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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Super Performer for the Money"
Pros: Size, weight, value, fingerprint reader, screen resolution
Cons: keyboard layout, small touchpad, standard growing pains adjusting to Windows Vista
Summary: Obviously I like this notebook, but one's frame of reference is everything.
My previous notebook was a Sony VAIO VGN-A150 which was a reliable laptop, but it was large, heavy, and unwieldly particularly when traveling.
The first draw to this notebook was the size and weight. Second was value. I travel extensively and this notebook travels well. I considered the ultra small Sony VAIOs 13.3s, 11.1s, etc, but I paid $1250 for this Toshiba notebook and chose not to spend $500 to $1250 more on the VAIOs with similar features. The size factor even extended to the AC adaptor which is light, and the cords are not shy on length.
The U205-S5057 comes with a healthy 160 GB hard drive. My previous larger notebook only had a 80 GB hard drive, so I find this refreshing for a notebook this size.
The fingerprint reader was novel and seemed a bit gimmicky at first, but I've really come to appreciate the improvement in security and ease of logging in.
The screen resolution is outstanding for a notebook of this size. Having worked with a much larger screen with my previous laptop, I thought I'd lose out with a small screen and possibly compromise in resolution, but that hasn't been the case at all.
The size of the keypads are good to go, but the layout has been challenging for a few of important keys. The main one is positioning of the delete key. Unlike many keyboard layouts where the insert/delete keys are in the upper right, this has the those keys in the lower right, which requires a bit of getting used to. Additionally there's no right control key, which hasn't been a problem for me, but may be a problem for some. The first few weeks were the toughest getting used to this. Initially the delete key placement was irritating, but now at about 6 weeks into using this notebook, the delete key is no longer irritating, but rather, it's become tolerable.
I'll acknowledge that the touchpad is a tad small, but I use it only when I absolutely have to. With this notebook as with my previous one, I prefer to use a mouse. With the reduction in size of the computer I've opted to start using a Logitech LX7 wireless optical mouse, which has been outstanding.
I'd also read reviews that the sound on the notebook was so-so, but it is actually better than my VAIO's. All the same, since I like to travel with my music, I purchased some Logitech V20 USB speakers which are ultra portable, travel well like the notebook, and their sound is awesome.
The last item I'll address is that this is my first time working with the Windows Vista operating system. I'll put it this way. It's had its share of frustration, but no more than any OS migration. Whether from 3.11 to 95 or 98 to XP, they've all had their challenges. Actually, despite the adjustments I've had to make to Vista, it's actually been a pretty pleasant experience. I know there are lots of hard core naysayers out there, but for every issue I've had, I've been able to resolve it. And in terms of ergonomics of the Vista OS, I couldn't be happier. It's simple and intuitive.
In summary, the size, weight and value for the price earns the Toshiba U205-S5057 notebook a nine (9) out of ten.
Toshiba Satellite U205-S5057:
