I purchased my Toshiba Satellite P205-S6267 in September 2007 from Best Buy here in Tucson. I was looking for something durable and sturdy; a laptop that would take a little abuse. It needed to have a decent sized screen to watch DVD’s, but not so big that it would make it torturous to travel with. Since it is my first and only computer, it needed to have plenty of memory, too. I have a decent mp3 collection and wanted to have the best of the best on this hard drive, along with my photos and documents. What I wasn’t interested in was the gimmicky stuff- the built in webcam, the quarter size speakers housed in the plastic. I wasn’t planning on using that stuff. I have speakers I can plug in, what’s the point in using those little ones that come with it anyway?

Well, long story short: this laptop hasn’t let me down yet. I’m not going to get into specs here; those can be found on Toshiba’s website. It is a bit heavy, so if portability is what you’re after, this might not be your best choice. But it’s not impossibly awkward, either. It’s great for everyday use. The screen is big enough to watch DVD’s without a problem, and the picture is crisp and clear. I have been running MS Word, Excel, three Firefox windows, Paint Shop Pro, and QuickBooks at the same time without a hitch. There are four USB ports; two on each side, so plugging in is never a problem. There is a slot for a memory stick in the front so transferring pictures from the digital camera to the computer is a breeze.

Even the gimmicky webcam is better than I expected, though I don’t believe I have actually used it. I rarely encounter a situation that would call for a webcam. But by far the best thing about this laptop that I have noticed is its ability to pick up wifi. Now I know that wifi capability is standard on laptops these days, but I have been in a room with two other people on laptops and been the only one picking up wifi. I have been in some fairy rural areas and been able to pick up a signal, thinking to myself, “Who even has wifi out here?”

There are, of course, a few quirks that are worth a mention. The battery life, while not horrible, could certainly be better. It lasts, on average, two to two and a half hours. I also have accidentally slipped the battery out of the bottom while using the laptop once, causing it to go dead immediately. The fan, like most laptops I’ve used, is in a very impractical place for those who like to put our laptops on our, you know, laps. But, it’s got to be somewhere I suppose. Lastly and probably most annoyingly, the volume knob seems to only turn the volume up and not down. And when I say up, I mean, you’d be surprised what can come out of quarter-sized speakers. In order to turn the volume down, I have to do so from the icon in the bottom right corner. This could be unique to my particular one, though, and not a problem for all laptops of this model.

I have really enjoyed this laptop in the short time I’ve had it. It has exceeded my expectations in practically every way, and I am confident that if I needed to use it for work or school I could count on it to continue performing smoothly.

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