- Average user rating:
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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2.5 stars
"Solid feeling but really lacks in certain areas"
Pros: Solid compact construction, bright screen, quiet
Cons: Too much 'Bloatware' installed, touchpad WAY too small, mouse keys are hard to use
Summary: I bought this laptop after having had a Sony compact laptop for 4 years. Like the Sony, this laptop is very compact and quiet, but this one definitely feels like it has better construction over the Sony.
The things I like about the laptop are probably common to most:
1. Solid construction
2. Built in wireless
3. Bright screen
4. Good battery life
etc. etc.
So on to the things I didn't like. These things I took for granted with my Sony and it is honestly a big letdown.
1. Bloatware: When the computer starts up, at least 15 icons are loaded into the system tray (next to the time) in the taskbar. The desktop also has tons of icons for things that I would say 99% of business users won't be interested in. This is my biggest issue b/c I have to wait a long time when starting the computer (after I logon) to actually be able to do something. I would say that even after 4 years of me loading apps on my Sony laptop, it probably starts just as fast as this laptop. There's no excuse for this. I expect a new computer to be clean and pristine but instead it feels like someone who didn't know what they were doing installed random junk before I got it.
2. I don't know what the people at Toshiba were thinking, but the touchpad on this thing is WAY too small and is really a pain to use. Also, the mouse buttons are very difficult to click and doesn't provide much feedback when clicking. With the placement of the finger reader, it makes the left mouse button awkward to reach. All-in-all, very subpar ergonomics.
3. Thoroughness: If you buy the laptop with MS Office installed, should you have to type in the license key? With this laptop, the answer is YES, which is a pain. My Sony didn't require this, but maybe this is the norm these days. Also, the C drive is named 'SQ004486P04'. Ok, so no big deal, but why not make it standard, like 'C Drive' like other computers? Getting back to all the junk installed by Toshiba, most of them combine current functionality, but doesn't do a good job of it. For instance, right now, I have 2 icons in my system tray for wireless network information, and also 2 for battery information. Why try to replace the Windows icons when they do a better job. For a business user at least, this is IMO unacceptable.
4. Misc:
a) It might be just my laptop, but the volume level goes from very very low to high within a couple pixels of moving the volume slider. This makes the volume control wheel on the side of the laptop unusable, because it is either too quiet or too loud.
b) The background color of the menu items are white, when the background color should be gray. To me, this indicates some kind of issue, that while appearing trivial might indicate bigger problems.
I know this review sounds extremely negative, but I still like the laptop. As for the bloatware, I'm just going to have to spend some time removing most of what was installed. Would I buy the same one again if I had to do it over again? Probably not, but I still think I'll keep it for a couple years before upgrading.
