know for how long.
Rating: 
Summary: Love it to death
Review: I play a lot of graphic-intensive games and this baby handles them beautifully. All the latest games you can run with maximum graphics settings at 1024 and higher resolution. Great keyboard, incredible screen quality (better than my CRT), and it just performs like a dream. I tried the DVD TV-out connection and it really doesn't work well on my TV. May work better if your TV has the RCA audio/vido connectors. I tried it though the VCR, and with an adapter straight to the TV, and both methods had bad screen quality. So I just watch DVD's on the laptop screen and they are outstanding. Contrary to some reviews I have read, you can lower the resolution to whatever you like and the font is crisp and clear, it does not garble at all. I work this machine hard and I have no complaints.
Rating:
Summary: My Toshiba Experience
Review: I totally agree with hardware fan from NY and California and more. First a little background-My first laptop was a Toshiba 2850 CDT. It was a disaster but I managed to sell it at half the price. I guess I failed to learn from experience and bought 5105-S607 last year. Initially I used it very sparingly but as I started using it regularly this year I found:
1. The hard drive was making all kinds of noises
2. The famous Toshiba AMR modem went grom 50k to 37k to 28k and finally 7-9kbps
3. The machine was getting extremely hot and
4. The battery life was miserable ( 1.5 hours )
I promptly called their tech support. They seem to full of asians and hispanics who barely speak English (if you can call that English). Initially they jerk you off " it is a software problem. Reload the CD's." After hours of explaining they sent a box for this thing to be sent to their world-renowned depot in Memphis. To make a long story short, I have returned it 5 times. What the "depot" does it reformat the hard drive and ship it back the same day. Never mind that machine is like a heater or modem does nor work-just reformat it. I have been told that hard drive and modem was replaced. Lies! The hard drive after "replacement" has the same serial number and it is the same old defective modem ( though they replaced the phone jack!). I discussed with then replacement or exchange of the computer- "thats not our policy". So I am left with a hot piece of plastic, Toshiba has now stopped even reformatting the hard drive though they are willing to send again a box to take this this back to Memphis- where I already know what they do.
The one star is for audio/video if you want to listen to music or watch movies.
I think I have a lost cause but I am posting this review so that people who buy Toshibas with their hard-earned money know what they are facing. Buyer beware.
Rating:
Summary: One laptop that really stands out
Review: I won't bother repeating what has been said before but I don't believe adequate praise has been given to the new touchpad, which at the present is unique to this model alone. This is my third laptop and I hated most touchpads. In fact, I really missed the pointing device from my old Fujitsu (like an IBM ThinkPad stick but bigger). But thanks to the features of the new cPad on this Toshiba, it is already saving me time and frustration. There are four corner areas that you can program to do various features. The defaults are set to maximize and minimize, the Alt key (to access menus), and the Windows key. Along the right and bottom are also spaces to scroll, similar to the new wheel mice. These may sound like little bells and whistles, but they really help out in the long run when you are on the road without a mouse. That doesn't even count the additional features such as a calculator and *gasp* an actual keypad! Plus you can change the background image to whatever you want, or select from some included clipart. Our IT guy calls it the Tamagotchi, but it is truly Palm-inspired innovation at work. The built-in SmartMedia and SecureDigital card readers are also a big help for my digital camera. Plus, there are more than enough ports (2 PCMCIA, 3 USB, 1 iLink, Network, Modem, A/V out, VGA). The harmon/kardon speakers and subwoofer are also top-notch. I've turned the volume up to max and you get no distortion or tinny sounds. My main complaint is that the front audio controls seem to require turning the computer on. I was hoping this would be one of the intelligent CD drives that could run without extra horsepower and battery drain. Alas, it is still not the perfect laptop (certainly it does weigh a ton), but it's by far the closest yet.
