Rating: 
Summary: Mind-numbing Aggravation
Review: I had high expectations for this, my first laptop, after reading about Toshiba's reputation for laptop quality. After seven weeks in which I was unable to get two different units to connect to the internet properly, I will pass on Toshiba products in the future. The techs at Toshiba, the retail vendor and two different internet providers were as baffled as I was. The verdict: two malfunctioning internal modems. These two lemons cost me a lot of time, aggravation and effectiveness in work and school responsibilities. I just received my money back from the retail store. They aren't very happy with Toshiba, either, at this point. I can't blame them.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Laptop
Review: I like this notebook computer! It works really good. I had it for 3 months now. I only had 1 minor problem with it freezing.
The cd player/cd burner/dvd player works good. If you are looking for a good laptop, get this!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent laptop at an excellent price!
Review: I returned my other laptop (HP ze5270) for the Toshiba and boy am I happy that I did! Toshiba, in my opinion, is by far the leader in mobile computing, far surpassing Dell. The Satellite 2435-S255 is a great all-around laptop with plenty of RAM (512 MB), average hard drive (40 GB), great video card (GeForce 4 420 GO with 32 MB RAM) and an attractive look. What makes it even better is its removeable CD-RW/DVD drive, expandable memory (up to 1GB), TV-out capability (S-video), FireWire (IEEE-1394) port, Infrared port, and three USB 2.0 ports. 2 PCMCIA slots are also onboard for more expansion capability. What's convenient is that there are separate CD player controls on the outside of the laptop so that you can play and control a CD without the laptop being turned on. The speakers (Harmon Kardon) are loud and clear. There are three quick access buttons located above the keyboard. One can be used to launch your Internet browser, one to launch the Toshiba Console window, and the other to toggle the TV-out function. The touchpad is satisfactory with good response and sensitivity. The left and right touchpad buttons could be more precise when you click them. There really isn't a definite click to them. I still haven't figured out the touchpad scroll function yet but that's because I really don't need it. The 15" Active Matrix LCD display is bright, clear, and crisp. Its maximum resolution is the standard 1024x768 found on most laptops. The keyboard is nicely layed out with easy access to popular keys and the keys themselves have a precise click with a soft motion. Windows XP Home Edition is included as the operating system. I would have liked to see Pro come installed but beggers can't be choosers (However, I did install XP Professional once I got the laptop). The software bundle isn't all that impressive, nothing worth noting (software bundles usually never are that impressive). The only downfall to the 2435-S255 is that it doesn't include any PS/2 serial ports or a 3.5" floppy drive, however, an external floppy drive (USB) can be purchased from Toshiba for around $100. More and more laptops constructed these days don't include a 3.5" floppy drive because they're becoming obsolete, they add a lot of weight to the laptop, they limit expansion capabilities, and a CD-RW drive can handle the same job as a floppy drive. I didn't really consider this a loss. You can't go wrong with this laptop, it comes with the Toshiba name and reputation... This is one of the most popular laptops on the market right now. If you were to shop with Dell and include all the features mentioned above you would be easily spending over $2,000. Dell has a tendancy to charge a fortune for 512 MB of RAM. I work with Dell laptops on a daily basis as part of my job and I've noticed that they aren't constructed too well (the screen housings come apart at times) and the combined CD-RW/DVD drive acts up at times and won't read DVDs. Also, Dell laptops aren't too attractive, very bland in design. Get this Toshiba and you'll be more than happy with your choice.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent laptop at an excellent price!
