Toshiba Satellite Pro 4600

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Toshiba is a well recognised manufacturer of electronics equipment. As well as computing equipment, Toshiba also make televisions, videos, DVD players, fax machines and even air conditioning systems. The company currently manufacture the following range of laptops:

Portege - Ultra portable, high performance specification - with prices to match.

Satellite - cheaper, chunkier range targeted ...
...silver finish with a subtle Toshiba logo nestled into a chrome strip. The unit feels solid and strong - but then given the weight, I would expect it to. Having seen lots of different laptops around and about, I think that the 4600 looks slightly dated. This is one of those areas of technology where new models come along almost every week - and Tosh looks a bit old-fashioned already.

The unit has two stereo speakers at the front, and ... more

As regular readers of my ramblings will no doubt be aware, my job dictates that I spend a considerable amount of my time away from home (hence the deluge of hotel opinions). One of the key frustrations for me was always that as soon as I was away from home (which incidentally doubles as the office) I lost contact with email, and given that I normally have time to kill in the aforementioned hotel rooms (between finding grubby shower curtains and creaking doors), a laptop computer seemed the obvious answer. Having presented a sound business case to the boss ("Buy me one or I'll sulk"), the finance was duly authorised and a week or so later my first ever laptop, Tosh, arrived.

The Manufacturers
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Toshiba is a well recognised manufacturer of electronics equipment. As well as computing equipment, Toshiba also make televisions, videos, DVD players, fax machines and even air conditioning systems. The company currently manufacture the following range of laptops:

Portege - Ultra portable, high performance specification - with prices to match.

Satellite - cheaper, chunkier range targeted at small office or personal users

Satellite Pro - Higher spec Satellite models, targeted at small and medium sized business users

Tecra - Corporate platform models - top of the range laptops.

The model that I had was the Satellite Pro 4600. It is worth noting that the specification of this model can vary considerably (as will the price) - I can obviously only comment on the specifications of the one I received. My 4600 came complete with a (noisy) CD-Rom drive (DVD-Roms and CD Re-Writers are an available option) and an integral 56k PSTN modem. Wireless LAN capability comes as standard with Pentium III processors - with mine it was an optional upgrade, which I declined.

Look and Feel
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The base unit is fashioned from grey, matt finish plastic and the top cover has a dull silver finish with a subtle Toshiba logo nestled into a chrome strip. The unit feels solid and strong - but then given the weight, I would expect it to. Having seen lots of different laptops around and about, I think that the 4600 looks slightly dated. This is one of those areas of technology where new models come along almost every week - and Tosh looks a bit old-fashioned already.

The unit has two stereo speakers at the front, and a volume control dial to the left hand side. Sound output is not a strong feature though - any music played sounds rather scratchy and the quality of output is generally very poor. The front of the unit has a number of illuminated system indicators that advise when the unit is connected to a power source, when the power is on and the status of battery power. Despite the presence of these lights, I often fail to notice that my battery power is about to go, and would prefer a percentage indicator somewhere on the key board, as this is where you are looking whilst you type. Battery stand by time is not as high as I would like - I've lost power after a full recharge and just a few hours' working - indeed, the product brochure states average charged battery life of just three hours.

Comfort and Portability
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The first thing that I noticed about this laptop was the weight - it's a bit of a beast and is considerably heavier than I would have preferred (weight = 3.08kg). The 4600 is also relatively chunky - not as brick-like as some older laptops, but far deeper than many of the slim line Dell models that everyone (apart from me) seems to have on the train. In terms of portability, this is therefore not a winner. In terms of comfort, I often sit for a couple of hours at a time with the unit on my lap, and find it very comfortable to use.

One thing that I have noticed is that with prolonged use, the base unit can get very hot. Whilst there is a built in fan to enable cooling, the heat is such that I prefer to switch off and let it cool down properly. If you were to leave the unit on your lap, the heat would be enough to make you very uncomfortable - even through clothes. The device is supposed to have a built-in cooling system - I'd hate to see what it would be like without one.

