15" TFT LCD TV with Built-in DVD Player

15" TFT LCD TV with Built-in DVD Player
Manufacturer: ACTION
Product Type: CE

Editorial Review:
Product Description
VESA compatible DVD, VCD, Audio CD, and MP3 compatible LCD TV/monitor with top-load DVD player Contrast ratio 500:1 181 channel cable ready Built-in stereo speakers and 2 headphone jacks 2 composite A/V inputs, 1 composite A/V output 17 1/5"W x 12 7/8"H x 7 2/5"D w/stand; 17 1/5"W x 12 7/8"H x 2 4/5"D w/out stand Includes stand and remote

Average customer rating: 3.0

It was pretty good when I bought it--technology moves so fast
Crappy support staff
BEWARE OF TOSHIBA
Outstanding computer
Nimble, fast, and so far reliable

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Wants and Necessities for College and College Students

Toshiba Satellite A105-S4014 15.4" Notebook PC (Intel Core Duo Processor T2400, 1024 MB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive)

Manufacturer: Toshiba
Product Group: Personal Computer
Binding: Personal Computers
ASIN: B000EZKOMK

Related Categories:

Satellite

| Toshiba | Computers Brands | Computers Features | Electronics

All Toshiba

| Toshiba | Brands | Electronics Features | Electronics

Centrino

| Notebooks | Computers & Add-Ons | Categories | Electronics

Product Description

The Toshiba Satellite A105-S4014 Notebook PC is proof that the cutting edge of computing technology isn't just deskbound. It delivers outstanding multimedia features in a compact size - giving you technology that makes desktops look like they're standing still. SLeek and lean, it boasts all the must-haves that everyone is talking about -- from a gorgeous TruBrite monitor to an 11-in-1 DVD SuperMulti Double Layer drive. It's a value-priced notebook that gives you more media flexibility. Native resolution - 1200 x 800 (WXGA) 1GB DDR SDRAM 120GB 5400 rpm Serial-ATA hard drive DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive supporting 11 different formats Intel PRO/Wireless 3954ABG (802.11 a/b/g) 5-in-1 Bridge Media Adapter -- supports SD and MMC cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD-Picture Card Connectivity - FireWire, RGB out, S-Video, microphone input, headphone out, RJ-11 (modem), RJ-45 (LAN) Toshiba V.92 software modem Built-in Harman/Kardon stereo speakers with support for 3D Sound, Direct 3D Sound, DirectSound and MIDI playback Battery Life - Up to 3 hours, 27 minutes Operating System - Windows XP Media Center 2005 Software included - Microsoft Works 8.5, MS Office OneNote 2003, Java 2 Runtime environment, Adobe Acrobat Reader, InterVideo WinDVD 5, Sonic Solutions RecordNow! and DLA, Windows Media Player 10, Yahoo! Music Engine, McAfee VirusScan (30-day trial), MS Office (60-day Student Teacher Ed.), AOL Unit Dimensions(WxDxH) - 14.2 x 10.5 x 1.45 Weight - 7.1 lbs. (3.2 Kg)

Customer Reviews:

It was pretty good when I bought it--technology moves so fast.......2006-12-04

And, by fast, I mean that it was outclassed and discontinued within half a year of its introduction. In fact, its processor series--the Intel Core Duo T2xx0 series--has been retired in favor of the new Core 2 Duo series of T5xx0 or T7xx0 in mobile units. The latter run, while retaining the same clock speeds, has better performance and power management.

Even so, I suppose I have to evaluate this machine on its own merits. For the most part, it's a very good laptop (or notebook, as they're calling them these days). It has some pretty advanced multimedia features, it has a decent-sized (for a notebook) hard drive, and, when it's not stressed to the max, the processor--while already outdated--is pretty quick. The screen resolution is very sharp, the black level is more than adequate, and the light and color distribution across the whole monitor is very even. In fact, I have yet to see a better example.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. These first paragraphs should be devoted to the general, overall performance of the machine. In that respect, it's variable. When I have just a few applications open, things work great. The moment my system resources go over 450 MB or so, however, things get ugly. I use this notebook at a university mostly, and as part of the network policy the installation and running of a very resource taxing antivirus program is mandatory. I also have, as part of the security package I purchased with the notebook, an anti-spyware program that is almost equally system taxing. In addition, usually I have Internet Explorer open and minimized, and I like to keep iTunes minimized to the system tray. All this usually adds up to, at its peak, over 550 MB in the Windows Task Manager. Once I enter this range, the performance is very sluggish, often freezing for several seconds before allowing user input. After a little while, Windows catches on to what's happening and issues the infamous "Increasing Virtual Memory" message. However, no amount of VM (even the ridiculous 1.5 times the physical RAM standard that is a traditional part of Windows) is ever enough to combat the performance issues.

