A Product Review of the 14.1" Toshiba Satellite M305-S4826 Notebook: A $1000+ Mobile Machine

I have my hands on the Toshiba Satellite M305-S4826. This notebooks falls into the category of "cutting edge" with its new power sipping, battery preserving, Penryn core 2 Duo processor. This is designed for mobility and performance and is priced like it too. In this review I'm going to tackle what most will like and dislike about this notebook as well as what type of consumer will get the most from bang for their buck. Let's get started with a few of the basics.

Hardware

In the Bezel: integrated media controls, and an integrated Webcam

Processor: 2.10 GHz "Penryn" Intel Core 2 Duo T8100

Storage Space: 250GB hard drive

RAM: 3GB (expandable up to a 4 GB maximum)

Optical drive: A CD R/RW with integrated dual-layer +/- DVD drive

Video card: Integrated Intel GMA X3100 graphics card (with 358MB of shared video RAM)

Dimensions: 13.2" x 9.5" x 1.5" and weighing 5.2 lbs

This notebook as I mentioned gets great battery life thanks to the new Penryn processor from Intel. So as a result of its mobility minded engineering it is quite light and compact weighing in at just over 5lbs. It has plenty of RAM at 3GB now that manufacturers are starting to realize that in order for Vista to live up to it's full potential computers need to be loaded with a minimum of 2GB.

The only disappointments in this notebook come in the way of performance. While you get plenty of battery life I can't help but notice some additional system lag that I typically don't see on notebooks powered with 2+ GHz processors. Also the weak graphics accelerator will prevent any decent gaming or video editing from going down, although this probably won't bother the typical consumer.

The notebook has a great screen which runs at a resolution of 1280x800 and has Toshiba's proprietary TruBrite technology. The only problem I've noticed is that when you're in direct sunlight the screen tends to have some glare and washing out issues, but nothing too extreme.

Connectivity

Integrated Wireless (so you can connect to wireless LANs)

1 Ethernet port (to connect to wired LANs)

3 2.0 USB ports (to connect a number of peripherals from digital cameras to MP3 players and printers)

1 FireWire input (for high speed data transfer typically between digital camcorders or other PC's)

1 ExpressCard slot (to add peripherals like a Bluetooth adapter or cellular modem)

1 VGA output (to be used to connect to a typical monitor)

1 mic in / 1 audio out

1 digital audio output

1 56K modem port (for dialup)

5 in 1 memory card reader (so you can directly enter the memory card from your mobile devices into your notebook)

The connectivity is decent on this Toshiba, however the lack of integrated Bluetooth is surprising for a notebook priced over $1000. This notebook is priced high thanks to the new processor that it is running so I wouldn't expect any drastic price reductions as we enter the computer sales season. This is a great option for those on the go like professionals that travel frequently or students who need to take their notebook to class. This isn't a great option for those that enjoy graphically intensive applications or games, and it isn't going to replace any of your entertainment center components. In the end if you want to have something that you can unplug and hit the road with this is a decent option.