Speed and Memory
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The 4600 is available with a number of processor options. You can opt for either a Mobile Intel Celeron Processor (speeds of 650, 700 or 750 MHz) or a Mobile Pentium III processor (speeds of 650, 700, 750 or 800 MHz). My unit came with the most powerful Celeron Processor (750 MHz) and I am more than satisfied with the processing speed of the unit. The additional upgrade of 256 MB of memory (standard memory capacity is 128 MB) means that I experience more or less the same efficiency with either my desk top or my lap top. The hard disk has 10Gb of memory - easily enough to store the numbers and sizes of documents that my needs dictate.

I do tend to find that when I first start up the machine, it is relatively slow to get going. The system generally halts on the Windows 98 screen for up to five minutes, and finally loads the desktop a few minutes thereafter. It's something you get used to - but I'm not sure you should have to.

The Screen
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The built-in display comprises a thin-film transistor colour LCD and can be ordered in three different sizes - 13.3", 14.1" and 15.0". I ordered the 13.3" sized screen which is more than adequate. It also seems pretty likely that as the screen size increases, so does the overall weight of the unit, so my suggestion would be to stick to the smallest size. The resolution comprises 1024 horizontal by 768 vertical pixels (regardless of screen size) and the quality of image is good, although as with most laptops you can clearly see the pixels in photography or animation.

Using the Keyboard
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I do not like the keyboard on this machine whatsoever. Although the base unit is sturdy and chunky, the keys of the keyboard are flimsy and insubstantial. I have had a number of problems with the keys - at the current time, the A key has come completely adrift and is sat on my desk waiting for an engineer to come and replace or mend him. As with most laptops, the keyboard is a condensed version of the standard keyboard, which means that you don't have the separate numeric keypad to the right hand side. Instead, this is embedded into the standard keyboard (using some of the letters to the far right). To activate this function, you have to press Fn (only found on Toshiba keyboards) + F11 simultaneously. Trouble is - when this feature is on, some of the letters become numbers, which means you can't type properly. I simply couldn't be bothered to keep switching between the two, so I now use the strip of numbers at the top of the keyboard - which is much slower. There are a number of keypad combinations that will activate various hot key functions, but I tend to stray away from these to avoid confusion on my desk top.

Using The Mouse
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Although you can connect a standard corded mouse, this is not normally practical in the sorts of place where you might want to use a laptop, so instead Toshiba provide you with the AccuPoint II system. This is basically a nibbed button in the centre of the key board that you guide with your finger to control the cursor on the screen. Using the AccuPoint is quite a strange experience if you are used to using a normal mouse, but I quickly found the button easy to control. To ensure good grip, the button is coated in a rough, furry substance that I can only liken to a cat's tongue - over time this can become worn (and quite dirty) but replacements are cheap and easy to fit.

As well as the AccuPoint, there are also scroll buttons and control buttons below the keyboard, which act like the left and right buttons on a mouse. These buttons are surprisingly sensitive in use - I had to make a mental note to be quite gentle with them, and avoid the temptation to click them as hard as I would a normal mouse. Unlike a normal mouse though, these buttons are not very intuitive, and you will often find yourself clicking the wrong one. The main problem is that the (traditional) right button is actually underneath the (traditional) left one. You do get used to it - but I would prefer left and right to stay left and right, even on this unit.

User Support
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The unit comes with an extremely complete user manual, with over 200 pages of clear text and diagrams. The manual has a rather bizarre page numbering system that makes it rather hard to find things from the index. Additionally, an electronic version is loaded onto the PC in Acrobat format - all very well and good unless you're looking for a reason why you can't get the thing to work! In terms of user support, it's difficult for me to comment because I have my own support team. The PC comes complete with a 3 year warranty as standard - but you should be aware that the battery is only covered for one year of that time. The troubleshooting section of the manual is quite useful - but fails to mention the presence of a "Reset" button on the side that I have concluded fixes just about everything!!

My Verdict
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According to specification, this model will cost you between £900 and £1600. This puts it in the mid price range of the laptop market. Although mine cost me nothing, if I were paying I would probably not choose this model. I am not satisfied with the product quality - that broken A button is a bit of a worry - and in terms of portability this model is relatively cumbersome. Processing speeds and general efficiency are good - but then I did specifically order extra memory. In terms of additional features, there is nothing that sets this computer out above the competition. Reliability also became an issue - the screen failed twice, the memory board had to be replaced twice, and the battery needed changing every six months.

Not recommended
 

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