Toshiba Mobile Satellite M505-S4947 14.0-Inch Laptop - Black/Silver
 List Price: $899.99 |
Product Details
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Product Description
Customer Reviews
English? I would return it if I could.I owned three new Sony Vaio laptops over the course of 8 years. All of them had their quirks, but all of them were at the end of the day serviceable until technology advanced to the point they were outmoded. I am admittedly very hard on laptops - I take mine more or less everywhere I go and my laptop is my only computer. I'm self-employed so my laptops get a lot of heavy use. I truly liked Vaios, but they're a bit expensive for the price these days. When the last one died, I stony to look at what else was out there. After shopping around, I decided on this Toshiba M505.
I was sucked in by things like the integrated webcam with facial cognizance software (barely works), better audio (that's fine), the unsubstantial weight, ample internal memory, and fast speed.
The hurry of the laptop and the portability are as expected, no problems there. But this computer is about to drive me to drink. And while I like a commodities drink every now and then, I don't want my laptop to frustrate me into drinking.
There are two major problems for me with this, which seem obscure but are affecting the way I use the computer, day-to-day.
-For some reason, Toshiba put the power cord port on the RIGHT index side, next to the USB ports, not the left or the back. I've never had a laptop with the power port on the right. I've never even seen one like this, and my soft-pedal hasn't either (he's a computer guy). I guess it would be fine if I wasn't right-handed, sitting on the tete- with the computer plugged into an outlet to my left. The power cord gets tangled in my (and my son's, and my bridegroom's) legs because it cuts across the back of the computer. The computer has been pulled off the coffee table now several times; offer goodness for the "processor stabilizer" Toshiba builds in because I'm sure otherwise this thing would be toasted put now. The power cord got pulled out of the port so many times I had to buy a new power kit out because the cable's metal end piece got so bent I couldn't fit it into the port any more. I have never had this mind-boggler through THREE Sony Vaio's and my husband has been through three laptops in that same timeframe (a Compaq, an ASUS, and an Alienware) and he's never had this delinquent either. Bad design.
- The touchpad would be a joke, if it wasn't so frustrating. The touchpad is integrated into the laptop's pack, so there's not a separate touchpad that's not made out of the case material, which is what I'm used to. The material for the holder is not appropriate material for a touchpad, apparently, because the touchpad basically doesn't labour. We've replaced the touchpad driver twice and the mouse arrow will still randomly surge around, select things that it's not supposed to even when my fingers are not on the pad, not respond to light or compact touch, etc. I have gone into the advanced pointer properties more times than I can be confident of - I can't get this stupid thing to work at all. Just to keep the pointer from uninstalling software and randomly selecting things and deleting them I had to boon off most of the functionality I used to use with my pointer device. Now I have to carry around a small-take the measure of USB mouse and a mousepad with me everywhere so I can use the computer without dealing with the touchpad. This issue's been reported by a lot of other owners but unless there's some way to take over from part of the computer case, or completely retool the driver (which I think Toshiba's already tried to do), I don't see a fix for it. It's usable as-is but for the flush I spent I expect to be able to use the computer the way I've used EVERY OTHER LAPTOP I'VE OWNED, that is, without having to offer a mouse around.
I am honestly hoping this laptop develops a warranty cause c and I can send it back to be replaced by something better. I have never hated a laptop so much within the first few months of ownership. It's a sensuous-looking but poorly designed product, and yes, ultimately it is my fault for getting sucked into the hype. As without delay as this laptop bites the dust (sooner rather than later, please God) I will be going back to Vaios, no trouble how overpriced they are. This whole experience with Toshiba has been a major disappointment.
Candid
I was very dissapointed that the mobile life was not as advertised. It was advertised in all the stores to have a battery life of 8 hours. When I called Toshiba, They said they were not to blame for that advertisement. After fully charging the battery I get a little over 5 hours of freestyle life instead of 8 hours. When I told the toshiba representative I wanted to amends the product and get my money back he said he would have somebody call me to arrange this. He took down my total but nobody ever called.
Please Infer from My Comments
Frankly I am thwarted, this Toshiba Satellite m505 runs much slower than the other 3 year old laptop that I own of a different sort. In fact the other laptop has a slower processor speed and just 2GB of reminiscence. The reason why I was attracted to this one was due to your claim that the battery will last up 8 hrs, and that is not exactly true. I noticed at full load it may perform well for just 2 hours. Could it be I have a defective battery? Sad to say no bluetooth. On the other collusively the sound system and a lighted keyboard are a plus.
Marvellous deal and great value
I did a lot of probe on different brands and configurations. I was all set to buy a Toshiba (with an ugly chasis) for its functionality at a big box stockpile when I came to Amazon. This laptop had all the configurations I was looking for at the same price. My only beef is that I wish it had more usb ports and built in blue tooth. But I added a usb downcast tooth dongle and it works fine (other than tying up one of my limited usb ports). The chief feature for me was that it came standard with a 12 cell battery. Lifts up the back well-deserved slightly but actually makes the unit easier to type on because of the cusp.
Fast shipping, secure packing, and overall great value for the coins I spent. Thanks!
Regard for it all, I recommend
I got this in 2 period time no hassle. First let me say that it looks great but it is a real fingerprint magnet. the sheen just makes you look like you've just eaten and put your slick finger all over it. Nothing a cloth can't fix. Thinking about getting a skin and that will solve all the problems. It works like a put a spell on now that I've gotten rid of all the bloatware.
Cons: When I first got it, all I got was this mind numbing static, so thunderous it made the dogs howl. However, after uninstalling all sound drivers, rebooting and then letting windows position new ones, all problems solved. Tech help is a bust but hey, that's why there's knack like mine! maybe I should apply for the job there! JUst a thought. Despite the bumps, I advocate this machine. It's cool, light (despite the 12cell battery) and legitimate pretty to look at. I'm still testing out the battery life so I can't say if it lives up to the hype as yet. Meets my wishes....
