Toshiba Tecra A9 - user experience...

Hi all!

I'm new here.

I am searching for a new Laptop, mainly for development and webdesign.
I have an old Satellite Pro 4600
It's rock-solid untill now... but it's to slow for this tasks.

Im thinking about a Tecra A9 (T7500, 2GB, 160GB), but opinions differ.
One say is the best deal, while some others says that this model is "so-so", regarding constructio/overall quality...

I've searched this forum, and found some "not so good" posts about Tecras...

I started to search for alternatives, and found one that i particullary like: Sony Vaio VGN-FZ38M (T8100, 4GB, 200GB).
But i've read some reviews where it says that performance is very weak...

So, im sticking with Tecra A9 again.

What i would like to ear is: if the Tecra A9 is not a "best buy", what brand/models are ?

And i would love to ear some user experience, of course from people who actually use a Tecra A9 these days (not reviews based).
Just post the Pros and the Cons!


My budget limit: $1500

Please note:
@ my country, Portugal, some brands are simply not avaliable.
Brands i can buy at local stores, besides Toshiba:
Asus, Sony, HP, Acer.


Thanxs!

 

I have a corporate-issued Tecra A9 and (used to) have an HP 8510w. I sold the 8510w as I wanted an ultraportable/desktop replacement setup.

Anyway, if you're considering the Tecra A9, don't bother. If you can get an HP 8510p, Lenovo T61 or Dell Latitude D830, go for those. I'm not impressed by the Tecra A9. It's very fragile, heavy, thick and has a poor keyboard compared to the HP 8510p/w. When placed next to each other, the HP/Dell/Lenovo are all thinner, lighter and is built much better. The A9's plastic casing and lid (like the rest, it still has a magnesium alloy internal frame) flexes excessively. The display appears washed-out. The keyboard is hollow and bouncy. The silver paint WILL wear off after long usage as Toshiba doesn't have a durable imprint finish and uses paint!

Performance of all laptops depend on the CPU and graphics chipset, so they will have equivalent performance IF the CPU and graphics specifications are the same.

Software-wise, Toshiba's bloatware is excessive and unrefined, but the HDD motion detector has a nice graphical animation. I dislike the fact that I have to install all the Toshiba utilities in order for the hotkeys to work. HP's buttons are BIOS-wired, so the basic brightness keys, volume, etc. do not require any extra utilities to function. One redeeming feature is the A9 has an old-school volume knob and a physical wireless toggle switch.

Battery life is average (A9 is 6-cell default), much less than the HP (8-cell default) even with integrated graphics.

Many A9's are being returned for failing keyboards again (same fiasco as the A7 previously). This is a cheap, budget product which has failed in its execution (there is nothing it could do better than its competitors). If you can afford something of better quality, by all means consider the alternatives I've mentioned. You have been warned.