In terms of the total package toshiba portege r700 battery, toshiba portege r705 battery, the Satellite 1955-S801 really is a Cadillac notebook. The keyboard has excellent touch and feel; the keys are response to the touch and are pleasing to the fingers. The display is just outstanding. It's the brightest, crispest screen I have seen on any notebook. This contrasts starkly against Gateway's Solo 600XL, also a worthy desktop-replacement notebook. The Solo's display appears dim by comparison.
But I would have expected 64MB of video memory, like to Solo 600, to support that big 16-inch display. Because of that oversight and other factors, maximum resolution is only 1280 x 1040, although the graphics chip is capable of up to 2048 x 1536 resolution with an external monitor. That's the same as Apple's PowerBook G4 800, a sleeker desktop replacement for the Macintosh market. The PowerBook G4 looks tiny compared to the 1955-S801, and, at 5.4 pounds, is a great deal more portable. But in terms of performance and overall usability, the Satellite outclasses the PowerBook in almost every way.
The 1955-S801's wireless optical mouse is larger than I like, but, damn, is it responsive. The mouse glides across the desk smoothly in a way I haven't seen from Apple, Logitech or Microsoft tethered optical mice. In fact hp 500028-131 battery, hp 485041-001 battery, an Apple mouse tends to drag over time, even if the pads are cleaned frequently. But, like other wireless mice, the Satellite's mouse uses two AA batteries such as Toshiba Satellite 1900 Battery. That adds extra weight and means frequent Costco trips to store up on cases of batteries. Toshiba claims about 48 hours of continuous use per set of batteries. That worked out about right in my testing. The mouse does turn off when left idle for a few minutes to conserve the batteries; the user can put the mouse to sleep manually, too.
The built-in speakers, which are placed at the back of the unit and above the notebook's base, produce fairly rich sound. The integrated audio chip, the Avance AC97 also pumped out music with gusto through the 200-watt Altec Lansing 621 speakers and subwoofer I attached to the 1955-S801.
Driving in style
Unquestionably, the new Satellite handles more like a sportster than a Town Car. (OK, this is where I'm supposed to throw in the convertible joke, since the notebook converts into a pseudo-desktop. Satisfied?) In casual testing against two desktop PCs, Sony's Vaio MXS20 and the Gateway 700XL, the 1955-S801 delivered equal or better performance. My Sony test model had a 2GHz Pentium 4 processor and the Gateway a 2.2GHz chip. In that sense, while big for a portable, the new Satellite is a small package compared to a desktop PC--and a welcome one at that. Compared to the Solo 600XL, the 1.8GHz mobile Pentium 4 processor couldn't match the performance of the Satellite's 2.2GHz desktop processor. (Keep in mind that other factors, such as design of the motherboard or speed of hard disk also greatly impact performance.)
All the 1955-S801's power comes at a very attractive price, too. Toshiba lists the 1955-S801 for $2,499 and the S802--identical but compaq presario cq60 keyboard, compaq presario cq60z keyboard with Windows XP Professional--for $2,579. That's a lot of portable for the price. When I first reviewed the Solo 600XL, Gateway sold the unit for $2,588. The company later raised the price several times, selling the high-end notebook for as much as $2,899. Right now, Gateway is asking $2,699. The Solo 600XL is a pound lighter than the Satellite, packs twice the video memory and comes with integrated 802.11b wireless networking.
As much as I like Apple's PowerBook G4--a winner for desktop performance in a lightweight notebook--the Satellite packs in much more value. Apple's portable weighs in heavy on price: $3,199. Toshiba's luggable is more middleweight at $2,499. Even adding the cost for enabling wireless networking and the Altec Lansing speakers I added to the system, the Satellite still costs about $450 less the PowerBook G4.
To my surprise, the 1955-S801 does not come with 802.11b wireless, which is used to connect to an office or home network at speeds up to 11mbps (megabits per second) over the air. But the computer is fully 802.11b--or Wi-Fi--ready. I would have known this if I had inspected the unit more carefully. I asked Toshiba to send me a wireless networking PC Card, but received a MiniPCI card instead to insert inside the notebook. A PC Card, which would have its own built-in antenna, would slip into the notebook's sony vgp-bps13/q battery, sony vgp-bps13/s battery PCMCIA slot. The MiniPCI card meant the 1955-S801 already had an antenna built into the case, but where would I install the thing?
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