Toshiba Satellite M45-S331 15.4" Notebook PC (Intel Pentium M Processor 730 (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive)

Rating:
Summary: I love it!
Review: I love this laptop! I've been using it heavily for several weeks and I haven't had any problems. It hasn't locked up once, and I've used it for hours with 5 programs running(excel, word, onenote, firefox, acrobat reader), several windows each, and it didn't even slow down a bit. I use the wireless connection on battery, on AC, connecting it and disconnecting it while surfing the web, and no problems.
And the trubrite display is great!

Rating:
Summary: A Good Laptop...with a Wireless Drawback
Review: I purchased a Toshiba M45-S331 on Feb. 2 at Office Depot for $1299.99 after rebates. I got it home, and fell in love with it instantly...until I decided to try out the wireless. I had my power features set so that when I was on battery it switched to the maximum life mode and when I was on AC it was the Maximum performance mode. I was walking around the house wireless surfing the internet - no problem....until I plugged my AC back in. The machine locked up hard. No ctrl+alt+del...no nothing....it was froze. I called it a glitch and cut it off and back on. I was working on battery, and plugged it up again while surfing the net and it hard locked again. I assumed I had a bad laptop, so I returned it to Office Depot on Feb 3. I took another one home thinking surely that it wouldn't do this....but it did. I was also able to duplicate the problem on the one on display at Office Depot. It seems as long as you don't have your wireless turned on...it will do fine going from battery to AC. As long as you don't plan on wirelessly surfing the net and plugging up to AC at the same time, it should be a great laptop. One side note - this was the only toshiba model that had this problem that Office Depot had on display. But...I decided to try my luck with Sony so I ordered one today.

Rating:
Summary: Can it get much closer to perfection ..?
Review: I went to buy this laptop and I'm still struggling to hear its fan as it's really quiet. When I tried to lift it I was surprised to realise how light it was and I'm still waiting for its battery to end. When I compared its TruBrite screen next to M35X S309 I no longer had a doubt - the screen really makes a difference. Given that my old toshiba laptop - had it for 2.5 years - never presented an issue despite turning it on and then putting in to standby 10 times a day, this laptop looks like the best investment one can make at this period.

OK, I'll say a negative thing so that I don't sound too positive. The keyboard could present greater resemblence to a desktop but this is not something that cannot be used in longer than a week.

Rating:
Summary: Good Laptop for a Great Price but...
Review: The keyboard has a very weird layout. So weird, in fact, that I decided to return my m35x-s349 - very similar to this one - and pay a 15% restocking fee at Best Buy (Amazon doesn't have a restocking fee for laptops as far as I know). The biggest issue I had with the keyboard is that there is no Ctrl key on the right side of the keyboard. If you use computers throughout the day you would likely use this key with the arrow keys and your right hand to jump around text and spreadsheets, among other things (pasting, copying, etc). Also, the Windows button is on the top - for me not as big of a deal but other reviewers had an issue with that.

However this laptop is a very good laptop other than this, and at a very good price... lots of memory and hard drive space, DVD burner, awesome widescreen screen, and Toshiba is one of the most reliable laptop brands according to Consumer Reports (Apple is by far the most reliable, followed by both Sony and Toshiba).

After returning the product I purchased the Sony VAIO VGN-A250 from Amazon. Almost identical features - the only differences are that the Sony DVD burner is a double layer drive (not super important for the majority of the public), and the Sony memory card reader only accepts Memory Sticks (which Sony cameras use) whereas Toshiba's memory card reader accepts 5 different types of cards (including SD, the most popular). Additionally the Sony turns out to be $100-200 more.

Lastly, Toshiba appears to be replacing their M35X line with M45 at the moment, which at a first glance is even cheaper, so keep a lookout for those.

Rating:
Summary: It Rocks! (Quietly)
Review: When my Sony GRX-550 laptop crashed, I took it to Best Buy in Boynton Beach, Florida, and waited seven weeks while the Geek Squad -- and I do mean Geek -- decided whether to repair or replace it under a Professional Performance Plan. SEVEN WEEKS! All those weeks of unanswered phone calls and e-mails made me mighty mad. When I finally got through -- by calling corporate and asking it to patch me through -- and threatened to tell my tale to local consumer reporters, the store managers miraculously and uncharacteristically made a smart move and gave me a brand spanking new Toshiba M45-S331.

This machine outperforms my GRX-550 by leaps and bounds, which I guess is to be expected in a newer computer. It has a bright screen, fast processor, plenty of memory -- 512 mb expandable to 2 gb -- dvd burner, and enough ports to satisfy the most demanding multi-tasker. There's also a built-in wireless feature that I haven't tried yet.

All that and IT'S QUIET! I mean it's quiet. My old Sony laptop clicked and whirred constantly. When I was researching machines to replace it after the crash, I listened to other Sony laptops in Best Buy and found they had the same annoying habit. I don't know exactly why my computer was so noisy -- it sounded like the hard drive was talking to itself -- but I do know that it could be heard from every room in my apartment and often appeared as the soundtrack to my worst nightmares.

After several weeks of heavy use, I can tell you I'm very happy with my Toshiba M45-S331. If it keeps on running the way it is now for the next couple of years, I will be a Toshiba loyalist. If it doesn't, Best Buy sweetened the replacement deal with another three year Professional Performance Plan, and you'll probably be reading about another horrible ordeal trying to get them to make good on it.

The only note of caution I have for buyers of the Toshiba Satellite M45-S331 is that it does not come with a parallel port, which means if you have a printer with a parallel cord, you will have to buy one with a USB end to plug it into the computer. This could add about 20 bucks to the cost of the computer.

Happy computing.