| Product: |
Toshiba Portege M100 |
| Date: |
26.02.05 (1648 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Everything a laptop should be
Disadvantages: Uses an eraser head mouse pointer (not the favourite choice of everyone)
Toshiba are a leader in the notebooks and this s a laptop that backs this statement up. On first impression you can't help but be drawn in by its sleek, silver and black design. It has all the features all could want from a laptop and you can read the technical specifications below. I am so impressed with this laptop that my esktop PC has been packed away, as this small notebook out powers everything on it by double. I'm not a businessman so I'm not on the move with this laptop, but I can tell you what I use it for and how it measures up.
How does it look?
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Design is a big thing nowadays, and with the old beige colour out of fashion, silver and black is now the way forward. This Portege is based on these colours and it is very, very attractive. The M100 has been beautifully designed, its compact but all the power and utilities are still there. The keyboard is small, smaller than most as the creators have tried to squeeze everything down into a smaller unit and successfully so.
The 12.1" TFT monitor is small but very clear, and after previous laptops I have owned, I was really impressed. You do have to have the screen pointing at certain angles to your eyes or the picture is unclear, but this usually is the case with notebook TFT monitors, so don't let this put you off!
Internet Browsing
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The first and main use for this laptop is for ccessing the Internet, it comes with a built in 56k modem, which is very reliable and I haven't had any problems with it. The display is really clear and bright and makes browsing the Internet with enjoyment as you are not squinting and training to try and see things. It comes with a WI-FI connection, for on the move Internet connection, which I'm still in the process of learning about and hopefully I will be able to make use of this feature.
Watching DVD's
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I like to watch DVD's on this laptop, and the built in DVD drive is excellent. Who needs a personal DVD player, when you get a notebook and it comes bundled with a load of other stuff too. The software for watching DVD's comes with the package, but I prefer PowerDVD. I'm interested in the latest technology and I am amazed at how far notebooks have come on over the last couple of years.
CD Writing
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I like to copy CD's and put data on to CD and with the built in CD-RW/DVD Drive is ideal for this. There's no need to have extra cables coming out into an external drive or having to install your own inside. It's all there and ready to go (see the specifications below for speeds) I had an external rewriter with my desktop PC and I can do the same with the notebook as I can with the bigger version! The only real problem is copying a whole CD, you have to create an image of a disk on the hard drive and then write the information to another disk, instead of the instant copy you can benefit from,
from having both a CD-ROM and CD-RW for the same machine.
The speed of the CD-RW drive isn't as fast as some other ones you can buy, but it is nice having everything in front of you ready to go, I find it a novelty that hasn't worn off, yet!
Home Networking
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The Toshiba Portege M100 comes with a network card and I used this to connect my desktop computer to it so that I could play two player games across a network. The laptop isn't any good for games that need a mouse to control as the eraser head pointer is very slow, this also applies when doing anything else on this computer. The speakers that come with this laptop are really, really good and you have the option on the side on the notebook to adjust the volume.
I mentioned about the WI-FI connection earlier, I haven't used it, but I know this can be used to connect to a business or home network, but I can't really comment on this until I have used it, so keep a look out for an update!
Microsoft Office and running other Applications
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I also use the computer for word processing and I find that the system is very fast and programs open automatically thanks to the processor and Windows XP. Applications seem to run fast and smoothly on this laptop, again thanks to both the computer and the operating system. I've had a few faults where a program has stopped responding and needs to be ended, plus I haven't had an blue screens of death...yet! A lot of the great features of this laptop revolves around Windows XP, and has XP to thank, but I'm trying not to review the operating system, but trying to keep it to how the laptop performs!
Speed
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The booting time is excellent and you are in windows, within 30 seconds. Windows XP
has been designed to improve booting and loading times, and with the help of the Intel Centrino technology it really shows. I'm not really a fan of XP but it does have its advantages and disadvantages.
With the 256mb of memory installed a lot of programs can be running at the same time
and the performance hardly differs, I've had up to six different programs run, and I can jump from one to the other without having to wait.
