Laptop Reviews

It is a modern world and we see rapid changes every day in the field of technology, and especially in that of the Computers. We see Laptop computers replacing the Desktop PCs in many areas for reasons of their own. So, many companies are now producing Laptops and fighting among themselves by introducing luring designs and features and thereby attracting the customers towards them. The competition is so healthy now, that the customers have many an option before them to select.

To live up to the expectations of the people of all walks of life, Toshiba introduces its new masterpiece, the Toshiba Satellite L350-21Q Laptop. It is a promising laptop and it is certainly going to get a lot of attention in the Laptop world.

Design:

Sleek:
The Toshiba satellite L350-21Q 17″ Widescreen Laptop looks as if it a perfect replacement for a Desktop PC with its very bonny design. If you do not have a Desktop PC and also do not have enough space for it, then you can instead opt to go with this one, as it satisfies all your needs occupying minimum space. Its dimensions are, (W x D x H) 398 x 292 x 35.3 (front) / 43.1 (rear) mm. It is a bit heavy than normal, weighing about 3.15 kg, but it looks very sleek and cute. The Design is very good but the since the screen is big, it is not that portable.

Display:
The display is very good and one of the best, with TFT High Brightness display. It has a staggering 17 inch screen, a large one for a laptop. The display performance is boosted by Toshiba TruBrite WXGA, which is a new feature that enhances the brightness and contrast features and protects your eye from harmful effects. The internal resolution of the screen is 1440 x 900 pixels. The display performance is good, but since the screen is reflective type, it is not suitable for outdoor use and is best suitable for home and office uses. Also the viewing angles are very narrow and it lacks a flexible display.

Interface:
It has the standard numeric keypad, which many other laptops do not have. So, it looks like a conventional Desktop keyboard, making it comfortable for typing. The touch pad is also cool as it gives a good feel to your finger. The Web Camera employed is of very good quality.

Removable parts:
The wireless LAN switch is a special feature that serves as a quick launch button to activate and deactivate the wireless LAN option. There is a slot provided for Kensington Cable Lock. The main Hard Disk and the main Memory can be removed easily by unscrewing and hence you can carry them separately anywhere. The main battery pack can also be removed when needed by sliding the latch.

Interfaces:
The Satellite L350-21Q Notebook computer is equipped with a lot of interfacing options along with it. It consists of a DC- input, an external monitor, an RJ-11, an RJ-45, an external microphone that is very useful in recording voices with good clarity, a stereo headphone mainly used for the purpose of video chatting over the internet, three USB 2.0 ports for easy and faster data transfer and an integrated VGA Web Camera with a built-in microphone.

Expansion Slots:
It has two expansion slots for memory cards, one of which is for configuration purpose. It also has an Express Card slot.

Communication:
Toshiba Satellite L350-21Q has employed both wired and wireless communication facilities.

Wired Communication:
The wired communication features offered by Toshiba includes a Fast Ethernet LAN (10 BASE- T/ 100 BASE- TX) and also an International V.90 modem (V.92 ready) for internet connection through a cable. It has a speed of 56 kbps for data files and 14.4 kbps for fax files. This is a good facility when you are at home. But when you are on the go, you certainly need an option for wireless communication.

Wireless Communication:
The Toshiba Satellite has the compliancy for Wi-Fi. With a network support 802.11 b/g, it can be used at any place where there is an option for a wireless connection. The technology used here is the wireless LAN technology.

Features:

Processor:
The Toshiba Satellite L350-21Q is powered by Intel Celeron Processors to give optimum performance. Celeron’s latest design is based on the Intel’s powerful Core 2 Duo branded processors. Although it is not as fast as the Core 2 Duo, it is supported by T3000, to give you the best performance. The processor is fast enough with a clock speed of about 1.80 GHz, the Front Side Bus of 800 MHz and the second level cache of about 1 MB. All these features combined, give rise to a good platform for the PC.

Operating System:
Toshiba provides a pre- installed and genuine Windows Vista Home Premium, (32 bit edition) to make your system look lovely. It also provides the Toshiba HDD recovery software along with the Operating System that gives you a recovery option to help you back up your files. At present only Windows Vista is available, but in the near future it may come out with Windows 7 version of Operating System.

