By Joshua Robert Cooper -(CA)
This review is from: Toshiba Satellite U945-S4140 14-Inch Ultrabook (Ice Blue with Fusion Lattice) (Personal Computers)
This Laptop is excellent in terms of performance and ability, but what I don't like is that it doesn't meet the 5 hour minimum battery life requirement to be considered a Ultrabook. This is largely due to the fact that it has a 4 cell battery. It gets closer to a 2.5 hour during normal usage. The Intel i5-3317U is a good processor. Heck I even got this rig to run Skyrim, and the frame rate was actually pretty good. If you're looking for a primary laptop then this is a good decision although there are still laptops in this price range that I prefer more...cough cough...Lenovo is awesome. Toshiba needs to make some improvements into the battery life, but in terms of responsiveness we got this device to boot in 11 seconds, from completely powered off to powered on state so that is pretty impressive considering this still runs a Hybrid Hard Drive. I do like that it has 2 USB 3.0s which are fantastic for flash drives and external hard drive. I've even appreciated that they can charge my tablet, Nexus 7, and phone, Galaxy S III, while the device is powered off, due to USB 3.0 and not because of any special Toshiba technology.
By EvangelismCoach "EvangelismCoach.org" (Richmond VA) -
This review is from: Toshiba Satellite U945-S4140 14-Inch Ultrabook (Ice Blue with Fusion Lattice) (Personal Computers)
I use my laptop for nearly all my work and browsing time. I can spend hours processing video, recording, writing, reading, etc. I consider myself a heavy user.
After a fried motherboard on another machine, I bought this windows 8 model.
My trepidation was hearing all the reviews about the need for a touch screen with windows 8, and this model doesn't have it. After two weeks of heavy use, I've figured out how to work with windows 8 to do what I need as if I was in windows 7. The new start screen is a layer that is useless for me, so I've reverted to the familiar desktop.
The F1-F12 keys came with a configuration that is different than all my other laptops - the special functions were the default - as in F4 switched the displays to an unconnected monitor (that's annoying). The F2 key was rigged to switch between active windows (CTRL Tab), rather than to edit a cell in a worksheet. All the keyboard short cuts I've been working with for years were not default. I had to tool around to figure out how to undo that unhelpful setting.
Here is the annoyance.
The mouse pad is way too sensitive to react to the heat of my hands, causing the cursor to jump around on the screen to where ever the pointer is when I'm typing. I can't tell you how many times this causes errors, formatting changes mid screen, loss of focus and how many times I've hit "buttons" when I'm not done writing. The other day, this happened so much I almost through the machine out the window.
UPDATE: JUNE 13, 2013. . . This problem is unfixable via the touch pad settings. It seems the sensitivity fields extend even an 1/2 inch off beyond the track pad. I have made the zone as small as possible, require the heaviest touch and still, the mouse jumps around. I am forced to by a Usb mouse and disable the track pad.
Annoyance 2:
The mic jack on the laptop has a ground loop buzz, only when the machine is plugged into a powersource. If I want to record an audio, or talk with someone VOIP via the headphone jack, the laptop must be unplugged, obviously limiting.
The same is true with a usb headeset I own - it has a buzz when recording, only when the power supply is on.
I have a Dynex usb external mic on a stand. It works correctly whether the laptop is plugged in or not.
By Brian Mueller (Cincinnati, OH)
This review is from: Toshiba Satellite U945-S4140 14-Inch Ultrabook (Ice Blue with Fusion Lattice) (Personal Computers)
I purchased a Toshiba Satellite U9450-S4140 Ultrabook to carry with me when traveling or away from my desktop system. I have a technical background and believed this model of Toshiba Satellite offered a good mixture of performance and value.
The Toshiba Satellite U9450-S4140 arrived in about 3 days after placing my order. It came double-boxed and seemed to be in reasonable condition. All the seals were in tact. After opening it I found that the bottom cover providing access to the hard drive and memory was not snapped on correctly. This was easy to fix but disappointing. I would assume it left the factory this way.
I've spent the last few days setting up my Toshiba Satellite U9450-S4140 Ultrabook with the software and features I use most often. It is reasonably fast for the price. Had I been willing to invest a little more, I would've expected discreet graphics and an SSD. Based on the price I paid I'm satisfied with the performance of Windows 8, as well as that of the programs I use most often.
So at this point I'm cautiously optimistic. Nevertheless, I did find another issue with the build quality. When I removed the battery to figure out how it detached, I noticed the plastic casing around the hinges of the screen were not snapped together correctly. I tried to fix this the same as I had the bottom cover but realized it had been damaged during the assembly process. At this point this does not interfere with the usage of the Toshiba Satellite U9450-S4140 Ultrabook, but it is a cosmetic problem. I can't help but assume these are put together so hastily that there are build issues. I simply hope this doesn't mean my ultrabook will fall apart the more I use it. If you can find similar specs at a reasonable price from a manufacturer other than Toshiba, you might be better off considering it.
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