- Average user rating:
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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5.0 stars
"A "Little Powerhouse", Laptop at its best."
Pros: Ultra Portable, Light Weight, Centrino2 Latest Technology, Core2duo P8400 Multi-Processor, Very very fast computer, HD Ready.
Cons: Not much, except NVidia Geforce Graphics would have been better. But not an issue, as it did my HD Movie Editing without any qualms.
Summary: Notebook Review
Toshiba Satellite U400-138
-The little wonder; Laptop at its best!
Why to buy?
Let me first tell you that I had owned laptops before (5 of them). A month back I purchased an HD Camcorder and thus, started shopping for something more powerful, to do my HD Movie Editing. I knew it was time for a core2duo model. After contemplating few of the latest brands I chose the Toshiba Satellite U400-138, about 10 days back. Have used it vigorously since; and am already overwhelmed by this Little ?Powerhouse?.
Main Specifications:
You?ll get the detailed config. of this notebook everywhere, specifically www.toshiba-europe.com. Here?s why I chose to buy it:
-Intel Centrino2 (latest notebook technology)
-Core2duo (A superpower multi-processor)
-13.3? Display (boy, here we are talking about mobility)
-Light Weight (just about 2 Kgs.)
-HD Ready (Toshiba is the pioneer of Hi-Def)
-3 Gb RAM (min. needed for today?s multimedia works)
-320 Gb Hard disc (a whopper!)
-Intel GMA 4500 MHD (128 Mb Graphics; not the best)
-Competitively Priced (I bought it for Dhs. 4,500/-; US$ 1,200/- approx.)
Reasoning:
My shopping list had Macbook, Sony, Toshiba, Lenovo and Acer (exactly in that order) for their equivalent ?Reliability?. After deliberately checking those out I finally settled down for the Toshiba Satellite U400-138. You know why? (1)Configuration, (2)Looks and (3)Price. Toshiba beats them in these 3 departments. I?ll give you my reasoning, which may not be right for everyone, but is the general requirement for all notebook shoppers:
*Macbook. I sincerely wanted to migrate to Mac this time. But found their configuration & pricing not matching the market (Mac ?s still riding on their niche marketing).
*Sony-vaio. I wanted the Vaio, purely for its vibrant colours, look-stopper value. But again found that they are unnecessarily pricey.
*Lenovo. A rock-solid laptop. The 2008 Lenovos are better than their older models, nice black, mirror finish tops. But they are still very boxy. Their contours are out dated, I felt.
*Acer. 2nd largest notebook maker. Variety of models. Very competitively priced. But their new models do not look as good as their 2007 ones. These are all plastic, flimsy keypad and I do not fancy their rounded ?gemstone? looks. But, besides the looks, Acer is a very good bargain. I already have one (2007 model).
Now, back to my Toshiba Satellite U400-138. Beating the above 4 brands in specs., though priced like the Sony, this is definitely the best ?All Rounder? notebook of 2008. It has everything today?s laptop needs, Bluetooth, in-built Camera, Firewire port, HDMI port (icing on the cake), Vista Home-Premium, 5x1 Card Reader, DVD RW, Dolby-Digital Stereo, independent Media Player Buttons (don?t need to switch-on windows) and the High Powered ?Intel P8400 Multi-Processor?.
Fastest Laptop:
My 10 days of heavy usage proved that the Toshiba Satellite U400-138 really runs super-superfast, takes heavy computing without a quirk, that?s what we need today in our notebook. The Crystal-Brite TFT LCD displays 1280x800 rez. (plainly speaking, very-very good quality images) and though the 128 Mb Graphics are a low config. Yet it did my Video Editing (HD, mind you!) without a hitch. The NVidia Geforce Graphics would have been better, but you don?t always get everything, do you? Not an issue though.
Great looks:
In the looks department, it is quite wonderful too. It is small & beautiful. A Gray & Black beauty. Shiny top with their ?Horizon Lines? all around. Nice ?White? lit buttons & indicators (including the ?Satellite? logo), unique flushed touch-pad, light weight, Soft edges and the best in market Shiny ?Piano? Keyboard. Let me not forget here, The Toshiba comes with a nice ?Sleeve Case?, which is quite handy to carry this ?Small Powerhouse? around. I also liked the ?TOSHIBA? words big & proudly written, at the centre of this sleeve case.
Security:
For Security, it has 2 great features. The Toshiba ?Face Recognition? system, to access the computer and the ?Anti-Shock? system for the HDD. It also has the McAfee Internet Security Suite.
Robust Built:
Besides, the Toshiba also feels strong & sturdy, including a robust pair of hinges between the main body and the display lid. I say, the Toshiba Satellite U400-138 is definitely ?built to last?.
Conclusion:
For a 13.3? Ultra-Portable notebook the Toshiba Satellite U400-138 is ?fully loaded?, something which no other laptop has, as I found. Overall, I grade this notebook as the ?Best? in market today. At this price, configuration and reliability, you won?t find another one.
Finally:
Anyone looking for a laptop, I advice, ?Go for it?, you don?t need to search anymore. You may safely take my word for it as I am its proud ?user?. And have already fallen-in-love with it!!!
Capt. Sutanu Dutta
Dubai, U.A.E.
01 Nov 2008
(Ps.: I am not a Toshiba Employee)
