Toshiba Portege M205-S810 Tablet PC (1.50 GHz Pentium M (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, USB DVD-CD-RW Combo)

by Toshiba

Product Details

Data Sheet [238kb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 9.6 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001MBJHK
• Item model number: M205-S810
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 24, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Marginally larger than the Portege 3500 Tablet PC it replaces, Toshiba's Portege M205-S810 Tablet PC is also more adaptable, more battery efficient and substantially more powerful. Though substantially costlier than comparable non-tablet portable computers, the unit nevertheless blends the speed of a midrange notebook with the convenience of stylus-based, handwritten input and subcompact portability. Few tablet PCs pack this much power into a profile this petite.

The Portege M205-S810 is most at home when used to enter, store and share notes and concepts that might otherwise be entered in handwritten format. In fact, measuring just 11.6 by 9.8 by 1.3/1.5 inches and tipping the scales at a scant 4.5 pounds, the system is not significantly more bulky than some conventional paper-based notepads. Users input data in one of two ways -- either by sketching directly on the swiveling, double-duty 12.1-inch poly-silicon SXGA+ TFT color LCD display screen (maximum resolution 1400x1050) or via the system's 84-key keyboard.

Sporting an Intel Centrino-based processor (1 MB Level 2 cache) running at 1.5 GHz, a whopping 512 MB RAM memory and an nVidia GeForce FX Go5200 graphics processor with 32 MB of dedicated DDR video memory, the Portege M205-S810 will easily handle most day-to-day mobile computing tasks and the majority of today's most popular 3-D apps, with the exception of ultra-complex 3-D games and graphic design packages.

The unit features today's most desirable connectivity options, including an integrated 56K modem for low-speed e-communications, a 10 Base-T//100 Base-TX Ethernet connection for fast LAN and Internet access, and Wi-Fi compliant wireless LAN technology for those times when you can't plug in. The system also sports a surprisingly large 60 GB hard disk and facilities for an external CD and/or DVD drive, a pair of ultra-fast USB 2.0 ports for plug and play peripherals such as scanners and digital cameras, an integrated TouchPad, a speaker and microphone and full 16-bit stereo sound. Battery life is estimated at an impressive 4.34 hours.

Product Description

Toshiba M205-S810 Portege Tablet PC - The Portege M205-S810 works like any laptop, but it has a unique twist - literally. You can twist the 12.1" TFT display around to lay flat on the keyboard, giving you a legal pad-type Tablet PC! The whole screen is touch-sensitive, like a PDA, so you can use the PC more naturally. Carry it in your arm and do your work while you're on the go. It brings a new dimension to portable computing that you won't be able to do without! 12.1 Display with a resolution of 1400x1050 NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 with 32MB of RAM 1 Type II/Type I PC Card Slot 1 SD Card Slot Integrated v.92 56k Data/Fax Modem 10/100 Ethernet Port 2 USB 2.0 Ports 16-bit Stereo with built-in speaker and microphone 4 Tablet Pen Programmable Buttons Includes - lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, Windows XP Tablet Edition, WinDVD, Drag 'n Drop, Symbol Commander, Microsoft Office OneNote 2003, Zinio Reader, Franklin Covey Tablet Planner (30 day trial), Alias SketchBook (30 day trial), Microsoft Works, & Toshiba Custom Utilities

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST Tablet PC!, May 16, 2004

By 

Craig (Holly Springs, NC, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Toshiba Portege M205-S810 Tablet PC (1.50 GHz Pentium M (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, USB DVD-CD-RW Combo) (Personal Computers)

This is my second Tablet PC. Since I wrote the book on Tablet PCs (Absolute Beginner's Guide to Tablet PCs), I was able to evaluate most of the ones available. This Toshiba M-200 has the processing speed and 1400x1050 screen to get some serious work done.

Paired with a second LCD display, you have some serious screen real estate. I do a lot of graphics, processing-intensive work, and wireless computing, and this is a terrific machine to do just about anything.

