I've had this laptop for over 6 months now. For the most part, it is excellent. I had some issues initially with the programming, as the Windows 7 Pro didn't work well with a few programmes, and considered the downgrade, but with some wrangling (which was a real headache, I will admit) finally sorted it. I'm sure those with a lot more computer savvy would not have been nearly so aggravated with the programming conflicts, but while I can hold my own to some extent on making adjustments and such, I didn't expect to have to look up fixes online and sort it that way when some of my programmes weren't compatible (printer, free antivirus software, etc).

The screen is a good size and very clear. The laptop itself is not too large or unwieldy, so that also is good. I can run a lot of different things at once, without too much slowdown as well. Lots of preloaded material was nice, although some of it was unnecessary and I ended up deleting some as simply taking up space as I simply didn't use it.

The laptop itself is silver grey, which looks fine. I honestly am more concerned with how it runs as opposed to how it looks. It's not snazzy and high fashion looking, just looks like your standard laptop. That being said, I will say that the hinge fastening that holds the keyboard and screen together is very good - it's one huge piece going across the middle 2/3 of the laptop. I've had other laptops before, and they had two hinge fastenings on the screen section, which puts a lot of pressure on them, causing cracking in the screen casing after a time. This one has taken a fair bit of abuse and held up admirably well.

The main annoyances for me involves placement of things around the outside edges of the laptop. First and foremost is the volume control. There is a dial at the front lower edge that adjusts the volume. Unfortunately, when sitting with the laptop on your lap, I am always bumping the volume button this way and that. I generally run mine on silent, as we're watching television in the evening and such. One minute it's quiet, then screeching at full volume because I've moved slightly and bumped the volume dial. Verrrrrry annoying!! I am constantly adjusting it back down. And occasionally even though you've turned the dial all the way down, the volume doesn't actually GO all the way down and you have to bring up the volume controls on the screen and adjust it that way. I would say that I am adjusting this numerous times a day, so to me, that's a big annoyance.

I'm not keen on the placement for the power cord - on the right side of the laptop, so that it's sticking out and in the way when I want to use my mouse for certain programmes that it works better than the touchpad. The photo card reader is in the front, just under the edge. Again, awkward to work with.

I've also noticed this laptop gets quite warm quite rapidly, and I've had it literally shut off due to overheating. I have to keep it on a flat hard surface - can't even set it down on the sofa for longer than a few minutes. It means some adjustments for me, using it on a table or tray.

I also have noticed that the battery life is not great. I rarely get two hours out of the battery. I'd say more along the lines of 90 minutes tops, when I would expect a good 3 hours.

Due to these particular problems, I can't say that I would readily buy this particular laptop (or possibly even Toshiba) again. It's otherwise a good laptop - I like the webcam built in, and the card reader is nice (just located in an awkward spot). But for me, the annoyances somewhat outweigh the positives, as they crop up regularly.