Rating: 
Summary: This notebook is extremely flexible and user friendly
Review: .
I just purchased my M15-s405 from Amazon and one thing I will have to say is that, as with all my orders, the timely shipping from Amazon has been nothing short of excellent! The s-405 is a nicely built notebook and overall it will work fine for me. Though, there are a few things I that I am slightly dissappointed with. First, AOL is pre-installed and as of now there is no way to uninstall it off the computer (neither through add/remove or the windows explorer AOL directory...even though the uninstall icons are there in both locations....can you say force fed software?) Putting it nicely, I am no AOL fan and find this rather irritating, since I could make better use of the 39Mb of file space it takes up. Second, the screen is spacious (15 inches) maybe a little too so because text is a bit fuzzy at the native 1024 x 768 resolution. I have an older Toshiba notebook with a 14 ich screen, and at the same native resolution, the text seems crisper. On the positive end of it, the notebook is a good performer and the Harmon/Kardon speakers sound rather good (for a notebook)....kind of suprised me. The 802.11b works very well with my wireless router, very strong signal! Another big plus is the dual pointing device. I have always been a point stick user and this was one of the main attractions for purchase. If not for the stick, I would not have purchased this notebook. If you can live with just a touchpad, there are some great alternative, higher resolution screen notebooks out there for about the same price. Overall, I am happy....it's a solid notebook with plenty of features, however, if a floppy drive is desired, an external one will have to be purchased. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Nice notebook............
Review: .
I just purchased my M15-s405 from Amazon and one thing I will have to say is that, as with all my orders, the timely shipping from Amazon has been nothing short of excellent! The s-405 is a nicely built notebook and overall it will work fine for me. Though, there are a few things I that I am slightly dissappointed with. First, AOL is pre-installed and as of now there is no way to uninstall it off the computer (neither through add/remove or the windows explorer AOL directory...even though the uninstall icons are there in both locations....can you say force fed software?) Putting it nicely, I am no AOL fan and find this rather irritating, since I could make better use of the 39Mb of file space it takes up. Second, the screen is spacious (15 inches) maybe a little too so because text is a bit fuzzy at the native 1024 x 768 resolution. I have an older Toshiba notebook with a 14 ich screen, and at the same native resolution, the text seems crisper. On the positive end of it, the notebook is a good performer and the Harmon/Kardon speakers sound rather good (for a notebook)....kind of suprised me. The 802.11b works very well with my wireless router, very strong signal! Another big plus is the dual pointing device. I have always been a point stick user and this was one of the main attractions for purchase. If not for the stick, I would not have purchased this notebook. If you can live with just a touchpad, there are some great alternative, higher resolution screen notebooks out there for about the same price. Overall, I am happy....it's a solid notebook with plenty of features, however, if a floppy drive is desired, an external one will have to be purchased. ...
Rating: 
Summary: decent but disappointed
Review: As an experienced desktop user new to laptops, I found the Toshiba Satellite Pro M15-S405 acceptable but somewhat disappointing: -the screen is dull and fuzzy and colors are difficult to adjust
-minimal documentation comes with computer. there is no user manual on paper, cd, or hard drive. an online one is available which is not helpful if you are having problems and are unable to access the internet.
-mine was made in Phillipines, not Japan, as reviews elsewhere have suggested.
-customer help line was rapidly answered, but representatives obviously did NOT speak English as their native language. I had to call three times to speak to someone I could understand, but this was on a weekend. good points:
-large screen, even if fuzzy
-inexpensive compared to other centrino notebooks of similar configuration (eg Sony, Dell)
-computer is fast, but nowhere close to the desktop (P4 2.4/512MB/64MB video) I bought last Xmas.
-ethernet and wifi worked without major problems. Overall, rather disappointed, but still decent enough, so that I wouldn't go through the hassle of returning it with restocking charges.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent choice, highly recommended!!
Review: I am very happy with the Toshiba M15-405. I have a Mitsubishi 18" LCD monitor at home and the Toshiba looks just as good. Sharp lines and crisp colors. I am finding the Wi-Fi capabilities to be satisfactory as well. Battery life according to the onboard indicator is over five hour fully charged, I have yet to run out of battery power. The keyboard is comfortable and the unit does not get hot, the left side does warm up but not to an uncomfortable degree. The speakers are nice, loud in a quiet room, acceptable in a moderately noisy environment but I would still suggest headphones for this or any laptop to avoid annoying others. You can definitely hear the speakers in a conference room full of people.
