Toshiba Tecra M2

...purpose here to review the Toshiba Tecra M2 notebook, kindly purchased for me by my company to make me more efficient and productive. Now don't get me wrong. I appreciate the sentiments and the logic of the new laptop, even though I use it far less often than my more powerful, less portable desktop. But I have to admit, my Tecra M2 isn't as bad as I feared.

Talk about damning with faint praise! Perhaps I can improve a bit on that. ...
.../> My company purchased my Toshiba Tecra M2 though an arrangement that resulted in a hefty discount. Comparable models retail as low as $1,029 in the U.S., with a price tag of $1300 being more common. As near as I can tell, the Tecra M2 retails in the UK for £1200 - £1700, with £1300 being about average.

◄Final Thoughts►

Weighing in at just under 5 pounds (2.3 kg), my Toshiba is growing on me. I can see ... more

Let me make it perfectly clear right up front: I'm not overfond of laptops. They're relatively small, usually have rather fuzzy screens, come with small keyboards that make typing difficult, and have strange built-in mice that are nigh onto impossible to manipulate. Given my durthers, I'll take a full-sized PC any day.

Despite all these disclaimers, my purpose here to review the Toshiba Tecra M2 notebook, kindly purchased for me by my company to make me more efficient and productive. Now don't get me wrong. I appreciate the sentiments and the logic of the new laptop, even though I use it far less often than my more powerful, less portable desktop. But I have to admit, my Tecra M2 isn't as bad as I feared.

Talk about damning with faint praise! Perhaps I can improve a bit on that. There's one thing my Toshiba does remarkable well, something that my desktop can't provide--it allows me to pick up my work and take it anywhere. Indeed, that's just what the Tecra M2 is designed for: maximum mobility with high performance capability, full functionality, and long battery life--all in a light-weight, thin case designed to provide a larger-than-usual notebook screen and keyboard.

◄Mobility►

Mobility, in my view, is the Tecra's greatest strength. Not only is it wired for a LAN connection, its built-in Intel Centrino chip means that it's fully wireless enabled. This allows my notebook to access and share information through wireless Internet and network connections, including those available through the ever-increasing number of Wi-Fi networks (i.e., "hotspots"). Centrino processing technology is designed for use in laptops and is easy on the battery, which in turn allows the overall weight of the unit to remain light, thereby allowing greater flexibility for other design enhancements. The Tecra's lithium ion battery has an average run time of just over 4 hours. More standard remote connections are facilitated by a built-in modem with a transfer rate of 56 Kbps.

◄Storage and Memory►

The storage capacity on my notebook is 60 GB, more than for any computer I've ever owned (or had assigned for my use) except for my current desktop. Storage is enhanced by a DVD-ROM reader. (Note that colleagues who began receiving their new notebooks only a couple of weeks after I got mine have DVD-ROM reader-writers as standard.)

Memory is 516 MB, up to a maximum of 2 GB. This means that I can easily work with graphics software and graphics-intensive files without experiencing memory problems.

◄Display►

The display on my notebook is larger and better than on any of my previous laptops. The active matrix display measures just over 14 inches on the diagonal. What's more, the inclusion of an nVIDIA G-Force FX chipset ensures that graphics are richer than what I'd been accustomed to in the past. For me, this is important because the documents I produce have lots of graphics. I routinely use PhotoShop, Illustrator, and other graphics software, and being able to view finer detail is important to the final quality of my work. For those who love PC games, there will be other reasons to appreciate the quality of this relatively high-resolution display.

◄Audio ►

My laptop includes speakers and a microphone. My company's voice mail has been integrated into our email system by means of our own globally marketed CRM collaboration suite. The speakers mean I can pick up voice messages off my office phone via email--very convenient during travel. They also mean I pop a DVD into the CD drive on my notebook and can sit back in my plane or train seat to watch (and hear) a favorite movie. A volume control dial is provided on the front edge of the unit, with a headphone jack on the right side edge.

◄Mouse►

The mouse arrangement on a laptop is among my more serious pet peeves for this genre of computers. I'm not crazy about the AccuPoint "nipple" (it looks like an old-fashioned pencil eraser) in the midst of the keyboard, but the TouchPad with primary and secondary control buttons is a big improvement over those I'm used in the past. (That doesn't mean I don't plug in a standard mouse whenever possible.)

◄Bits and Bobs►

The edges of the Tecra are loaded with discretely embedded features. There is an on-off switch for the wireless antenna, a system indicator panel, and a microphone jack. Two UBS ports, a PC card slot, an SD card slot, an S-video port, a Network port, and an i.LINK port are also provided. Other ports are provided for an RGB monitor and a modem, ang of course there is a parallel port.

◄Warranty►

To date, I've had no problems with my Tecra M2. If servicing were necessary, it would be coordinated by my company's IT service. But if there are problems, the IT folks won't hesitate to tap the 3-year warranty for parts and labor. The battery has a 1-year warranty.

◄Price►

My company purchased my Toshiba Tecra M2 though an arrangement that resulted in a hefty discount. Comparable models retail as low as $1,029 in the U.S., with a price tag of $1300 being more common. As near as I can tell, the Tecra M2 retails in the UK for £1200 - £1700, with £1300 being about average.

◄Final Thoughts►

Weighing in at just under 5 pounds (2.3 kg), my Toshiba is growing on me. I can see the day coming when, at least for work purposes, my desktop will be retired to obscurity. I see that already with many of my colleagues, most of whom swear by docking stations and the easy portability of their notebooks. My work with graphics and large desktop-publishing projects has so far saved me from that fate. My reputation as a modern Luddite is temporarily secure--but only temporarily. Based on what I've experienced with the Tecra M2, I'll likely give in without much of a fuss. Though naturally I'll insist on having my external keyboard, mouse, and high-resolution monitor. One must retain some principles, after all.

© DAnneC/BawBaw, 2005  

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