Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)My wife and I got this Toshiba laptop to replace an aging laptop at home, where the extent of our mobility requirement is that we occasionally move it from room to room. (If we simply wanted a computer for a fixed location, we probably would have purchased a desktop model for somewhat less money and/or better performance.) Beyond normal uses such as spreadsheets and publishing programs, the 2.2 GHz Intel Core Duo 2 T6600 processor is plenty powerful enough for typical household needs, including photography work and most games. If you are a serious gamer, however, you will want more processing power and a discrete graphics card, which this laptop doesn't have. Unlike most netbooks or "ultra-thin" laptops (which slot between netbooks and traditional laptops), this unit comes with 4GB of memory, which should remain sufficient for several years, and a solid 400GB hard drive. That, along with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, should last you years.
The large (16 inch) display is bright, crisp and a joy to behold. I've read some complaints about the keyboard, but we like it. There is a numeric keypad, which really saves time if you frequently work with numbers. The touchpad is not located in the middle of the unit, which troubles some people (although it is easy to get used to). If you look carefully at an image of the keyboard, you will see that the touchpad is located roughly in the middle of what I would call the traditional keyboard area (from the left shift key to the right shift key), which is where you will normally find your hands when typing. The two internal speakers are simply great for a laptop, but don't expect miracles from 1.5 inch speakers. The "fusion" finish looks sharp, but it attracts fingerprints like honey attracts bees.
This Toshiba comes with a six-cell battery and an advertised 3 hours and 20 minute battery life, although we got closer to 2 hours and 30 minutes of battery use with normal settings. Regardless, we don't run this on battery power that often, and if what you want is really long battery life, you should look at a netbook or ultra-thin. The Windows 7 software is 64-bit, which is where personal computing is headed, so that's an advantage. However, you may find some compatibility problems with older software or hardware such as printers (many printer manufacturers will have compatible drivers available shortly).
Before you rule this laptop in for your situation, however, you should first rule out various alternatives. If mobility is a key concern for you, this isn't the right choice. Yes, you can pick it up and carry it around, but at 15 inches in width and over seven pounds, I wouldn't want to lug it around for long. For, say, a college student who wants to take notes in class every day (and who can accept the limited processing power of less capable machines), a smaller, lighter computer with much better battery life is a better choice. Get a netbook, or maybe an ultra-thin. If you are a serious gamer or video editor, then you need a high-end machine with a discrete graphics card and a more powerful processor. Just be prepared to pay up for it. And if you have no mobility requirement, consider a desktop.
However, if what you want is a desktop replacement laptop with plenty of memory, good processing power, speed, a large screen, a roomy hard drive, lots of ports, etc., then this laptop features an attractive combination of these features in a relatively economical package. It will be the right computer for many people.
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Toshiba Satellite A505-S6981 TruBrite 16.0-Inch Black/Silver Laptop - 3 Hours 20 Minutes of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)Replace your desktop PC with the Toshiba Satellite A505-S6981, which features a 16-inch diagonal HD TruBrite widescreen LED-backlit display, touchpad with multi-touch control, power-saving Eco Button to help reduce power consumption based on your needs, USB Sleep-and-Charge ports, and a dual-layer DVD±RW drive that burns CDs and offers Labelflash print functionality. The bright 16-inch LCD (1366 x 768) offers a true 16:9 aspect ratio and 720p native high-definition resolution, and the A505 is great for using as a media center with the touch-sensitive media keys placed above the keyboard. And it's sure to stand out in the crowd thanks to the stunning Fusion Finish with Sonic pattern in Black Onyx.
It comes pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), supporting office applications and all the software programs routinely found in full-size notebooks. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to. (Learn more about Windows 7 Home Premium below.)
It's powered by the 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor, which boosts speed, reduces power requirements, and saves on battery life. It also offers a fast 800 MHz front-side bus speed and 2 MB L2 cache. It also includes Intel's 5100AGN wireless LAN, which will connect to draft 802.11n routers and offers compatibility with 802.11a/b/g networks as well. Other features include a 400 GB hard drive, 4 GB of installed RAM (upgradeable to 8 GB), 1.3-megapixel webcam, Harman Kardon speakers, 5-in-1 memory card reader, and HDMI audio/video output as well as SPDIF digital audio output for 5.1-channel surround sound.
This Toshiba notebook is Energy Star 5.0 certified, EPEAT Gold registered, and RoHS-compliant--effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances.
Key Features
Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. And you can watch shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV on Windows Media Center. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium. (Learn more)
Get more features with Windows Anytime Upgrade. It's the best way to add features to Windows 7, takes as few as ten minutes, requires no software or downloads, and you'll keep your existing programs, files, and settings. Windows will walk you through the simple upgrade process.
16-inch widescreen TruBrite HD LED-Backlit display not only renders stunning visuals, but it's more environmentally friendly as it uses less power (Learn more)
2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor for excellent multi-tasking (Learn more)
400 GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 RPM)
4 GB of RAM (DDR3; 1066 MHz; upgradeable to 8 GB)
Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD with up to 1759 MB of dynamically shared memory allocated by the system (Learn more)
8x SuperMulti DVD drive with double layer support and Labelflash printing (See speeds)
1.3 megapixel with Face Recognition capabilities for added security (Learn more)
Sleep-and-Charge USB port allows you to charge your mobile phone and other devices even when the notebook is asleep or off.
Touch pad with multi-touch control gives you a whole new dimension of freedom--the ability to pinch, swipe or rotate images on the display screen with the brush of your fingers.
104-key keyboard with 10-key pad
Draft-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11a/b/g/n) for greater speed and range
Fast Ethernet (10/100)
HDMI-CEC audio/video output lets you control additional media players with just a single remote.