Review: I returned my other laptop (HP ze5270) for the Toshiba and boy am I happy that I did! Toshiba, in my opinion, is by far the leader in mobile computing, far surpassing Dell. The Satellite 2435-S255 is a great all-around laptop with plenty of RAM (512 MB), average hard drive (40 GB), great video card (GeForce 4 420 GO with 32 MB RAM) and an attractive look. What makes it even better is its removeable CD-RW/DVD drive, expandable memory (up to 1GB), TV-out capability (S-video), FireWire (IEEE-1394) port, Infrared port, and three USB 2.0 ports. 2 PCMCIA slots are also onboard for more expansion capability. What's convenient is that there are separate CD player controls on the outside of the laptop so that you can play and control a CD without the laptop being turned on. The speakers (Harmon Kardon) are loud and clear. There are three quick access buttons located above the keyboard. One can be used to launch your Internet browser, one to launch the Toshiba Console window, and the other to toggle the TV-out function. The touchpad is satisfactory with good response and sensitivity. The left and right touchpad buttons could be more precise when you click them. There really isn't a definite click to them. I still haven't figured out the touchpad scroll function yet but that's because I really don't need it. The 15" Active Matrix LCD display is bright, clear, and crisp. Its maximum resolution is the standard 1024x768 found on most laptops. The keyboard is nicely layed out with easy access to popular keys and the keys themselves have a precise click with a soft motion. Windows XP Home Edition is included as the operating system. I would have liked to see Pro come installed but beggers can't be choosers (However, I did install XP Professional once I got the laptop). The software bundle isn't all that impressive, nothing worth noting (software bundles usually never are that impressive). The only downfall to the 2435-S255 is that it doesn't include any PS/2 serial ports or a 3.5" floppy drive, however, an external floppy drive (USB) can be purchased from Toshiba for around $100. More and more laptops constructed these days don't include a 3.5" floppy drive because they're becoming obsolete, they add a lot of weight to the laptop, they limit expansion capabilities, and a CD-RW drive can handle the same job as a floppy drive. I didn't really consider this a loss. You can't go wrong with this laptop, it comes with the Toshiba name and reputation... This is one of the most popular laptops on the market right now. If you were to shop with Dell and include all the features mentioned above you would be easily spending over $2,000. Dell has a tendancy to charge a fortune for 512 MB of RAM. I work with Dell laptops on a daily basis as part of my job and I've noticed that they aren't constructed too well (the screen housings come apart at times) and the combined CD-RW/DVD drive acts up at times and won't read DVDs. Also, Dell laptops aren't too attractive, very bland in design. Get this Toshiba and you'll be more than happy with your choice.
Rating:
Summary: Very Impressive
Review: I was looking for a laptop to replace my antiquated desktop. This machine fits the bill perfectly.
- Fast 2.4GHz Pentium 4 with 533MHz FSB. I dont need a mobile pentium 4 because I would typically use the machine where there would be an electrical outlet (i'm NOT a frequent traveller). I could have gone for an AMD laptop - but they are frequently in low end configurations. Beware of celeron laptops - those are ultra low end machines.
- Plenty of RAM (512 MB), beware of DELL stuff that sells 128MB or 256MB and charges you a fortune for 512.
- Plenty of HDD (40GB)
- USB 2.0! yes, this one comes with USB 2.0, which is very hard to find amongst the HPs and DELLs of the day, that are trying to sell you machines that would be obsolete in three months.
- DVD/CDRW combo drive, beware of any machine that offers less than this. The DELLs of this world would try to sell you a machine with two drives, one for DVD and one for CDRW
- nVidia Graphics! I was considering a sharp GP22W notebook until I read an amazon.com review which said the poor SiS graphics card was limiting smooth DVD playback. Why did I choose a laptop as my primary computer:
- less noisy compared to a desktop
- less bulky, so I can use it in any room.
- less pricey! With my standards, I would not have settled for anything less than a small form factor PC with LCD montior (see gamepc.com for some excellent models), but and equivalent configuration there would have been more expensive than this laptop!
