jiggylessziggy
29-12-08, 04:42 AM
The Toshiba Portege M800 is a head turner that doubles as a great work partner
By WENDY TAN
WHEN you mention to anyone that you own a Toshiba laptop, chances are the reaction will usually be positive.
The Toshiba Portege M800 looks to keep up that positive vibe. At first glance, you will be dazzled by the pearly white and glossy exterior.
Most people would compare the M800 to an Apple Macbook, because they can both be found in white, but it reminded me of shiny teeth and good oral hygiene for some strange reason.
The M800’s clean lines, rounded corners and glossy finish make it stand out as a well-designed contemporary and professional-looking laptop.
Not overlooking the fact that it is also thin and light, this little baby makes you feel like carrying it everywhere. Not because you have work to do but just for bragging rights and to say to no one in particular, “I own a sexy Toshiba! Jealous?”
Turning it on
Pressing the power button on the laptop will whisk you into another dimension as the notebook lights up with white LED lights at the most strategic parts of the keyboard.
This highlights where the touchpad, volume and DVD controls are and most importantly, the Portege logo on the bottom left of the laptop.
The white backlight gives the M800 a futuristic feel and will keep you occupied —hypnotised even — while Windows Vista loads up.
It happened to me every time. Although after awhile, the extra lights tend to distract and annoy especially if you want to watch a movie or use the computer in the dark.
Once Windows Vista is up and running, the 13.3in widescreen monitor will impress you. Text appeared crisp and images were bright and vibrant.
For me, it even boosted the experience of using Windows Vista. Yes, that is shocking and much praise must be heaped onto Toshiba for achieving this feat.
The review unit came with Windows Home Premium even though the sticker on the laptop said Vista Basic. There are no complaints here, though, as Home Premium has a better user experience with the Aero feature.
Toshiba adds its own proprietary software to help with managing, administrating and securing the laptop and this is helpful for those who require such services.
You can have your thumbprint recognised for security purposes, which is quite a cool feature, and the notebook also comes with a hard disk protection feature.
Good features
The 1.3-megapixel camera found on top of the LCD frame is good as images came out clean and clear.
As compared with my personal laptop where people look like the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz, the M800’s camera captures good quality video.
The colours are realistic and it’s great for web chatting.
The keyboard layout on the M800 also needs a mention. Because the keys are white in colour to match the rest of the laptop, they can get dirty easily.
However typing on it is a joy as the keys are responsive and have good travel. Your fingers will fly effortlessly as all the keys are within reach of one another.
The touchpad is also great to use and it is the only part of the laptop that has a rough surface.
This gives your fingers much-needed grip on the touchpad and allows you to navigate through the menus easily.
To top things off, the M800 comes with a 5-in-1 card reader, a DVD burner and WiFi.
Performance
In terms of hardware, the M800 is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 2.4GHz processor, Mobile 965 Express Chipset and Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics. This makes the laptop good enough for simple multitasking — listening to music, surfing and wordprocessing at the same time.
It will definitely do the job for casual and business users alike.
Toshiba provides a 250GB hard disk with the M800, which decent enough.
However, a downside to the M800 which has to be noted is that it only comes with 1GB of RAM — not much by today’s standards.
Opening and switching programs can be quite sluggish at times.
However once the apps are loaded, they run pretty fast and are quick to respond. With additional RAM, this computer will be a total whiz at its tasks.
The speakers come with a Dolby certification, but they sound quite tinny and have very little bass.
This may be sufficient for web chats but hardly good for listening to music or watching movies.
Battery life on the M800 should be commended as it can last for at least three hours while running several tasks at the same time.
The dispersal of heat from the notebook is also good with strategically-placed air vents that allow the insides of the M800 to breathe.
End word
Overall, the Toshiba M800 is a winner in terms of looks and design. The white and glossy finish is just too attractive to dismiss and while I was out and about over the weekend, I spotted a pastel pink M800 and thought that was equally riveting — in a girly way.
White, however, is the new pink and is neutral and non-gender specific. That said, the M800 is great for those in need of a stylish notebook that exudes an air of professionalism.
Pros: White; light; bright
Cons: Only 1GB of RAM; tinny-sounding speakers.
PORTEGE M800
(Toshiba)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 (2.4GHz)
Memory: 1GB RAM
Graphics: Intel GMA X3100
Display: 13.3in TruBrite WXGA LCD (1,280 x 800pixels)
Storage: 250GB, DVD burner
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 b/g
I/O ports: Three USB ports, Firewire, VGA-out, ExpressCard slot, memory card reader, Ethernet port
Operating system: Windows Vista Home Premium
Other features: 1.3-megapixel webcam
Weight: 1.97kg
Price: RM3,799
By WENDY TAN
WHEN you mention to anyone that you own a Toshiba laptop, chances are the reaction will usually be positive.