Rating:
Summary: A great desktop replacement
Review: I'm a web and multimedia designer/developer and the Toshiba Satellite 5105-S607 is a great sound and graphics desktop replacement system. Once I got my unit out of the box I was floored with its slick design. Of course looks is just the beginning, it felt almost twice as fast and more responsive than my second multimedia system, a Powerbook 667 G4 in most web, graphics and multimedia applications such as Flash, Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver. For palette heavy applications such as Photoshop and Flash, Toshiba's HUGE 15 inch 1600X1200 resolution will be more than enough real estate to work with. Its 1.7 GHZ Pentium 4 processor and 400 MHZ system bus breezes through heavy and complicated Flash projects with a large amount of animation and sound. Its 5400 RPM 40 gig storage is fast and spacious enough to handle huge multi megabyte files. 40 Gig not enough for you? Then archive your files by burning them in the build in CD-recorder (DVD/CDR) The keyboard feels solid and comfortable. The unique c-pad LCD track pad is a great extra for quick launching applications among other things. Another great feature of this system is its speakers (with a sub woofer to boot!) and its ability to play CD's and DVD's even if the laptop is closed, doubling as a portable DVD/CD player! If you do multimedia presentations like I do than combining a well made presentation with this notebook's huge clear LCD screen and vibrant speakers will never fail to impress your clientele. Unfortunately there are no legacy ports for people who would want to connect their old peripherals. Also it is quite heavy and larger than your typical notebook hence "desktop replacement" and not a truly portable computer. Another disappointment for me was its very short battery life (lasted less than 90 Mins on average for me). I suggest to always work near an electrical source. Yet these shortcomings do not bother me at all. The fast 1.7 GHZ P4, 15 inch UXGA screen, 512 MB of RAM, 40 gig hard drive, Firewire, 32 MB Nvida Gforce 4 to Go, great HK speakers - the Toshiba Satellite 5105-S607 has features that are usually found in most [high end] laptops... For its price and specifications the Toshiba Satellite 5105-S607 is truly a fantastic value.
Rating:
Summary: Elegant and high performance
Review: I've had this computer for a year and still love it. It is nice to look at, has a beautiful screen, performs well for graphics and multimedia, and has never given me any trouble. Also, I love the sound system speakers, the C-pad and CD interface on the front. The negative reviews below puzzle me because my experience has been extremely positive for this machine. The features are some of the best for the price, and I looked around quite a bit before buying. I highly recommend this machine, and from my experience I will probably buy a Toshiba for my next computer. (What a contrast to the defective Sony Vaio PCG-F250--an utter disaster that should have been recalled. I will never buy a Sony again!)
Rating:
Summary: I honestly can't complain
Review: I've had this tosh 607 for well over 2 years now and in all that time it has never failed, never glitched, never lost a pixel, nothing. Now I should explain that I use this to make games with (professionally). I have been using it solidly, every day as a desktop replacement running 3dsMax, Photoshop etc. as well as our game engine and development software. I take it to work every single day, work on it all day, then take it home in the trunk of the car and use it all evening doing whatever else. It's generally on for between 14-17 hours a day... every day for over 2 years!
I don't use the AMR modem, I'm broadband at all times so can't comment. It's never had a failure so I can't comment on tech support either. The drives have been known to fail, I replaced mine for a bigger and faster drive a while ago. The original drive is still working fine as an external unit though. The burner has been used extensively, burning through a few hundred CD's without issue and all the ports (and I mean *all*) get used every day as I have a very large number of devices to plug into it. None have ever failed or come loose which is more than I can say about the things I plug into them. Battery life was a known quantity going in so it was about what I expected. No big surprise there (for me or anyone else who bought this unit). Currently the battery life is down to about 5 minutes and needs replacing, no surprise given how I mistreat it.
Basically the thing is a stalwart. It just keeps going and going. Some people may have issues but they certainly don't reflect my experience with this Tosh and I'll wager mine has a harder life than all the reviewers machines here put together.
Rating:
Summary: Great machine for what I expected
Review: Many thanks to all who took the time to review this machine before me. They helped me make an informed purchase.
In brief: The speed is great. The UXGA screen is great! Battery life is lousy, but I knew that going in and don't need more than an hour at a time. I don't notice or mind the fan, comes on intermittently for a few seconds once in awhile.
It's a big change in many ways from the ultra-tiny Sharp Actius it's replacing, (faster, better screen, fast big drive, heavier), but a good value.
I haven't dealt with Toshiba tech support, and I hope I don't have to. Their web site seems very good for drivers and updates, and pretty bad for actual support, or discussion, or knowlege base type searching.
I'm happy with it after 4 weeks.
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