Rating:
Summary: Toshiba Satellite
Review: Read reviews of the Satellite 5100 series. There are more of them and they are relevant to this machine. I chose the 2435 over the 5105 because it is faster. The lower resolution screen is not a problem. I need prescription lenses to see my other computers and this one works with my usual bifocals. With the right drivers, the screen is very sharp. Not having the Mobile Pentium is not a problem since the battery life is as claimed and the computer runs cool. The touchpad is awful. The buttons have terrible action and are in the wrong place and will stress your forearm. I ordered a mouse. I have repetitive stress injury and this toucpad hurts. But a touchpad is not a reason to reject a computer. The parallel, USB, line in, earphone out, PCMCIA, network, and modem connections all work with a wide range of my stuff. I use a USB/SCSI adapter for my legacy SCSI stuff (Scanner, ZIP, Jaz). I can't tell you about the other holes since I have nothing to plug in them. The speakers are ok but laptop quality. The CD and CDRW work fine. I haven't used the DVD yet and may not use it ever. The keyboard is good for me. The keys have a medium travel, soft action, definite snap, and crisp feel. I'm a key banger so the clack of the keys is just about right for me. I installed Win2k immediately. I downloaded the drivers from the Toshiba website and did the full install without hitch. One critical USB driver was missing. I attached the device, asked for a remote driver install, and the right driver was found on the Microsoft site. I wish Toshiba had included this driver. Installation of Win2k and other stuff takes a day and needs a guru. The battery life is as billed. The power software seems to work. Hibernate and switchoff work, but I have not got standby to work yet. The computer goes into standby ok. When the button is pushed to bring it out, it comes on then switches off. Switchon again then leads to a new boot. As a laptop some help is needed. Two fans on the bottom suck air in but are plugged with the computer on a lap. I cut a small board to hold the machine on my lap. Before the board, I ran it for a couple weeks and the case stays cool, but I am not a trusting sole and Toshiba put those fans there for a reason. Both fans are quieter than the one on my previous laptop and run less frequently. Carry weight is critical in a laptop. With everything loaded to go (including the board) this is the lightest laptop I have owned. Certainly it is much lighter than my daughter's Dell 8200 which also is a great machine. However, the 2435 is an all-in-one and that means it is not the lightest laptop around. Most superlight folks I know carry so many extras they are heavier than I am when loaded. The 2435 worked right out of the box. Win2k went on flawlessly. It is the fastest machine I currently use. I expect it will go about 5 years, just like my previous three laptops. One was carried all over the world for a year. And the 2435 is the second Toshiba I've owned. I have owned the T1100, a generic, and a Compaq Presario 1236. All three were used until they died from my use ... about 5 years each. They all received a huge amount of travel and wear. I like this machine. I recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty darn solid
Review: Since I'm going back to College this fall, I decided to get a new laptop. Since I'm a geek, I decided it had to be a good laptop. I had originally focused on the Dell Insprion 8500 with its 15.4" wide screen but after reading several complaints on DellTalk about the quality of the keyboard I decided to keep looking. I then focused on a Toshiba 2455-S305 ... The keyboard is 2nd only to IBM Thinkpad keyboards which IMO are the best period. Don't be fooled by the translucent keyboard. You might think it is a little cheap looking but it is actually quite solid. The keys have good travel and the chassis is rock solid (unlike the Inspiron 8500). I'm a big guy (6'2" 200lbs) but this keyboard was no problem for my larger hands. My wife (5'3" 117lbs) felt the keyboard wasn't a bad size but she of course would like a smaller one. The touchpad isn't bad but I feel they should clearly mark the scroll bars on the bottom and right of the pad. HP puts a small ridge on their Touchpad so you can feel the boarders of the pointer area. That, IMO, is the standard to judge all others. Still, a small laptop mouse is the way to go with all laptops IMO. Audio and video are somewhat of a mixed bag but are very acceptable. Audio features Harman/Kardon speakers which are the best I've heard on any laptop to date. I listen to a lot of Jazz and I have to credit this laptop for allowing me to hear Harry Connick Jr with the best quality you can get from such small speakers. On the other hand the video could be better. Don't get me wrong, the Nvidia 420 card is excellent and is even handling Ghost Recon pretty well but I would have perferred a higher resolution than 1024x768. That should be the low end resolution on a laptop with a 15" screen. However, I compensated a little by using smaller icon and 8 point fonts. I have 20/15 vision thanks to LASIK so smaller is just fine for me. There is a wealth of odds and ends on this laptop that would make any Dell green with envy. The Dell 5100 and 1100 laptops don't even have parallel ports. The big pluses for the S255 are the SD card slot, THREE USB 2.0 ports, and a 4 wire IEEE1394 connector. Remember, a 4 wire 1394 port doesn't supply power to anything you connect to it, so devices you buy for this must have their own external power supply. This isn't a biggie since most people are connecting video or digital cameras which have their own power anyways. I only wish they had a Serial port because I need one to work on my router and firewall on occasion. This too isn't a biggie since I purchased a USB to Serial adapter. All in all I rate this an excellent laptop. It's a good solid buy ...
