Rating: 
Summary: Very Good Laptop
Review: Do not buy this machine. I got my 1955-S803 for graphics and travel and have regretted it ever since. Although the screen is large, the resolution is less than many 15" screens. The keyboard feels nice, but it simply quit working after about 4 months of lower-than-average use. In addition, wireless networking died. When I took the machine to a Toshiba-authorized repair center, they replaced the motherboard and keyboard, but put the (previously working) mousepad in upside down and never got it to work again. After three weeks, I demanded my computer back. Three weeks after that, the keyboard died again. I took the machine to a different repair shop. They replaced the motherboard again, but the machine only lasted another couple of weeks before the keyboard went again. This time, I wiped the hard drive to eliminate any unseen driver conflicts. Unfortunately, the repair disks that Toshiba sent me were bad and, after 1/2 hour of babysitting a system install, I discovered the machine wouldn't boot at all. Toshiba made me pay $10 for another set of boot disks, then shipped them to the wrong address. Two weeks later, I got them and reinstalled the system, took the machine back to the repairshop, and had the keyboard itself replaced. At least this time, they figured out the mouse pad. After just a week now, the keyboard is again dead. (I'm writing this on a Mac.) Do not buy this machine. I'm looking at four repair tickets on a machine that frankly gets light use. And did I mention that Toshiba support is chiefly stonewalling? Two months of non-productivity from a machine I bought for work. The 1955 a lemon. Shame on Toshiba for deceiving consumers with it. Shame on magazine reviewers for blindly reciting specs without noting the many, many unhapy user reports like this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of time, waste of money
Review: Do not buy this machine. I got my 1955-S803 for graphics and travel and have regretted it ever since. Although the screen is large, the resolution is less than many 15" screens. The keyboard feels nice, but it simply quit working after about 4 months of lower-than-average use. In addition, wireless networking died. When I took the machine to a Toshiba-authorized repair center, they replaced the motherboard and keyboard, but put the (previously working) mousepad in upside down and never got it to work again. After three weeks, I demanded my computer back. Three weeks after that, the keyboard died again. I took the machine to a different repair shop. They replaced the motherboard again, but the machine only lasted another couple of weeks before the keyboard went again. This time, I wiped the hard drive to eliminate any unseen driver conflicts. Unfortunately, the repair disks that Toshiba sent me were bad and, after 1/2 hour of babysitting a system install, I discovered the machine wouldn't boot at all. Toshiba made me pay $10 for another set of boot disks, then shipped them to the wrong address. Two weeks later, I got them and reinstalled the system, took the machine back to the repairshop, and had the keyboard itself replaced. At least this time, they figured out the mouse pad. After just a week now, the keyboard is again dead. (I'm writing this on a Mac.) Do not buy this machine. I'm looking at four repair tickets on a machine that frankly gets light use. And did I mention that Toshiba support is chiefly stonewalling? Two months of non-productivity from a machine I bought for work. The 1955 a lemon. Shame on Toshiba for deceiving consumers with it. Shame on magazine reviewers for blindly reciting specs without noting the many, many unhapy user reports like this one.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of time, waste of money
Review: Do not buy this machine. I got my 1955-S803 for graphics and travel and have regretted it ever since. Although the screen is large, the resolution is less than many 15" screens. The keyboard feels nice, but it simply quit working after about 4 months of lower-than-average use. In addition, wireless networking died. When I took the machine to a Toshiba-authorized repair center, they replaced the motherboard and keyboard, but put the (previously working) mousepad in upside down and never got it to work again. After three weeks, I demanded my computer back. Three weeks after that, the keyboard died again. I took the machine to a different repair shop. They replaced the motherboard again, but the machine only lasted another couple of weeks before the keyboard went again. This time, I wiped the hard drive to eliminate any unseen driver conflicts. Unfortunately, the repair disks that Toshiba sent me were bad and, after 1/2 hour of babysitting a system install, I discovered the machine wouldn't boot at all. Toshiba made me pay $10 for another set of boot disks, then shipped them to the wrong address. Two weeks later, I got them and reinstalled the system, took the machine back to the repairshop, and had the keyboard itself replaced. At least this time, they figured out the mouse pad. After just a week now, the keyboard is again dead. (I'm writing this on a Mac.) Do not buy this machine. I'm looking at four repair tickets on a machine that frankly gets light use. And did I mention that Toshiba support is chiefly stonewalling? Two months of non-productivity from a machine I bought for work. The 1955 a lemon. Shame on Toshiba for deceiving consumers with it. Shame on magazine reviewers for blindly reciting specs without noting the many, many unhapy user reports like this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Laptop for those who need a moveable desktop
Review: First things first. This laptop is not for everyone. If you spend 6 days a week on the road, or need a computer on those long cross-country flights, this is not the machine for you (Heavy, battery life can be a problem).However, if you are like me, and typically just move large files and computing power from point A to point B and back again and don't want to press out a new DVD or FTP every day to move information from one computer to another, this is the machine for you. You can't find a cheaper laptop with this much memory, processing speed and hard drive space (thanks to savings from the desktop processor). The large screen means you really don't need to worry about hooking up the machine to a larger monitor even when you are working for long hours (though the resolution is an issue). While the detachable keyboard and wireless mouse may seem like a novelty, they are notable for one reason. They essentially allow you to create a docking station without the docking station. Pop out the keyboard, set-up the mouse and essential turn the rest of the laptop into a monitor. Presto, a desktop-style working situation that has the advantage of being easily moved to any location. I would not recommend for people who need traditional laptops. But for anyone who needs a mobile desktop, definately worth a hard look.