Memory:
The standard system memory is about 2GB. But, if you want a higher memory, then it can be expanded to a maximum of 4 GB. The RAM is of type DDR2 and has a clock speed of 800 MHz.

Hard Disk:
The Hard Disk is one of the most important parts of a PC system. When it comes to the Toshiba Satellite, it has a built- in Hard Disk space of 160 GB. It may not be that high, considering the present situations where the average laptop has a Hard Disk space of about 250 GB or 320 GB. But, never mind, because this is, as discussed earlier, a replacement for a Desktop PC. So the Hard Disk space is not a big concern. It is authenticated by the S.M.A.R.T certification. The Hard Disk has a spindle speed of 5400 rpm. Hence, the drive is good enough for such a PC.

DVD Super Multi Drive:
The Satellite L350-21Q Laptop Notebook has a Super Multi Drive that is double layered and hence, doubly effective. It supports CD-ROM, CD-RW, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-ROM, DVD-RW, DVD-R (DL), DVD + RW, DVD + R, DVD-RAM. That is quite a good number for a compatibility range. The maximum speed for all these is 24x and the minimum is 5x. So, this can be considered as a very good DVD Drive for all your needs.

Graphics:
Graphics always adds beauty to your PC. For effective working of your system and its applications like videos and games, you need a reasonable Graphics card or Graphics Adaptor. Particularly if you are fond of gaming, then there is definitely a need to have a Graphics card. With the Toshiba Satellite, you also get a Graphics adaptor, the Mobile Intel GMA 4500 M, manufactured by Intel. This one has 3 GB of system memory and has an available graphics memory up to 1340 MB. This is a cool graphics card that enhances your game play and video play and prevents any problems in their functioning. It is a shared type memory.

Video Modes:
Internal Video Modes: A maximum screen resolution of 1440 x 900 is supported.

External Video Modes: The external video mode options are that the maximum screen resolution is of 2048 x 1536 and the maximum screen refresh rate is 85 Hz. But the maximum non- interlaced resolution with the maximum refresh rate of 85 Hz is of 1600 x 1200.

These video modes are just right for smooth running of your programs.

Sound System:
The sound system of the Satellite is about average. It can support the 24-bit audio format and is of a moderate quality. Its built-in stereo speakers give you a good sound performance. The sound system is manufactured by the Toshiba Bass Enhanced Sound System and is working well.

HD Audio Support:
The Satellite introduces you the HD Audio support that gives you an excellent sound quality and 3D surround sound when you play your music and video files. It also features the SM BIOS Compliant or System Management Compliant that prevents any kind of problems regarding your BIOS setup.

Multimedia:
There is an Integrated Microphone setup for Voice over the Internet Protocol that helps communication over the internet better than ever before. It has a Multimedia Bar featuring 6 Hot keys for the easy access to multimedia options. They are Mute, Rewind, Forward, Play, Stop and the CD/ DVD launcher. This makes you use the multimedia options very quickly and with a great ease. For the purpose of video calling and chatting over the IP, an integrated VGA Web Camera is provided.

Security Features:
The Toshiba Satellite L350 provides with heaps of Security features that keeps your laptop protected. It has a user password feature which is not uncommon, by any means. But the interesting feature is that, there is a password facility on request to even the Hard Disk Drive. Also, there is a supervisor password, which can be set to any file or a folder to keep the files from losing any confidential or personal data.

Toshiba EasyMedia package:
A special feature is the Toshiba EasyMedia package, which features Google Software, Toshiba TEMPRO Performance Tuning Service, Toshiba Face Recognition, Easy keys, Diversity antenna, Toshiba Flash Cards, Smart Display Support, Built-in camera, Toshiba ConfigFree, Microphone, Internal HD 720p support and many more of which you can speak volumes and hence are avoided here, but all of them are very fetching and worthy.

Software Bundle:
Toshiba has offered an array of software that brings out the optimum performance from your laptop.