Harman Kardon stereo speakers bring an added dimension to music, movies and gaming with rich, immersive virtual surround sound
Brilliant Fusion finish with Sonic pattern in Black Onyx (Learn more)
Pre-loaded software includes Microsoft Works SE 9.0 for word processing and spreadsheet work. Enjoy a 60-day trial version of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007.
6-cell (4000 mAh) battery
Dimensions: 15.1 x 10.2 x 1.61 inches (WxDxH)
Weight: 7.17 pounds
Warranty: One-year limited hardware warranty
Networking, Connectivity & Expansion With its integrated Draft-N Wi-Fi networking capabilities, this laptop provides up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range using 802.11n-compatible routers as you would with 802.11g networks. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found at Wi-Fi hotspots and in older home routers) as well as 802.11a networks (which has a higher throughput, but more limited range--great for closed office environments). This notebook also provides Fast (10/100) Ethernet networking.
It also includes a next-generation ExpressCard card slot (replacing the PCMCIA slot), which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. It comes with the following external connectors (see a view of the ports on both sides of this laptop):
4 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
Includes 1 eSATA/USB combo port with USB Sleep and Charge
1 HDMI output for connecting to a compatible HDTV or home theater receiver for uncompressed digital audio and video via a single cable
Analog video output: 1 VGA
1 ExpressCard 54/34 slot for adding advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features
5-in-1 memory card reader compatible with Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Multi Media Card, xD Picture Card
1 headphone jack (with SPDIF digital audio support), 1 microphone jack
RJ-45 port for 10/100 Fast Ethernet
RJ-11 port for 56K modem
What's in the box This package contains the Toshiba Satellite A505-S6981 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions.
It also comes with the following software: Norton Internet Security 2009 (30-day trial), Toshiba PC Health Monitor, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 Edition (60-day trial), Windows Media Player, Corel DVD Movie Factory, Google Toolbar, Google Picasa, PowerCinema, WildTangent Orb Game Console
Learn More
Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. You can even watch, pause, rewind, and record TV. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium.
Jump Lists New in Windows 7, Jump Lists take you right to the documents, pictures, songs, or websites you turn to each day. To open a Jump List, just right-click a program icon on the Windows 7 taskbar. (You'll also find them on the Start menu.) What you see in a Jump List depends entirely on the program. The Jump List for Internet Explorer 8 shows frequently-viewed websites. Windows Media Player 12 lists commonly-played tunes. Your Jump List missing a favorite? You can "pin" whatever files you like there. Jump Lists don't just show shortcuts to files. Sometimes they also provide quick access to commands for things like composing new e‑mail messages or playing music.
Improved Windows Taskbar In Windows 7 you can "pin" favorite programs anywhere on the taskbar for easy access. Not crazy about the icon lineup? Now you can rearrange them any way you like by clicking and dragging. Finally, there are new ways to preview windows. Point to a taskbar icon to see a thumbnail preview of open files or programs. Then, move your mouse over a thumbnail to preview the window full-screen. You can even close windows from the thumbnail previews--a big time saver.
Snap Ever need to cut through a cluttered desktop and quickly focus on a single window? Just click a pane and give your mouse a shake. Every open window except that one instantly disappears. Jiggle again--and your windows are back.
Superb Viewing on 16-Inch Widescreen LCDThe 16-inch WXGA LCD has a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels--perfect for watching movies in their intended 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. It also provides TruBrite technology, which makes images brighter and more vivid thanks to its anti-glare feature. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, which uses shared video memory (up to 1750 MB allocated from the system memory) and provides enhanced 3D graphics performance--delivering over 2x scores on 3DMark 06. Intel Clear Video Technology provides outstanding video playback with sharper image quality, increased clarity, and customizable color controls. It also enables enhanced visual quality of interlaced content on progressive displays.
Intel Core 2 Duo Processing Power The Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor has a 2.2 GHz processor speed, fast 800 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.) It's optimized for multitasking and is ready to support the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system.
8x DVD-SuperMulti Drive This multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with writing both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer (DL) DVD±R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data. It offers the following read/write speeds:
Write: 24x CD-R, 24x CD-RW, 8x DVD-R, 8x DVD+R, 6x DVD-R DL (double-layer), 6x DVD+R DL (double-layer), 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+RW, 5x DVD-RAM
With the Labelflash functionality, you can burn high-resolution, high-contrast pictures on the label side of DVD discs using the same laser used for data recording. Enjoy transparency and high-quality not found in traditional printable media. All you need is a Labelflash DVD disc to start labeling without a printer.
Brilliant Fusion Finish and Feather-Touch Multimedia ControlsThis Toshiba Satellite laptop makes a real statement about your personal style the moment you walk in a room, thanks to Fusion finish with finely striped Sonic design pattern. Run your fingertips across the smooth, shiny palm rest of the Satellite laptop and what do you encounter? Nary a bump. That's because the touchpad is recessed to give your notebook a more streamlined look, and to give you more comfort when you're clicking or going crazy with that cursor.
Additionally, separate multimedia buttons let you launch your favorite entertainment right away. But with their unique feather-touch operation these controls do that and more--allowing you to effortlessly start, pause, fast-forward and rewind.
Integrated Webcam with Face Recognition Capabilities A 1.3 megapixel digital web camera built into the LCD's bezel lets you quickly snap photos and participate in live video chats. The integrated webcam does more than just video chats. It includes Toshiba Face Recognition capabilities--the ultimate hands-free, hassle-free way to log onto your laptop. Just show your face to the webcam--no keeping track of hard-to-remember passwords and no unnecessary typing. And if you're using one laptop for several users--say for the whole family or for a small business--Toshiba Face Recognition lets you switch profiles with one simple look.
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