Rating:
Summary: Laptop for those who need a moveable desktop
Review: First things first. This laptop is not for everyone. If you spend 6 days a week on the road, or need a computer on those long cross-country flights, this is not the machine for you (Heavy, battery life can be a problem). However, if you are like me, and typically just move large files and computing power from point A to point B and back again and don't want to press out a new DVD or FTP every day to move information from one computer to another, this is the machine for you. You can't find a cheaper laptop with this much memory, processing speed and hard drive space (thanks to savings from the desktop processor). The large screen means you really don't need to worry about hooking up the machine to a larger monitor even when you are working for long hours (though the resolution is an issue). While the detachable keyboard and wireless mouse may seem like a novelty, they are notable for one reason. They essentially allow you to create a docking station without the docking station. Pop out the keyboard, set-up the mouse and essential turn the rest of the laptop into a monitor. Presto, a desktop-style working situation that has the advantage of being easily moved to any location. I would not recommend for people who need traditional laptops. But for anyone who needs a mobile desktop, definately worth a hard look.
Rating:
Summary: Mobile desktop functionality
Review: I am a student, and I use this notebook at school. I don't mind the weight (over 10 lbs with AC adapter), and I enjoy the desktop performance and the large screen. I wouldn't recommend this laptop for business travelers or others who feel that weight is an issue.
Rating:
Summary: Better Than Most Notebooks
Review: I bought this three years ago and it has finally broken down. The quality of this PC isn't so good. Now since I have gotten a new Toshiba notebook this one is in the past. When I got it, it was one of the most expensive laptops on the market. Now notebooks are supposed to last for 5 years at least while just three years ago you'd be lucky if you got 4. 2.49GHz is really fast and it even has a Pentium 4. I don't care if it doesn't have a "Mobile" Pentium 4 processor because if you buy this laptop you know that it's a desktop replacement and you aren't really going to travel with it. This still has Wi-Fi technology which means you can have a router and have wireless internet. 512 MB RAM was very large capacity back then but now it's standard on most notebook computers. 60 GB hard drive is pretty small but for a laptop it's really nice. The DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive is okay but I wish this came with a DVD+/-RW Drive to burn DVD's. I wouldn't recommend this for you because now it's very old and you should look at other Toshiba computers instead.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Laptop
Review: This laptop is very good. Pentium 4, 2.49GHz is awesome power for a laptop. The weight is the huge issue with this system. Over 10lbs with AC Adapter. Even though of that default it is very well desgined. The graphics gard is 64MB, my desktop computer has 64MB graphics card also! 60GB is the second largest hard drive you can get on a laptop still. 512 MB Ram you might think is normal but most laptops have 256 MB Ram which just isn't enough. The Toshiba Satellite 1955-S803 is a high recomended laptop but for business use. The weight is just too much, but the power and preformance of this machine will surpass the weight.
Rating: 
Summary: This one's made by Compal
Review: Toshiba used to make their own laptops just until a few years ago. Now they outsource to another company for some of their lower-end laptops. I was under the impression that this laptop, priced as it is, would be one of Toshibas more quality products aimed at power and professional users. I really love the 16 inch screen (it's not uxga though, and can't get the higher resolution) but this unit is made by a company in Taiwan called Compal. Two ways you can tell this is by the voltage rating on the AC adapter. Compal models use 19 v, and Toshibas made by Toshiba uses 15 v. And all of the models (so far) that Toshiba makes personally uses the mobile processor, which this one doesn't. You'll see the difference in build quality and design quality between units made by Compal and Toshiba, and this laptop is no different. That's not to say that units made by Compal are piece of junks! It's probably equal in quality to other laptops from the likes of Dell or Winbook or other brands that outsource to other companies. This laptop is okay, if you don't mind the heat and the short battery life due to its use of a desktop processor. The wireless, detachable keyboard [costs $] to replace as well. If you're a little rough with your laptop, you might want to consider a word of advice from a senior tech who works at Toshiba: when they order parts for a "real" Toshiba, well over 95% of them show up the next day Fedex overnight, but with Compal units, it can take weeks of waiting. So if you really depend on your laptop, take that into account. I'm not slamming this notebook by any means. But I think people should be aware of these issues before putting down so much of their hard earned money... it's a big investment.
Rating:
Summary: Mobile desktop functionality
Review: Well, you won't see this laptop on Toshiba's website anymore. When I bought this over a month ago (January 2003) Toshiba's website had all the specs. If you peruse Toshiba's website now, you won't find a single laptop that has a detachable keyboard, mouse or 16" screen, much less any 1900 model. This leads me to ask if Toshiba creates laptops based on available parts or if this concept was not a good marketing decision. It's probably a mix of the two. I don't expect to see many laptop companies inventing removable keyboards soon... my opinion. The removable keyboard really isn't necessary. It's very thin and flimsy. I'd just assume it remain on the main body. The keyboard, however, does has a very nice feel. The cordless mouse is quite welcome. The screen is clear and crisp. Although the PC comes with 512Mb of RAM, it consists of 2 256Mb simms. ... I like this laptop, but in retrospect I think I could have spent a lot less for something slower than 2.5Ghz and still could have received similar performance. One thing to note, the hard drive is 4200rpm's. Most desktop PCs have 7200 rpm hard drives. The difference is dramatic. My point here is that Toshiba is marketing this as a desktop replacement. With those HD speeds, it isn't. I am currently using this laptop for software development. I have it hooked-up to a 21" monitor and a USB keyboard. It is a good desktop replacment considering the caveats that I've mentioned previously. I would first look at the 5xxx series of Toshibas. Since they don't have any more 16" display laptops on the market, it makes you wonder what their committment to the concept may have been. I rated this 3 stars because of the $$$ value issue. If the memory came with one 512Mb simm and was priced $... cheaper I'd give this five stars.
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