Toshiba Disc Creator:
The Toshiba Disc Creator enables you to quickly burn any kind of data on to any disk, be it a CD or a DVD, at ease and with no errors. It also has the Recovery Disc creator that burns all the backup files or the recovery files into discs. The Toshiba DVD player can play your DVDs with ease and clarity. The Ulead DVD Movie Factory for Toshiba is the one that allows you to customise your movies and movie settings.

Toshiba Assist:
The Toshiba Assist is just like a guide to all the programs in your computer and their functioning. One of the interesting software here is the Chicony Camera Assistant software that has all the new features to help you take pictures through the webcam effectively.

Toshiba Face Recognition:
The Toshiba Face Recognition is very effective software that detects the faces of people and saves them. It can also be set as a password so that your face becomes your password and hence your computer is completely secured and no one else can access it.

McAfee Internet Security Suite:
Toshiba provides security against viruses, both from the internet and from outside, in the form of McAfee Internet Security Suite – Toshiba Edition, which also includes free internet updates for a period of 30 days. You need to activate this product after this 30 day period.

Application Software:
Toshiba Satellite has also included some useful application software such as the Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office Home and Microsoft Student 2007 (free 60 day trial). Added to these is the Toshiba utilities and drivers application that has scores of options that make your work simpler.

Toshiba Value Added Package:
A special software package, known as the Toshiba Value Added Package, is provided to satisfy miscellaneous needs. They include Toshiba Power Saver that sets the system to a low power state in order to save power, Toshiba Zooming Utility that allows zooming of your pages for comfortable viewing, Toshiba PC Diagnostic tool that solves problems relating to the system and its software, Toshiba Flash Cards, Toshiba Accessibility option that helps you access different files and software in your system, Toshiba Button Control Support that allows you to chose and predefine the actions to be done on pressing a particular button, Toshiba Components Common Driver and many others that boost the performance of your system.

Google software:
Google software is included in the software package that consists of Google Toolbar for the Internet Explorer, Google Desktop and Picasa. This is not that common in the market.

Connectivity Doctor:
Another such thing is the Connectivity Doctor that makes access to synchronisation very simple. With this, you can manage multiple connections and synchronise them.

ConfigFree:
The ConfigFree for wireless communication is the software that allows the users of the Toshiba Satellite, easy control of the network connections and communication devices. With this software, the mobile and wireless modes of computing are made simpler to manage and to switch profiles and devices whenever needed and is a gifted application that made communication easier than ever before.

Performance:

You can trust the Toshiba Satellite L350 Laptop to give you an uncompromising performance with the kind of repertoire it possesses. It is stuffed with very good hardware and software to give you an excellent experience. The Celeron processor is a reasonably powerful one and is enough for office purposes. It may not be appropriate for gaming but it is best suitable for DVD applications. The Hard Disk space is good and the Graphics card is fine. The keyboard is very good, a large one with a separate number pad, which you see only on the conventional keyboards. This is once again advantageous for office use. The interfaces are good in number but the expansion slots are too less. Both the wired and the wireless communications are fine.

The sound system is a mediocre one and is not effective while travelling. There happens to be no kind of optical feedback during adjustment of the volume. The software is excellent and all the components are very utile and are also simple to install and use. The features that are mentioned above are good and very attractive. The overall performance of the system is up to the mark and almost no problems are detected during testing. The battery life is more than just good for such a large system. There is little system noise and that certainly does not annoy anyone. The temperature maintenance is fine. The energy saving option is useful when in office and it enhances the battery life.

Battery and Power:

Lithium- ion battery is used and is rated by the ‘Mobile Mark’ to have a maximum battery life period of about two and a half hours. There is a power saver option and this increases the battery life effectively.

For charging purpose, an AC autosensing adaptor of 19 V and 3.95 A is provided.

Warranty:

There is a one year international warranty for the Toshiba Satellite. You can visit the official website and upgrade your standard warranty with the Toshiba Warranty Extension facility for an extended period of time.

Certification:

The Toshiba Satellite L350-21Q is certified as being in compliance with the requirements of applicable European Directives for CE marking.

