Toshiba Satellite A305-S6908 15.4in Notebook Review

The Toshiba Satellite A305-S6908 is really a great laptop for the deal. It’s amazing gorgeous, very good performance for applications like music, HD movies and much more. The Toshiba A305′s striking Fusion high-gloss finish with finely striped Horizon design pattern and recessed touchpad for a more streamlined look.

Pros: Beautifully designed; sturdy; no flimsiness of the screen or keyboard; much better speakers than most laptops; multitasks with no problem; a very crisp, bright display with no glare; the Draft-N Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) picks up my network anywhere in the house. The computer speaks quality of design like many Toshiba computers.

Toshiba Satellite A305-S6908 15.4in Laptop Specs:

• 15.4-inch LCD screen
• 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 processor
• 250 GB hard drive
• 4 GB RAM (maximum)
• Dual-layer DVD±R drive with LabelFlash
• Draft-N Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
• Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics (up to 1750 MB shared)
• Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)
• Weighs 6 pounds

Screen, Video & Audio
This notebook has a 15.4-inch TFT display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels (native 720p for high-definition viewing). It also provides TruBrite technology, which makes images brighter and more vivid thanks to its anti-glare feature. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, which uses shared video memory (up to 1750 MB allocated from the system memory). This graphics card is built with Intel Clear Video technology, which delivers clearer, more detailed images by eliminating many of the jagged edges and video artifacts seen when viewing interlaced content and features powerful color control to ensure videos are not too dark, overly bright, or washed out. It’s compatible with external monitor resolutions up to 1920 x 1200.

This notebook also features an integrated audio card and two Harman Kardon stereo speakers.

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
Be ready for the next platform in wireless connectivity with the integrated quad-mode Intel Wireless 5100AGN Wi-Fi chip. Based on the draft 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, it offers up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range as existing 802.11g wireless. It’s also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found in home routers and Wi-Fi hotspots) as well as 802.11a networks (which has a higher throughput, but more limited range–great for closed office environments).

With USB Sleep-and-Charge support, you can use your Satellite A305 to charge your favorite portable electronic devices, even when the laptop is asleep. If you use a smartphone, you can just plug it in, power up and go without having to worry that you’ve got enough charge. It also includes a next-generation ExpressCard 54/34 card slot (though no PCMCIA card slot), which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. Here’s the full list of connection options:

• 4 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals–from digital cameras to MP3 players (including 1 eSATA/USB combo port)
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
• 1 ExpressCard 54/34 slot
• Analog video out: VGA
• Microphone/line-in and stereo headphones/speakers/line-out
• S/PDIF digital audio output (shared with headphone)
• RJ-45 port for 10/100 Ethernet connection
• 56K modem port (V.90)
• 5-in-1 memory card reader (Secure Digital, MultiMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD Picture Card)

Operating System
The 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium (with SP1) is the operating system for users with advanced computer needs, and it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center for watching DVD movies and accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect via Wi-Fi.

Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family’s use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities.

Preloaded Software
Microsoft Works 9.0, Google Toolbar, Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5, Norton 360 All-in-One Security (30-day trial), and Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (60-day trial).

Dimensions & Weight
This notebook measures 14.3 x 10.5 x 1.55 inches (WxDxH, and it weighs 6 pounds.

Power
It comes with a 4000 mAH lithium-ion battery pack for extra-long battery life.

View Toshiba Satellite A305-S6908 Notebook User Reviews

This entry was posted on Friday, February 20th, 2009 and is filed under Notebook Toshiba, Satellite A305 Series. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.