Of course the "Duh!" solution is to shut down some of those programs. Indeed, I would--if that were an option. With the exception of iTunes, this is the bare bones configuration of my system--it doesn't get any rawer than that. The real problem, of course, is lack of physical memory. And here we come to one of the inherent problems of the configuration of this system: I'm sure the dual core processor would perform admirably, except that there just isn't enough memory to allow the processor to demonstrate the benefits of its dual core nature.

Therefore, when shopping for a notebook, make sure it has at least 2 GB of RAM. Even if your initial requirements aren't all that strenuous, it's always best to have room to grow.

Other than my extreme case, this system is not that bad. It's time now to describe each part of the notebook in detail:

-PROCESSOR-

This notebook comes equipped with a "Yonah" core dual core processor, running at 1.83 GHz. This is part of the Centrino Duo package, which includes other hardware designed for an integrated mobile experience. As I mentioned above, for less involved work this processor performs very well. Windows open rapidly, and without having to draw each icon one at a time. Menu hierarchies progress smoothly, and programs launch very quickly and work efficiently. Of course, however, this processor is hampered by the rather slow 667 MHz front side bus FSB, which is the part of the processor that communicates with the RAM. This means that, as applications become more memory intensive, the processor has trouble keeping up. This will be addressed in the new platform Intel will be releasing in 2007, which allows the Core 2 Duo "Merom" chip to run an 800 MHz FSB. All in all, the Centrino Duo standard--in both the Core and Core 2 incarnations--is somewhat overrated.

-HARD DRIVE-

The hard drive size is pretty decent for a notebook computer. I must issue a general warning, though, for all notebook users (and particularly those who own this product): Notebook hard drives are VERY FRAGILE! Somewhere along the line--unbeknownst to me-- my notebook took a major hit, and when I attempted to boot Windows the read head jammed itself into the disc and tore huge gouges into the drive, thereby ruining it. On the Toshiba Satellite A105-S4014, the hard drive is located just beneath the right front edge of the base, right underneath the fingerprint reader. If you feel the need to take out some aggression on the case, I suggest you bash the LEFT side, where the processor is (presumably) located.

-MEMORY-

As I mentioned before, there simply is not enough memory on this notebook. The speed is perfectly fine--533 MHz DDR2 PC2-4200--but modern dual core processors really need at least 2 GB to demonstrate their full functionality. Unfortunately, this notebook comes with two 512 MB modules instead of one 1 GB module. This means that in order to reach 2 GB, one must purchase two 1 GB modules, which is ridiculously expensive. Even so, the performance gain would undoubtedly be worth the price.

-VIDEO-

This notebook (like many) uses integrated graphics. IG is generally the less desirable option because on notebooks there is no way to change it, unlike on desktop systems. Even so, one would generally use his primary system for graphics intensive applications. Notebooks universally make poor primary systems, mostly because performance is often sacrificed for portability and low power usage. Therefore, video performance on a notebook should not be of paramount concern to most users. This notebook uses up to 128 MB of shared memory for video, which for me is more than adequate. I am not a gamer, nor do I generally use my computer to watch video, so I am rather content with IG. Gamers and multimedia enthusiasts might want to look elsewhere, specifically Toshiba's Qosimo line of notebooks.

-AUDIO-

This is where I am most qualified to comment. Mark my words: The integrated audio on this notebook is TERRIBLE! It is so bad that I was inclined for the first time ever to purchase a dedicated audio component for a computer (the Creative Audigy 2 ZS Notebook is a fantastic product, by the way). Don't believe for a minute anything about the "high definition audio" described in the abstract for this notebook. Unless "high definition" means "tinny," "brittle," and "weak-bottomed," the term is grossly misused. Specifically, the high ranges are really screechy, the mid ranges lack any trace of warmth, and the bass is greatly stunted. Notebook audio is notoriously bad, but this is perhaps an extreme example. I can literally believe Creative's claim that their card can improve notebook audio by "up to 250 times."