Rating:
Summary: Very pleased
Review: I bought this notebook a month ago and I am supremely happy with it.
A run down:
CD/DVD drive is great and you will love watching movies on this machine (in some cases sound and image quality are better than most tv sets).
The centrino is the latest and best processor in the notebook market and this machine surpasses the pentium 4 m models in performance and efficiency.
I have not utilized the wireless network connection but will when I attend college in the fall. Anyway it is a great feature already built in to the system.
The graphics card is great but not stupendous. I ran medal of honor: allied assault at medium resolution and it ran well.
The screen will show 1024X768 resolution with bright colors,& sharp text.
The speakers are adequate in quality, but I would strongly suggest using the headphone jack if you are in to high sound quality.
The 512 MB of ram is an awesome feature of this machine. I ran 10 programs at once all the while listening to a sound file and there was no stoppage in sound or delays.
The touchpad is great and easier to use than the other laptops I researched at best buy. It also contains the pointing device in the middle of the keyboard, if you are so inclined.
XP, in my opinion, is the fastest and easiest to use operating system from microsoft yet.
Battery life: I took this machine with me on a 2-day drive to DC and each day I was pleasantly surprised with the battery life. I was able to listen to about 5 1/2 hours of music through the laptop before needing to recharge. I would highly recommend this to the power hungry user or the person looking for a reliable, performing, efficient notebook.
Rating:
Summary: Best Value Overall!
Review: I do a lot of comparison shopping and this laptop blew the competition away at the level I was searching for. The Centrino processor allowed me to watch 2 full DVD movies with 1.5 hours left over to play a game on a recent plane trip! That in itself was outstanding. The layout of the keyboard is also wonderful where you have 3 ways to navigate with a mouse (thumb on mouse buttons when using the pad, thumb on mouse buttons when using the eraser head and of course, a real mouse via one of two USB ports. The computer is fast fast fast and I believe it amounts to about a 2.4 GHz processor when related to the Pentium IV. Screen is crystal clear and an excellent size. Oh, there's a wireless lan built in for those that like to go to wired coffee shops or wherever! It's a wonderful purchase and I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Fast, powerful, long battery life
Review: I have a great Sony desktop system, but needed a machine that could travel with me. The Intel Centrino first attracted me because of the built-in WiFi capability, but I bought because of the extended battery life (>5 hours) and fast cache. At almost 7 pounds, this is not the lightest laptop out there, but it is easy to carry. The 15" screen is nice (I'm used to a 17" screen at home) and the built-in DVD/CD-RW drive is handy for file management and watching movies. The TFT monitor is not as crisp as some, but the display is good for text, graphics and video. I haven't used the wireless Internet access much, but it seems to work well. Overall, Internet access is fast and smooth with a broadband connection. The keyboard is comfortable to use, and the touchpad works well. I don't care for the eraserhead-pointstick, but that's a personal preference. This one is probably better than most I've tried. The Toshiba provides lots of flexibility for add-ons with the SlimSelect Bay, SD slot and a variety of ports and connectors. There are cheaper laptops out there if you don't want the Intel Centrino technology. I figured that by the time you bought the wireless card and an extra battery, the prices got a lot closer. Add to that the fact that with this one you don't have to drag an extra battery around, and I was ready to buy. This could be a good desktop replacement or a fantastic road warrior accessory.
