Customer Reviews

Toshiba Satellite U405-S2918 13.3-Inch Laptop

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was able basically to open the box, plug it in, and start browsing the web. It detected my wireless instantly, no setup worries for me, which was soo much better than my last laptop.

Pros:
-what a price, very powerful and good looking for under $900
-medium size, fits in large purses which is convenient
-outside top of case is sexy silver, makes a good mirror (not quite that reflective, but almost)
-built in webcam, which the face recognition uses
-no annoying lock to keep lid closed, but very tight and secure also
-white LED lights, soothing and less annoying than blue, if a little bright
-sound control (spin wheel) on outside for easy access
-textured touch pad so i know when finger is on it
-64-bit Vista, excellent, easy to use for me so far, and this computer is built so it will run fast
-USB ports on both sides
-came with an interesting radio antenna, which i use occasionally
-power cord is nice and long, very convenient for public places
-keys have a nice feel to them, stiff but sleek
-screen is bright and crisp, haven't found it too reflective for my taste
-overall, sturdy, portable, a real looker

Cons:
-the battery on my laptop doesn't last as long as the manufacturer says, only about 3 hours unplugged on balanced power usage, the power saver mode hasn't made a difference in this so far...5 hours would be nicer
-does not come with microsoft office products, including but not limited to Word and PowerPoint, although many laptops don't come with this software anymore
-not able to decrease the brightness of the screen enough for when I am using it in a dark room, and the buttons to adjust said brightness are very inconveniently placed at the top of the keyboard...they are secondary functions of the F6 and F7 buttons, so that you have to use the FN key which is at the bottom of the keyboard
-I am always accidentally pushing the LED seamless buttons at the top near the power button (they control sound and music), these buttons are attractive but annoying
-speakers are too quiet and i often have to use headphones or secondary speakers, but the sound quality is decent, if quiet
-keys are glossy and adorable, but they show dust and fingerprints all the time, no matter how clean you are...but it looks so good when they are clean it is probably worth it
-MY X KEY POPPED OFF THE SECOND DAY USING THIS LAPTOP...from my experience, Toshiba keyboards are notorious for losing keys, if this happens to you, do yourself a favor and send it back right away and get a replacement
-a really good docking station for this laptop is not yet available as far as I can tell
-thin enough for me, but not ultra-thin or small like other new trendy laptops
-tiny spacebar, big enough but smaller than on a standard keyboard, takes a little getting used to

Make your own decision, I am keeping it and loving it after a month

I purchased this laptop a couple of months ago. 12" was too small and 14.1 was a bit big, so I went for 13.3". All in all I am VERY satisfied. It is very quick, has fantastic wireless range, and the monitor is very vibrant and clear. The only thing that I saw as a setback was the keyboard. It feels "sticky". Other laptops I've used have that responsive clicky feel, while this one feels like you have to press a bit harder. Not a huge setback though, it still typed fine.

All in all I give it 5/5 stars. Good work, Toshiba.

I purchased this for technical computations, presentations and photograph processing and storage on travel.

Goods:
1. The computer works as I expect from dual 2.4 GHz, 4 GB memory.
2. I do not get tired after watching this computer's display for several hours.
3. Video camera and microphone at the top of display are useful for making internet phone calls on travel.

Bads:
1. Glossy keyboard is very annoying.
2. Heavy for 13" laptop.
3. Battery sticks out on the back.
4. Conbination card reader does not take CF.
5. No recovery disk came with the computer.
6. Poor instruction book.

I have used this computer only for a day. I have not tested battery yet.

This little computer, like my last little Toshiba (also a 13") is a great little workhorse and, I think, built just as bullet-proof. It is super fast and reliable. It's light and small. All of its functions work great. I rate it a 5-star even though I don't like the smooth-shiny keyboard--it shows every little bit of dust and any fingerprint (a bad change to this little workhorse). Nonetheless it functions perfectly and I'm very pleased.

The lapop is gorgeous, very fast on internet. Just one thing not really good, it's about the Vista Home Premium, which is not very friendly toward other application i tried to install, like Acrobat 9. Sometimes the app just exit without any warning... I will install Vista business, hoping it can solve the problem.

I have had this computer for about a week now. It's my forth Toshiba laptop. This is the best by far for travel. Battery life as said by some to be long, I have not found it to be so. About two hours or so. The shinny keyboard is not a plus. But, it does work as it should. I have had many Toshiba computers over the last ten years. Not one has caused me any trouble at all, and all of them still work. They are not as fast as this little gem. This one is small, fairly light, and fast. I love it.

I have had many toshibas and they are great for business and hold up well. This one however was a complete lemon. The wireless didnt work, the computer can't seem to find the adapter no matter what we do. Also, the battery was in the laptop when we recieved it (I have never bought a new laptop that didnt have the battery outside the laptop). Since the laptop had the battery in it, it got shuffled during shipping and was all jacked up. Which also caused other components in the back to partially pop off. I popped them back in, but am not totally comfortable there was no damage. I think returning this is going to be a huge hassle....the only people I can get on the phone are oversea's and they can't seem to answer my questions! I'm sure the computer is great, but the service is not and now I have a huge hassle in front of me!

+really fast.
+long battery life ~5 hours
+light.
+shiny design.
+fingerprint reader works fine.(sometimes its program crashes.)
+good sound.

-screen shines a little.

One of the USB ports went bad almost immediately when I plugged in my portable disk. (Other USB ports were OK.) Amazon was very nice to send me a new replacement right away. Unfornately the second one has the exact problem as the first one. The same USB port went bad again almost immediately. I believe this is a manufacturing QA problem. I decided to return it. Toshiba has reliable products that I have been using for many years. But this one I can only give two stars.

This is an excellent computer. The size and wieght make it very convient to use. Battery power is good. My only complaint is that it uses Vista.