-SCREEN-

As I said in the general comments, the screen is very nice. I only wish it were a little brighter. As it is, it's pretty dim in comparison with some other brands (HP and Sony in particular). Still, I have yet to see a notebook screen that distributes color and brightness as well as this one. Text is crisp and clear, images are vibrant without being too colorful, and black is pretty dark. What's more, white is pretty close to neutral. As monitors age, the red and blue pixels seem to fade more so than the green, leaving a vaguely greenish tinge. After viewing such a monitor for over a year, it was refreshing to see something so pure and untainted. The shiny surface of the screen--while I still prefer the matte surface of previous notebooks because of the anti-glare factor--does have much better contrast than a traditional LCD screen.

-MISCELLANEOUS-

This notebook comes with some interesting extra features, like a fingerprint reader for added security. It works well, once one masters the user interface. This takes some practice, but it's well worth it and using the device gains one some astonished and awed glances. More fundamental features are the 11-in-one super drive. Compared to desktop versions, it's rather slow. Maximum CD-R recording speed is 16x, to give you an idea. Even so, I don't imagine notebooks get much better than that. In any event, it's nice to have a super multi drive installed on a notebook. Also included is an integrated flash media interface. Unfortunately, I honestly don't know what the designers were thinking when they made the Memory Stick slot--the stick went all the way in, where--had I not had the presence of mind to abort the insertion and fetch some needle nose pliers--it would have stayed for all of eternity. I haven't tried the other slots because I have no devices that use those sorts of memory.

This notebook has four USB 2.0 ports which, while perhaps a good number for a notebook, seems a little lacking generally. It has no firewire port, which I personally don't miss but many people will. It also has integrated wireless a/b/g, though it seems as though the signal receiver is pretty weak. I have been forced in almost every wireless available situation to use the Ethernet port. The battery life is standard to bad, depending on your power scheme. Toshiba provides proprietary power management, and it's pretty effective. Running on full power, though, the included battery only lasts about two hours. If battery life is important to you (Centrino was advertised to allow up to ten hours of battery life), a battery with more cells (included is a six-cell model) is probably a good accessory for you to buy.

-OVERALL-

Overall, this is not a bad notebook. If you use it lightly or upgrade the memory, it should perform very well. However, it is already out of production, thus any models you find might be expensive or under-supported. Truthfully, I wouldn't waste time on it. It's underpowered and has too little memory, and a better notebook can be had for an equal or cheaper price. And, since Core 2 Duo is now the defacto standard, there is no reason to seek out the original Core series--benchmarks show up to a 20% increase in performance from Yonah to Merom, yet with no decrease in battery life. Finally, notebook platforms with support for 800 MHz FSB's are right around the corner, so my advice to the prospective notebook buyer is to consider your needs--do you need it now, or can you wait? If the latter is the case, then do just that: Wait.

Crappy support staff.......2006-09-13

Poor support staff. I would rate the helpfulness of the staff 0 but because I had used their product for some time, I would rate their product acceptable and their service (except for the sales people who are trying to get you to part with your money) 0.

I just got patronized and ridiculed by one of their "friendly support staff". God knows where they find their staff from. It seems that Toshiba doesn't really care much once you have bought your notebook.

BEWARE OF TOSHIBA.......2006-09-10

I sent my Toshiba Satellite to the company for warranty service and never got it back and the company has ignored all requests, including those by the Better Business Bureau.

Outstanding computer.......2006-07-20

This is a great laptop. The only reason I give 4 stars instead of 5 is that it initially had a 'hang' or 'freeze' problem when switching between web-sites. After some searching on Toshiba's web-site, I found the simple solution and download. Highly recommended. Great speed, sound and display. I do not use the fingerprint reader so can not comment.

Nimble, fast, and so far reliable.......2006-06-16

Unlike Josh (previous reviewer), my A105 is fine. I have a friend who had to go through three Toshiba machines before he finally got one that fired on all pixels, but then he had a cooperative retailer. I bought mine, fired it up, and have not had problem one. I am quite satisified and for the power and flexibility this machine provides, I think the A105-S4014 is a great value.

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