Software
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This personal computer comes with a bundle of software and a Toshiba Utility disk, which is helpful when you decide to wipe your hard drive clean and freshly install Windows XP, as some of the drivers that are needed are found on that
disk.
Windows XP is the operating system, and the mix of latest mobile technology and operating system coding, the two run together smoothly and make using this laptop fun and efficient. The laptop comes with a PDF document, which is very useful in helping make the most of your new Portege M100.
Technical Information
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Here is the technical information that I found at the Toshiba support web site.
***CPU and Memory***
Processor Class - Pentium M
Processor Speed - 1.2 GHz
Mobile Technology - Intel Centrino
Installed Memory - 256 MB
Maximum Memory - 2 GB
Memory Technology - DDR SDRAM
Cache Size - 1 MB
***Storage Information***
Hard Drive Capacity - 40 GB
Included Drives - CD-RW / DVD-ROM combo
CD Write Speed - 8 X
CD Rewrite Speed - 8 X
CD Read Speed - 24 X
DVD Read Speed - 8 X
***Display and Graphics***
Display Size - 12.1 inches
Display Type - TFT active matrix
Graphics Processor - Intel 855GM
Resolution - 1024 x 768 pixels, Max. External Resolution 1600 x 1200 pixels
***Battery***
Battery Life - 4.4 hour(s)
Battery Type - Lithium ion
***Communication***
Modem Speed - 56 Kbps
Network Support - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b
***Software***
Operating System - Microsoft Windows XP Professional
***Connectors***
Interface Provided VGA, Phone line, Ethernet
***General Product Info***
Input Devices Keyboard, AccuPoint II
Included Sound Card
Weight 4.41 lbs
Dimension 1.3 in x 10.6 in x 9.8 in (HxWxD)
Also known as Toshiba Portege, Toshiba PPM10U-0002T7,
Toshiba Portege PPM10U-0002T7, Toshiba M100, Toshiba Portege
M100
Conclusion
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This is a great laptop and everyone who is hinking of buying a laptop has different options on what they want it for. All I can say is that everything I need and want to do with my desktop PC, I can do with this. Hopefully this matches some of you're needs.
I know that when wanting to buy a laptop, the battery life is a very important factor. From my experience with this machine, I usually run it off the mains, but once I left it on while it downloaded a big file, and lasted around 3 hours before I was warned to plug the charger in. Which is a little under the expected 4.4 hours that are in the specifications. (I also know that it's not good that I plug the main adapter in when the battery isn't completely run out, this can cause the battery life to suffer)
It's very hard to buy a new laptop that isn't up to scratch. All the latest notebooks have great features and can be made to include the components that you require, but I advise that the Toshiba Portege M100 is one that needs considering.
This is a beautiful notebook and just to look at it you can see this is going to be a good one! It is a very expensive, and when paying that much for a laptop, it is very hard to buy something that is bad. But E-bay is always an option when wanting to buy this laptop and bidding starts around £400. You won't be disappointed with this fine example of what a laptop should be!
Summary:
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Last comment:
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grahamt - 26.02.05 I've been using one of these for about a year and I have to say that it is far from perfect. Mine has 512Mb of memory and runs WindowsXP Pro.
I use it in the office where I always connect it to a desktop monitor. I find the 12" screen on the M100 very tiring with long periods of use and a monitor is essential for anything other than casual use.
There's also a problem with the automatic detection of the monitor. Basically, it doesn't. It also assumes that whatever was the mode of use last is what you want now so, if you were using it without a monitor last time, although it starts up on the monitor it then switches back to the laptop screen for the rest of the bootup.
Also the button on the right just below the screen that is supposed to enable switching between laptop screen and monitor, doesn't work.
There is a problem with the wireless networking. It only supports WEP encryption, not the very much more secure WPA. I have emailed Toshiba about this, to see if there is a firmware upgrade to the wireless network NIC but my enquiry has been more or less iignored. Support from Toshiba I do find very iffy.
I like the compact size of the M100 and its light weight but there are certainly far better laptops for the money.
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