L/P series 740/755 reviews?

Well I've had my HP zv 6130 for about 7 years now and while it's still working pretty well except for a failing 2nd pair of screen hinges, I'm ready for something faster and a little lighter. HP's Probooks look great but no backlit keyboard for 14-15" units and crappy sound. Pavilion has decent sound but funky designs on the chassis (IMO). I just want something with decent performance, sound and looks, nothing crazy.

I saw a couple of black and silver Toshibas in Office Depot today and liked their design overall. I want to stick to 15.6", maybe a 14" with the Harmon Kardon speakers and backlit keyboard and at least an i3 CPU and was wondering how the L and P series laptops have fared with users? I don't do anything task intensive on the laptops anymore, except having a dozen Firefox tabs open while listening to music,etc.

My only concerns are if the Toshibas have decent cooling so that it's not uncomfortable holding the laptop for extended periods and also the lack of Express Card slots on most units. I might want to add a sound card or something later so this could be a problem and I'm surprised it's not included. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks guys

Jeremy

 

I'm not too familiar with the P/L Satellites, but I do know the P-800 Satellite series are weeks away from launch; so they may be worth considering. They come in 14" [P845], 15" [P855] and 17" [P875] models.

Here's some more information:
Toshiba Satellite P855 pictures and hands-on - Pocket-lint
Toshiba Satellite P855 glasses-free 3D laptop hands-on (video) -- Engadget
[this link mentions glasses-free 3d, but that should be an upgrade and not a standard feature].


However, as new models go, every manufacturer will be launching new models within the next few weeks [due to Intel's new Ivy Bridge CPUs]. Make sure to do your homework and browse all options available.

Good luck

 

Yeah those new models look nice and I like how the touchpad is easily outlined.

I still wish the current models had an express expansion slot but perhaps Toshiba felt they required too much space?

I'll see what the new gen prices look like before I make a decision...

 

One other thing, does anyone know how easy it is to upgrade the HDD/RAM,etc? I still hate that they don't come with an expansion slot but would like to be able to add a bluetooth antenna down the road...