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This is not a full review, just an introduction to the U205 for those that were interested in it. I went to Circuit City today with the intent to buy one ($1089 after rebates, 100GB HD), but I wanted to put it throught its paces first. These are my impressions:
1. At 4.1 lbs, it's very light. It would be very easy to carry around. The size feels 'just right,' and the screen is bright and clear (keeping in mind the flourescent Circuit City lighting).
2. The speakers were unbelievably tinny. Now, every laptop I've tried, including my Averatec 6200, has tinniness to some degree, but this was like two tin cans ties together, it was that bad. Almost _muffled_.
3. They keyboard size was okay, in that the width of they keys was normal, but the height of the keys was scrimped on. I would have had to get used to it. The trackpad was small, but again, I'd get used to it. The mouse buttons are WAY small, though. Fortunately I never use them; I tap the trackpad instead. The trackpad does have at least a vertical scroll, but it's not printed on the trackpad.
4. There is no S-video. Why? There's room for one. I plan to use this for presentations, and the lack of an S-video, while not a deal breaker, was disappointing.
5. There is garbageware galore on this thing. It would require a fair amount of time either removing it, or just do a clean reinstall. You can burn a restore disk.
6. Speed and boot-up time seemed respectable, at least in the limited way I was evaluating it. I tried opening up software, etc., and it seemed speedy.
7. When you get an ultraportable you expect a trade off somewhere: processor, build quality, or price. The whole cake-and-eating-it-too dichotomy, right? Well, at least this has price and processor. The absolute walk-away deal breaker for me was the build quality. I noticed the cheap gray plastic piece overlying the then-empty space where the battery would normally go, and it flexed like a thin, cheap piece of plastic. I wrote that off, though, as under normal use a battery would be there. BUT, what I could not forgive, and what killed the whole thing for me, was the ridiculous amount of flex around the LCD. I could have peeled back the bezel without much strain at all and popped the LCD, I'm pretty sure. With repeated openings and closings, I don't expect it to last long. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but I wasn't going to take the risk of the display going tango-uniform on me after a year or less.
So, no U205 for me, even though on paper it looks great. I am very curious to see the 'official' reviews from both NotebookReview.com as well as the usual magazines/websites. Back to the Lenovo thread, I guess.
Cheers,
Traci
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Well, if first impressions are bad then you were wise not to take the leap. I've never so much as handled a U205 yet but the build quality issue you allude to would be a major turn off for me. Thanks for the quick take Traci, I'm going to have to head co Circuit City to see it for myself.
You won't find a ThinkPad X for $1089 unfortunately
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Another Toshiba owner here (same model, sold under Portégé M500 marqué).
I'd like to add my own opinion to the OP's. The middle of the screen cover does flex, but it is a non-structural part, so there is no problem here. For comparison, my IBM Thinkpad R50 screen top also flexes by a similar amount. The screen mechanism as a whole is robust and rigid - there is no flex if you open the screen by one edge.
Build quality on the Toshiba is better than the Dell. The palmrest is moulded coloured plastic, unlike the silver-painted plastic on the XPS M1210. This means that it is less likely to wear off visibly in unsightly patches, or at least I'd imagine so.
The bar with the media buttons _does_ flex if the battery is removed, but again, this is another non-structural part*. The structural rigidity of the laptop is such that I have no issues picking it up by a corner. As an aircraft engineer, I have no problems with the build quality of the Toshiba, and would gladly ride in it if it were an airplane.
* Another thing to consider is that the tactile feedback on the top row buttons is not great. Therefore, a lot of people (myself included) have a tendency to press much harder than needed, until it "clicks". This is not needed for normal operation of the buttons, and is a lapse on Toshiba's part. I can forsee the possibility of fatigue damage on the area with repeated cycles (makes mental note not to press so hard in the future) - I guess it depends on the nature of the plastic used in the construction.
If I were to level a criticism at the laptop, it would be that the screen hinge layout precludes the use of an extended battery. Bad Toshiba! Also, the screen is not as good as the VAIO SZ's, but is better than the Dell XPS'. -
Hey fellas'
I just purchased a U205 and yes the "mini-review" is quassi correct. However, how else would you get 4.1 building it with heavier material?? I contrast it to automotive engineering...weight to power/hp/torque ratio. If you want to fast quicker...you have to dump weight somewhere. The only problem I have with my system is all of these processes running (97 processes) that are munch'n on my memory stick. THAT is frustrating.
So if there is anyone out there that can help me do away with about 50 of the processes I would really be greatful.
Toshiba U205 mini review
Discussion in 'Toshiba' started by tbfoxrdms, Jul 24, 2006.