The Toshiba Portege M800 looks to keep up that positive vibe. At first glance, you will be dazzled by the pearly white and glossy exterior.
Most people would compare the M800 to an Apple Macbook, because they can both be found in white, but it reminded me of shiny teeth and good oral hygiene for some strange reason.
The M800’s clean lines, rounded corners and glossy finish make it stand out as a well-designed contemporary and professional-looking laptop.
Not overlooking the fact that it is also thin and light, this little baby makes you feel like carrying it everywhere. Not because you have work to do but just for bragging rights and to say to no one in particular, “I own a sexy Toshiba! Jealous?”
Turning it on
Pressing the power button on the laptop will whisk you into another dimension as the notebook lights up with white LED lights at the most strategic parts of the keyboard.
This highlights where the touchpad, volume and DVD controls are and most importantly, the Portege logo on the bottom left of the laptop.
The white backlight gives the M800 a futuristic feel and will keep you occupied —hypnotised even — while Windows Vista loads up.
It happened to me every time. Although after awhile, the extra lights tend to distract and annoy especially if you want to watch a movie or use the computer in the dark.
Once Windows Vista is up and running, the 13.3in widescreen monitor will impress you. Text appeared crisp and images were bright and vibrant.
For me, it even boosted the experience of using Windows Vista. Yes, that is shocking and much praise must be heaped onto Toshiba for achieving this feat.
The review unit came with Windows Home Premium even though the sticker on the laptop said Vista Basic. There are no complaints here, though, as Home Premium has a better user experience with the Aero feature.
Toshiba adds its own proprietary software to help with managing, administrating and securing the laptop and this is helpful for those who require such services.
You can have your thumbprint recognised for security purposes, which is quite a cool feature, and the notebook also comes with a hard disk protection feature.
Good features
The 1.3-megapixel camera found on top of the LCD frame is good as images came out clean and clear.
As compared with my personal laptop where people look like the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz, the M800’s camera captures good quality video.
The colours are realistic and it’s great for web chatting.
The keyboard layout on the M800 also needs a mention. Because the keys are white in colour to match the rest of the laptop, they can get dirty easily.
However typing on it is a joy as the keys are responsive and have good travel. Your fingers will fly effortlessly as all the keys are within reach of one another.
The touchpad is also great to use and it is the only part of the laptop that has a rough surface.
This gives your fingers much-needed grip on the touchpad and allows you to navigate through the menus easily.
To top things off, the M800 comes with a 5-in-1 card reader, a DVD burner and WiFi.
Performance
In terms of hardware, the M800 is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 2.4GHz processor, Mobile 965 Express Chipset and Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics. This makes the laptop good enough for simple multitasking — listening to music, surfing and wordprocessing at the same time.
It will definitely do the job for casual and business users alike.
Toshiba provides a 250GB hard disk with the M800, which decent enough.
However, a downside to the M800 which has to be noted is that it only comes with 1GB of RAM — not much by today’s standards.
Opening and switching programs can be quite sluggish at times.
However once the apps are loaded, they run pretty fast and are quick to respond. With additional RAM, this computer will be a total whiz at its tasks.
The speakers come with a Dolby certification, but they sound quite tinny and have very little bass.
This may be sufficient for web chats but hardly good for listening to music or watching movies.
Battery life on the M800 should be commended as it can last for at least three hours while running several tasks at the same time.
The dispersal of heat from the notebook is also good with strategically-placed air vents that allow the insides of the M800 to breathe.
End word
Overall, the Toshiba M800 is a winner in terms of looks and design. The white and glossy finish is just too attractive to dismiss and while I was out and about over the weekend, I spotted a pastel pink M800 and thought that was equally riveting — in a girly way.
White, however, is the new pink and is neutral and non-gender specific. That said, the M800 is great for those in need of a stylish notebook that exudes an air of professionalism.
Pros: White; light; bright
Cons: Only 1GB of RAM; tinny-sounding speakers.
PORTEGE M800
(Toshiba)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 (2.4GHz)
Memory: 1GB RAM
Graphics: Intel GMA X3100
Display: 13.3in TruBrite WXGA LCD (1,280 x 800pixels)
Storage: 250GB, DVD burner
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 b/g
I/O ports: Three USB ports, Firewire, VGA-out, ExpressCard slot, memory card reader, Ethernet port
Operating system: Windows Vista Home Premium
Other features: 1.3-megapixel webcam
Weight: 1.97kg
Price: RM3,799