Rating:
Summary: Pretty darn solid
Review: Since I'm going back to College this fall, I decided to get a new laptop. Since I'm a geek, I decided it had to be a good laptop. I had originally focused on the Dell Insprion 8500 with its 15.4" wide screen but after reading several complaints on DellTalk about the quality of the keyboard I decided to keep looking. I then focused on a Toshiba 2455-S305 ... The keyboard is 2nd only to IBM Thinkpad keyboards which IMO are the best period. Don't be fooled by the translucent keyboard. You might think it is a little cheap looking but it is actually quite solid. The keys have good travel and the chassis is rock solid (unlike the Inspiron 8500). I'm a big guy (6'2" 200lbs) but this keyboard was no problem for my larger hands. My wife (5'3" 117lbs) felt the keyboard wasn't a bad size but she of course would like a smaller one. The touchpad isn't bad but I feel they should clearly mark the scroll bars on the bottom and right of the pad. HP puts a small ridge on their Touchpad so you can feel the boarders of the pointer area. That, IMO, is the standard to judge all others. Still, a small laptop mouse is the way to go with all laptops IMO. Audio and video are somewhat of a mixed bag but are very acceptable. Audio features Harman/Kardon speakers which are the best I've heard on any laptop to date. I listen to a lot of Jazz and I have to credit this laptop for allowing me to hear Harry Connick Jr with the best quality you can get from such small speakers. On the other hand the video could be better. Don't get me wrong, the Nvidia 420 card is excellent and is even handling Ghost Recon pretty well but I would have perferred a higher resolution than 1024x768. That should be the low end resolution on a laptop with a 15" screen. However, I compensated a little by using smaller icon and 8 point fonts. I have 20/15 vision thanks to LASIK so smaller is just fine for me. There is a wealth of odds and ends on this laptop that would make any Dell green with envy. The Dell 5100 and 1100 laptops don't even have parallel ports. The big pluses for the S255 are the SD card slot, THREE USB 2.0 ports, and a 4 wire IEEE1394 connector. Remember, a 4 wire 1394 port doesn't supply power to anything you connect to it, so devices you buy for this must have their own external power supply. This isn't a biggie since most people are connecting video or digital cameras which have their own power anyways. I only wish they had a Serial port because I need one to work on my router and firewall on occasion. This too isn't a biggie since I purchased a USB to Serial adapter. All in all I rate this an excellent laptop. It's a good solid buy ...
Rating:
Summary: terrible tech support
Review: Toshiba may make good products, but their support is the worst i have ever come across. They have lost my laptop for over a month now and do not care a lick about it. They're tech support team is in Turkey and they dont care a thing about anybody. They kept hanging up on me and refused to help me saying it will take some time. When i called back- no one knew anything and had zero updates. DO NOT BUY TOSHIBA PRODUCTS! Get a Gateway or Dell instead...two companies that actually care about their customers.
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