Friday, November 8, 2002
Toshiba Portege 3505: Purchasing Decisions & Impressions
Posted by Jason Dunn in "OFF-TOPIC" @ 03:36 PM
Only 24 hours after the Tablet PC launch, and Thoughts reader Derek Hodgkins has submitted his thoughts on the brand-new Toshiba Tablet PC. What does Derek think about his new purchase? Read the review to find out!
Well, I knew it would happen. If I went to the Microsoft Tablet PC event I was going to want a Tablet PC really, really bad. I was right.
First a little background. I have found the consumer notebook arena more than a little disappointing. I want to be able to hold, use, and manipulate a laptop before I shell out the money for it. Unfortunately the only places I have been able to go and try laptops before I buy are Circuit City, Best Buy, and Comp USA. They have a wide selection but they all carry the same models (for the most part) and they all seem to be of lower quality and cost (IMHO). Cases creak, keyboards are as mushy as my son’s oatmeal and they all have GIANT size screens at XGA resolutions (1024x768). I was hoping for something portable yet durable. In the past an IBM Thinkpad has always fit the bill but the price tag and the fact that there was nowhere I could go to try out the machine were the prohibitive factors. So the bottom line is I consider myself a fairly demanding laptop consumer.
This is why I went to the event. I wanted to see these Tablet’s in person and try them out. I came away from the show impressed by all the Tablet PC’s. Yes, it is true, I felt all the Tablet PC’s were of much better quality than the regular laptops I was finding at the aforementioned retailers. I looked at the Toshiba, HP, Fujitsu, ViewSonic, and Acer. This is how I rated them in comparison.
1. Toshiba (Fast, solid, expandable with CF, PCMCIA, and SD, Ram 512MB with Max at 1 GB)
2. HP/Compaq (Solid, small, nice battery life, Transmeta sort of slow in my experience, price ($1700) was awesome!)
3. Fujitsu (sturdy, slower processor 800-866 Mhz PIII)
4. ViewSonic (fairly sturdy, nice expansion - CF & PCMCIA)
5. Acer (Nice size but some “mushiness” to keyboard)
So after heading home and reviewing how much I had to spend, my main decision was between the HP at $1700 and the Toshiba at $2500. So here was what was going through my mind.
The Comparison
Well you don’t have to be Shirley McClain to figure out I went with the Toshiba. Why? Well to tell the truth it was a hard decision. In the end I went with the Toshiba because of the processor, expansion and the fact that I believe Toshiba to be one of the better notebook manufacturers as far as quality and durability go (The fact that they sold advanced precision propeller milling equipment to the former Soviet Union during the Cold War not withstanding). So know that you know how picky I can be, on to the review.
Functionality Matters
One of the things I was looking for in a Tablet PC was notebook functionality. Since I do a lot of programming a keyboard is quite essential. In fact I really do like the idea of a Tablet PC with a built in keyboard. This of course means I am not going to have the smallest or lightest of Tablet PC’s. For me the trade-off was acceptable as I would be using the keyboard 60% of the time. The keyboard of the Portege 3505 was excellent. It was sturdy with only a minimal amount of “flex”. As a touch typist, well, almost...oh..OK..so I use my first 3 fingers on each hand. Leave me alone :wink: , a sturdy, non-flexing, keyboard is a real plus. I found the keyboard spacing to be very good and the integrated touch pad quite responsive.
Excellent Keyboard. Similar to Thinkpad in quality
The build quality of the 3505 was similar to what I have experienced with my IBM Thinkpad (though NOTHING has ever compared to the durability of my Thinkpad 600X series..if your out there..sniff..sniff..I miss you). I would say that the Toshiba felt similar to the Thinkpad T-series in build quality and sturdiness. I believe the casing is plastic but it may be some sort of magnesium composite. I guess we’ll have to wait for the Mass Spectrometry analysis. :lol:
Size compared to my iPaq
Compared to Ream of paper
Another comparison to my iPaq
The Screen
The screen is very nice though I did notice it is not quite as sharp as some XGA screens I have seen. Now I am not sure if this is due to the design of a Tablet PC, where there are more layers of polycarbonate than a standard laptop screen, or something else. I find however, that it is only noticeable when I am looking close at the screen and looking for the differences at different angles. For me, the trade-off is worth it to have the screen protection and versatility a Tablet PC has.
<RANT> Does anyone else hate it when co-workers touch your precious active matrix screen with their fingers? It drives me nuts! I feel like David Banner fighting the transformation to the Hulk when people come over and say “Look...see, here where I am pointing.......” Ahhhhh! No Touchy! </RANT>.
With the Tablet PC I do not have to be as concerned.
Presentation mode. The photo is blurry due to my lack of any photography skill and resizing loss.