Add some software like OneNote, Corel Painter 8, and FranklinCovey TabletPlanner, and you have a great tool for meetings and ultimate portability.

My prior Tablet PC was the Toshiba Portege 3500, which is also a capable machine. The M200 is more powerful and has better video capabilities, allowing you to run 32-bit color on the built-in display.

The new cross-functional button (more like a joystick) and the four side launch pen buttons are a welcome addition. I do miss the CF Card reader, but it's not that big a deal.

Because this machine is a convertible, there's no learning curve for new Tablet PC users. The screen swivels and folds flat to create a slate that you can write on. I found that because of the faster processor, handwriting and speech recognition is faster.

The only other machine I can recommend is the Panasonic Toughbook CF-18, which is a ruggedized Tablet PC. The Panasonic is not for mainstream users, but if you're constantly out in adverse conditions, the ToughBook has a double-bright screen, small size, sealed ports (Panasonic says to actually run the machine under warm water if you spill coffee on it), and great battery life. But the keyboard is small, so you really do need to have a burning desire for a ruggedized machine.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The standard in tablets, if you need a tablet Pc., June 2, 2004

By 

Christopher Wanko "-C" (Nutley, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Toshiba Portege M205-S810 Tablet PC (1.50 GHz Pentium M (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, USB DVD-CD-RW Combo) (Personal Computers)

Toshiba has competition in Fujitsu on performance and features, Visoneer and Acer on price. Taken as a whole, the Toshiba Portege tablets have no equal.

Use of the 1.5Ghz Pentium 4M CPU makes this more powerful than other tablets in the field, putting it in the same class as most pure laptops. As with any laptop, you have limitations on hard drive size, memory, and add-on peripherals. As a laptop, this is average, as more feature-rich and economical options exist. I would *not* recommend this machine to anyone looking for a pure laptop solution.

However, I'm a firm believer in tablets as the future. I've seen how much suffering people endure with folios of printouts and papers, almost solely because they need to markup the paper and have access to multiple sheets as they work. While this doesn't purport to expand the screen size to 36"x48" (which would be AWESOME... someday), it does allow most people to finally start editing documents by hand, and cut down on the paper waste.

Also, as a forms tool, tablets are unmatched. The user experience in Windows XP for tablets is much closer to the long-enjoyed PDA functionality of Palm and PocketPC users everywhere... without the annoying syncronization problems. And One Note from Microsoft is probably the best utility going for tablet users.

As a tablet PC, this delivers. I can't speak to the MP3/DVD problems, but the tablet does have the necessary horsepower to do either or both, so I would tend to think the problem is configuration, not intrinsic problems.

If you have the cash, buy one for your group as an evaluation item. Once people start using it, your next problem will be to find the budget room to buy more.

Fred

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Tool for the Cortroom, August 5, 2004

By 

G. Ware Cornell Jr. "anotherlawyer" (Weston FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Toshiba Portege M205-S810 Tablet PC (1.50 GHz Pentium M (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, USB DVD-CD-RW Combo) (Personal Computers)

I am a trial lawyer. I already have a great Toshiba laptop already, the Satellite M35-S359, which has power, speed and convenience. I truly love it.

So why did I go out and buy this PC Tablet? The answer lies in its weight and its swivel screen. When I first took my laptop to trial, I found that Microsoft Office OneNote program functions as an incredible litigation support tool. Easily modifiable I had my entire case from voir dire to closing argument at my fingertips.

But even a great laptop and superb support program have limitations. We lawyers ask questions and make arguments on our feet. You cannot hold a laptop in on hand and refer to it during direct or cross examination. The tablet solves that problem. Lightweight and locked in the tablet configuration, it's no more intrusive than a legal pad.

It is also a full featured laptop, with built-in WiFi. The screen size is some disappointing, but nothing is perfect. The four stars I give it instead of a five, is really a 4 1/2.

This is a very important advance in integrating computers into courtroom practice.