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Full user review
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7 out of 7 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"great computer but with a few annoyances"
Pros: Screen is crisp, fingerprint reader is great, runs very quickly
Cons: software cds are not included, too much preloaded software
Summary: I purchased my m400 from toshibadirect. I got the 1.66 centrino duo with 1024MB ram and the 1400x1050 screen.
I?ll start off with the bad and then move onto the good.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was that there were no cds. I guess I just assumed it was standard practice to provide customers with the software in case something when wrong. That's how it has always been with every other computer I've owned. I called up Toshiba to inform them of the error and ask for my cds. Their response was that there is a built in restore partition on the hard drive. I said that's fine but "What happens when the hard drive crashes?" The response I got was that it is on a separate partition and it won't crash at the same time. Not true. A hardware failure is a hardware failure and if the drive is busted it doesn't matter what partition your data is on. I was informed that I could burn restore cds/dvds using included software. Only one problem, I wanted the windows cd so I could do a clean install. This leads me to the other problem.
Toshiba pre loads dozens of applications which serve no purpose to the regular user. Before I had installed anything of my own, there were over 80 processes running right after boot up. That really takes a bite out of my duo processor. After disabling several, and uninstalling others, my computer now runs like a dream.
The finger print reader is great. When I turn on the computer, I swipe once and that automatically gets me passed my HDD password and my user login/password. The computer boots up very quickly and comes with all of Toshibas updates already installed. I didn?t have to download anything.
I?ve read several complaints about fan noise but this is completely configurable. By adjusting the power settings, you can define how fast and how often the fan will run.
The high res screen is great but I would definitely stay away if you have any problem with small print. My coworkers have said it reminds them of reading the fine print. That?s fine with me though because I have good eyes and I like having the extra screen area.
The build quality of the computer seems very good. It doesn?t feel like the hinge for the screen is going to break in your fingers like on some tablets. The computer is very light, especially considering the fact that it has a built in optical drive.
The tablet features are very responsive but I will caution you to make sure you calibrate the screen in the position you will actually be using it. Don?t try to hard because the computer needs to know where you think you are tapping, not where you are actually tapping.
Overall, I think the m400 is the way to go if you want a tablet pc you can carry around and also use as a desktop replacement. If you are into gaming or graphics, this probably isn?t the computer for you because the graphics card uses shared memory, but for business or school, you can?t beat it.