Rating: 
Summary: MORE PROBLEMS
Review: I wrote another review about this computer previously which I will briefly summarize here, and tell you the continuation of the story: I bought this model of Toshiba laptop. Several months later it began crashing. I brought it to the local service center in Honolulu. It was returned unrepaired, and with additional damage caused by the local Honolulu service center. They told me I had to send it to the Depot in Kentucky. When I got the computer back a second time, it was STILL BROKEN and there was even more damage--a large scratch and greasy fingerprint (literally, there was grease on my computer). I argued my way all the way to the head of the 'customer relations department' in Istanbul. She is a terribly rude and unhelpful woman named Linda. She told me flat out that "Toshiba does not ever give replacements." I told her that my legally-binding warranty gave me the right to a replacement. She said "Toshiba does not ever give replacements." (Think carefully about that before you buy a Toshiba product: they do not honor their warranty.) So they made me send my computer to CPU Repair in California. I sent my computer to California, and didn't get it back for three weeks. I use this computer for business and cannot afford to have my computer gone for over a month (in total). When I got my computer back after an immense amount of time, it finally worked. But about a month later the new CD/DVD drive that the repair center installed stopped working. It won't read or write CDs and it just makes a grinding noise. I called Toshiba again and was transferred again to 'customer relations' in Istanbul. They told me to bring it to the local service center. I went to the local Honolulu service center and there was a sign on the door saying that it had closed three months ago. I called Istanbul again. They told me to go to the downtown Radio Shack which is an "authorized Toshiba repair center." I called Radio Shack and the guy on the phone told me that his store doesn't repair Toshiba computers that are under warranty! When I called Istanbul again, they told me "he HAS to repair your computer! Tell him he HAS to repair your computer!" I told the lady in Istanbul to call them for me and tell him that. She put me on hold and when she returned she said, "I'm sorry, Toshiba doesn't have an authorized service center in Hawaii. You will have to ship your computer back to the depot." Last time I shipped my computer in for repairs it took three weeks to get it back. I can't do that again for a broken CD/DVD drive. They want me to ship it back to the same depot that didn't repair my computer the last time. Do not buy Toshiba products. The service is terrible, the repair centers send things back unrepaired, and in my case the products have failed multiple times. The computer is less than a year old and more than 10% of its entire warranty period was spent in repair. I will never buy anything built by Toshiba again and recommend that you don't either. As far as my computer goes, I will have to wait a couple of months until I go to the mainland where there is a Toshiba Service Center, and in the meantime I will not have a working CD/DVD drive. I can't install programs, I can't install my digital camera software, I can't tranfer spreadsheets and documents on CDs, or do any other task that requires a CD RW drive.
Rating:
Summary: MORE PROBLEMS
Review: I wrote another review about this computer previously which I will briefly summarize here, and tell you the continuation of the story: I bought this model of Toshiba laptop. Several months later it began crashing. I brought it to the local service center in Honolulu. It was returned unrepaired, and with additional damage caused by the local Honolulu service center. They told me I had to send it to the Depot in Kentucky. When I got the computer back a second time, it was STILL BROKEN and there was even more damage--a large scratch and greasy fingerprint (literally, there was grease on my computer). I argued my way all the way to the head of the 'customer relations department' in Istanbul. She is a terribly rude and unhelpful woman named Linda. She told me flat out that "Toshiba does not ever give replacements." I told her that my legally-binding warranty gave me the right to a replacement. She said "Toshiba does not ever give replacements." (Think carefully about that before you buy a Toshiba product: they do not honor their warranty.) So they made me send my computer to CPU Repair in California. I sent my computer to California, and didn't get it back for three weeks. I use this computer for business and cannot afford to have my computer gone for over a month (in total). When I got my computer back after an immense amount of time, it finally worked. But about a month later the new CD/DVD drive that the repair center installed stopped working. It won't read or write CDs and it just makes a grinding noise. I called Toshiba again and was transferred again to 'customer relations' in Istanbul. They told me to bring it to the local service center. I went to the local Honolulu service center and there was a sign on the door saying that it had closed three months ago. I called Istanbul again. They told me to go to the downtown Radio Shack which is an "authorized Toshiba repair center." I called Radio Shack and the guy on the phone told me that his store doesn't repair Toshiba computers that are under warranty! When I called Istanbul again, they told me "he HAS to repair your computer! Tell him he HAS to repair your computer!" I told the lady in Istanbul to call them for me and tell him that. She put me on hold and when she returned she said, "I'm sorry, Toshiba doesn't have an authorized service center in Hawaii. You will have to ship your computer back to the depot." Last time I shipped my computer in for repairs it took three weeks to get it back. I can't do that again for a broken CD/DVD drive. They want me to ship it back to the same depot that didn't repair my computer the last time. Do not buy Toshiba products. The service is terrible, the repair centers send things back unrepaired, and in my case the products have failed multiple times. The computer is less than a year old and more than 10% of its entire warranty period was spent in repair. I will never buy anything built by Toshiba again and recommend that you don't either. As far as my computer goes, I will have to wait a couple of months until I go to the mainland where there is a Toshiba Service Center, and in the meantime I will not have a working CD/DVD drive. I can't install programs, I can't install my digital camera software, I can't tranfer spreadsheets and documents on CDs, or do any other task that requires a CD RW drive.
Rating:
Summary: This notebook is extremely flexible and user friendly
Review: It has exceeded my expectations is most respects. It stays very cool so it can actually be on your lap. The monitor is average but a great size. This is the only minor drawback...Everything else is pretty top notch, If you get this you will not be dissapointed.
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