Twisted Display: The Hinge seems very durable
Tablet Mode
Networking
On the network side I have only used the 802.11b with my internal network at home. It has worked fine since I started using it with my Linksys access point. Toshiba has included a nice little utility that is very similar to “Netswitcher” for times when you are switching network environments. Pretty cool!
The Pen
The pen is pretty light in my hands though I find that I often am clicking the “pen button” while I am using it. This simulates a “right-click” and messes up what I am doing. I believe this is just going to take some time for me to become more adept at using the pen. The pen has a nice housing in the screen of the laptop and “snaps” out easily when wanted yet seems held solidly in the housing when not in use.
The Pen and its housing
Expansion
This is one of the areas that the Toshiba does very well. The 3505 has one Compact Flash slot, one PCMCIA Type II slot, and one SD Card slot. I am not sure if the SD slot is SD-IO compatible or not. The 40 GB hard drive can be upgraded to a 60 GB drive according to Toshiba and the RAM can be expanded to 1 GB. For me this is important as I can keep many apps open at once.
The Hinge
A lot of people have said that they think that the hinge mechanism in Tablet PC’s that use them will be a point of failure. I think that they are right to be cautious. Though the hinge on the 3505 seems to be the strongest I have tried it is still one of the reasons I got a “No Fault” extended warranty from Toshiba. The way I figure it is a small price to pay for a new or repaired laptop if the hinge croaks. That being said the hinge feels very sturdy and durable. I would compare it to the quality of an entry level Bogen tripod camera mount. It had an even resistance during rotation yet it did not “wobble” when in “laptop mode”. If you compare the Acer hinge versus the Toshiba hinge, the Toshiba wins easily.
The Hinge: Please note the small lack mark to the left is a hair from my dog. How embarrassing! :cry:
Conclusion
Well I have had it for a day and I really love it. Was it worth the extra money ($800), well I think so, but that is a pretty subjective opinion. I would urge those interested to attend the Microsoft Tablet PC launch in their area as you can see the various models for yourself. You may find that a different model suits you better. I know that Microsoft was allowing people to walk-in without registration at the Boston event so if you missed the free registration you should still be able to see at the very least the exhibits. Check out http://www.tabletpcevent.com/ for dates and times.
That being said, if you just can’t wait to see them yourselves I can whole heartedly recommend the Toshiba 3505 as a Tablet PC. I do not think you will be disappointed. In closing, I would like to pass along some information to the various laptop and tablet PC manufacturers....
MAKE MORE LIKE THIS!
Well, I knew it would happen. If I went to the Microsoft Tablet PC event I was going to want a Tablet PC really, really bad. I was right.
First a little background. I have found the consumer notebook arena more than a little disappointing. I want to be able to hold, use, and manipulate a laptop before I shell out the money for it. Unfortunately the only places I have been able to go and try laptops before I buy are Circuit City, Best Buy, and Comp USA. They have a wide selection but they all carry the same models (for the most part) and they all seem to be of lower quality and cost (IMHO). Cases creak, keyboards are as mushy as my son’s oatmeal and they all have GIANT size screens at XGA resolutions (1024x768). I was hoping for something portable yet durable. In the past an IBM Thinkpad has always fit the bill but the price tag and the fact that there was nowhere I could go to try out the machine were the prohibitive factors. So the bottom line is I consider myself a fairly demanding laptop consumer.
This is why I went to the event. I wanted to see these Tablet’s in person and try them out. I came away from the show impressed by all the Tablet PC’s. Yes, it is true, I felt all the Tablet PC’s were of much better quality than the regular laptops I was finding at the aforementioned retailers. I looked at the Toshiba, HP, Fujitsu, ViewSonic, and Acer. This is how I rated them in comparison.
1. Toshiba (Fast, solid, expandable with CF, PCMCIA, and SD, Ram 512MB with Max at 1 GB)
2. HP/Compaq (Solid, small, nice battery life, Transmeta sort of slow in my experience, price ($1700) was awesome!)
3. Fujitsu (sturdy, slower processor 800-866 Mhz PIII)
4. ViewSonic (fairly sturdy, nice expansion - CF & PCMCIA)
5. Acer (Nice size but some “mushiness” to keyboard)
So after heading home and reviewing how much I had to spend, my main decision was between the HP at $1700 and the Toshiba at $2500. So here was what was going through my mind.
The Comparison
Well you don’t have to be Shirley McClain to figure out I went with the Toshiba. Why? Well to tell the truth it was a hard decision. In the end I went with the Toshiba because of the processor, expansion and the fact that I believe Toshiba to be one of the better notebook manufacturers as far as quality and durability go (The fact that they sold advanced precision propeller milling equipment to the former Soviet Union during the Cold War not withstanding). So know that you know how picky I can be, on to the review.