Verdict:

The Toshiba Satellite L350-21Q is a low- priced but a highly equipped laptop and more suitable for office environment. The design is stylish and the ports and connectivity options are abundant. The heaps of features offered are not let down by the excellent performance capabilities of the laptop. As you have read, the interesting set of software are very handy. On the whole, with all the good options and a very reasonable price, it looks like the Toshiba Satellite is very buyable.

Check Hewlett Packard Laptop Reviews, Samsung Notebook Reviews, Specs in this website.

Toshiba Satellite L350-21Q Notebook – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Toshiba
Model Name	Satellite L350-21Q
Model Number	PSLD8E-0RP008EN
PC type	Laptop
Series	Satellite
DIMENSIONS AND DISPLAY
Dimensions (H x W x D)	398 x 292 x 35.3 /43.1 mm
Weight	3.15 kg
Available colours	Black
Display type	Toshiba TruBrite® WXGA+ TFT High Brightness display
Display size	17.0 inch
Display resolution	High-def 1440 x 900 pixel resolution
PROCESSOR, MEMORY, STORAGE
Processor type	Intel® Celeron® Processor T3000
Clock speed	1.80 GHz
Second level Cache	1MB
Front Bus Speed	800 Mhz
RAM installed	4096 MB
RAM type	DDR2 RAM
Max RAM Supported	Yes
WLAN Standard	802.11b/g/n
Installed Memory	128MB
Maximum Memory Supported	4GB
Hard drive size	400GB
Spindle speed	5400rpm
Optical drive	DVD Super Multi Drive (Double layered)
INPUT
Keyboard	105 keys
Track pad	Normal Touch Pad
GRAPHICS, VIDEO AND SOUND
Graphics adaptor	Mobile Intel® GMA 4500M
Speaker Details	Built-in stereo speakers
Audio features	supported audio format : 24-bit stereo
Sound Output	Toshiba Bass Enhanced Sound System
COMMUNICATION FEATURES
Ethernet	Topology : Fast Ethernet LAN Speed : 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX
Modem	Topology : international V.90 modem (V.92 ready) Speed : 56 Kbps data and 14.4 Kbps fax
Wireless	Compliancy : Wi-Fi® Network Support : 802.11b/g Wireless Technology : Wireless LAN
Mobile internet	None
Webcam	Integrated VGA Web Camera for Video over IP
Memory card reader	2 x memory slots (1 to configure) 1 x ExpressCard slot
CONNECTIVITY	1 x DC-in 1 x external monitor 1 x RJ-11 1 x RJ-45 1 x external microphone 1 x headphone (stereo) 3 (Left 2, Right 1) x USB 2.0 1 x integrated VGA Web Camera with built-in microphone
SOFTWARE
Operating System	Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
Other software	Toshiba Disc Creator, Supervisor Password Utility, Toshiba Assist, Chicony Camera Assistant Software, Ulead® DVD MovieFactory, Toshiba Face Recognition, McAfee® Internet Security Suite – Toshiba Edition (includes free Internet updates for 30 days), Toshiba Recovery Disc Creator, Microsoft® Works, Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 (free 60-day trial) Toshiba Value Added Package (Toshiba Power Saver, Toshiba Zooming Utility, Toshiba PC Diagnostic Tool, Toshiba Flash Cards, Toshiba Components Common Driver, Toshiba Accessibility, Toshiba Button Support) Google Software (Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer, Google Desktop, Picasa) Connectivity Doctor , ConfigFree™ and Toshiba utilities and drivers
Security features	main battery pack (by sliding latch) main memory (by screw) HDD password on request supervisor password slot for Kensington Cable Lock user password wireless LAN switch main hard disk (by screw)
Office package	Microsoft Works with Office Home and Student 2007 Trial
PC type	Laptop
BATTERY
Battery technology	Lithium Ion
Estimated battery life (mfr)	2.5 hours
MISCELLANEOUS
Special Features	SM BIOS compliant HD Audio support integrated microphone for Voice over IP Multimedia Bar with 6 touch Easy Keys (Mute, Rewind, Play, Stop, Forward, CD/DVD launcher) integrated VGA Web Camera for Video over IP Standard numeric keypad
Box contents	Laptop Power Adapter and power cord Install/restore DVDs Printed and electronic documentation
WARRANTY	One-year International Travellers Warranty

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