Functionality Matters
One of the things I was looking for in a Tablet PC was notebook functionality. Since I do a lot of programming a keyboard is quite essential. In fact I really do like the idea of a Tablet PC with a built in keyboard. This of course means I am not going to have the smallest or lightest of Tablet PC’s. For me the trade-off was acceptable as I would be using the keyboard 60% of the time. The keyboard of the Portege 3505 was excellent. It was sturdy with only a minimal amount of “flex”. As a touch typist, well, almost...oh..OK..so I use my first 3 fingers on each hand. Leave me alone :wink: , a sturdy, non-flexing, keyboard is a real plus. I found the keyboard spacing to be very good and the integrated touch pad quite responsive.
Excellent Keyboard. Similar to Thinkpad in quality
The build quality of the 3505 was similar to what I have experienced with my IBM Thinkpad (though NOTHING has ever compared to the durability of my Thinkpad 600X series..if your out there..sniff..sniff..I miss you). I would say that the Toshiba felt similar to the Thinkpad T-series in build quality and sturdiness. I believe the casing is plastic but it may be some sort of magnesium composite. I guess we’ll have to wait for the Mass Spectrometry analysis. :lol:
Size compared to my iPaq
Compared to Ream of paper
Another comparison to my iPaq
The Screen
The screen is very nice though I did notice it is not quite as sharp as some XGA screens I have seen. Now I am not sure if this is due to the design of a Tablet PC, where there are more layers of polycarbonate than a standard laptop screen, or something else. I find however, that it is only noticeable when I am looking close at the screen and looking for the differences at different angles. For me, the trade-off is worth it to have the screen protection and versatility a Tablet PC has.
<RANT> Does anyone else hate it when co-workers touch your precious active matrix screen with their fingers? It drives me nuts! I feel like David Banner fighting the transformation to the Hulk when people come over and say “Look...see, here where I am pointing.......” Ahhhhh! No Touchy! </RANT>.
With the Tablet PC I do not have to be as concerned.
Presentation mode. The photo is blurry due to my lack of any photography skill and resizing loss.
Twisted Display: The Hinge seems very durable
Tablet Mode
Networking
On the network side I have only used the 802.11b with my internal network at home. It has worked fine since I started using it with my Linksys access point. Toshiba has included a nice little utility that is very similar to “Netswitcher” for times when you are switching network environments. Pretty cool!
The Pen
The pen is pretty light in my hands though I find that I often am clicking the “pen button” while I am using it. This simulates a “right-click” and messes up what I am doing. I believe this is just going to take some time for me to become more adept at using the pen. The pen has a nice housing in the screen of the laptop and “snaps” out easily when wanted yet seems held solidly in the housing when not in use.
The Pen and its housing
Expansion
This is one of the areas that the Toshiba does very well. The 3505 has one Compact Flash slot, one PCMCIA Type II slot, and one SD Card slot. I am not sure if the SD slot is SD-IO compatible or not. The 40 GB hard drive can be upgraded to a 60 GB drive according to Toshiba and the RAM can be expanded to 1 GB. For me this is important as I can keep many apps open at once.
The Hinge
A lot of people have said that they think that the hinge mechanism in Tablet PC’s that use them will be a point of failure. I think that they are right to be cautious. Though the hinge on the 3505 seems to be the strongest I have tried it is still one of the reasons I got a “No Fault” extended warranty from Toshiba. The way I figure it is a small price to pay for a new or repaired laptop if the hinge croaks. That being said the hinge feels very sturdy and durable. I would compare it to the quality of an entry level Bogen tripod camera mount. It had an even resistance during rotation yet it did not “wobble” when in “laptop mode”. If you compare the Acer hinge versus the Toshiba hinge, the Toshiba wins easily.
The Hinge: Please note the small lack mark to the left is a hair from my dog. How embarrassing! :cry:
Conclusion
Well I have had it for a day and I really love it. Was it worth the extra money ($800), well I think so, but that is a pretty subjective opinion. I would urge those interested to attend the Microsoft Tablet PC launch in their area as you can see the various models for yourself. You may find that a different model suits you better. I know that Microsoft was allowing people to walk-in without registration at the Boston event so if you missed the free registration you should still be able to see at the very least the exhibits. Check out http://www.tabletpcevent.com/ for dates and times.
That being said, if you just can’t wait to see them yourselves I can whole heartedly recommend the Toshiba 3505 as a Tablet PC. I do not think you will be disappointed. In closing, I would like to pass along some information to the various laptop and tablet PC manufacturers....
MAKE MORE LIKE THIS!
