I use a laptop for business travel, so I was pleased to be able to order this Toshiba Ultrabook. I find it to be a bit bulky when used as a tablet, with nice features, adequate battery life, and good performance overall.Design:
The device is a handsome brown color, with a very nice "soft touch" back. The big draw of this model is the ability to use it as a tablet or laptop. To convert to and from a tablet, the screen slides out (away from the person holding it), then locks upwards in place. I found it easy to use, although one really needs to use both hands when sliding the screen. On the front of the device are lights to indicate on/off, charge and wireless. The left side has a power button, a volume rocker, a USB port, and a button to lock the screen orientation. The rear has a circular power port, twin fan outlets, an HDMI port, and a USB Port. The right side has a door that covers the memory slot and the headphone jack. On the front of the screen is the microphone, a web camera indicator, the front camera, and a large button under the screen that presses the "Windows" key (which I found useful). The small speakers are on the bottom of the device. When in tablet mode, the screen can be slid an inch or so up to allow one to use the rear camera (otherwise covered). It comes with a mini power brick and 30 day trial versions of Office 2010 and Norton Internet Security, plus a bunch of other software that I may end up uninstalling.
Operation:
This would be an good laptop for daily use. It ran all of my legacy Windows programs nicely, and the Windows 8 programs also ran well. The computer is great as a tablet (if you don't mind the size), or when used as a laptop. Although the manuals are full of warnings about heat, on battery or external power it never got hot while I was using it, and the fans are whisper quiet. The front video camera is actually quite nice for Skype. Programs opened rapidly, with no significant lag. Sound output was good with a headset, and acceptable from the speakers.
Keyboard:
The keyboard is acceptable for typing, and is probably the single weak point of the device. I found that it seemed to bow in a bit over the middle keys, and I would prefer more of a raised portion on the F and J keys to make it better for touch typing. There are small ridges, but they are hard to feel.
Battery:
The battery lasted a little over 4.5 hours after the initial charge. This is on the default "eco" settings, which features high performance settings for the CPU and SSD, and leaves the Bluetooth and NFC turned on. Also, Windows 8 has the screen auto brightness turned off by default. I would expect that if one changed these, and decreased the maximum screen brightness settings, the time could be pushed to 5 hours. Conversely, if one was gaming with the battery set to high power and bright screen, I think it would last no more than three hours. The device has an "eco" mode that dims the screen at 25%; otherwise it is fairly bright until the screen timeout. Eco mode gets very aggressive below 15% remaining charge, trying to save that last bit of battery. Overall I had to take back one star for the limited battery on WiFi.
What I like:
+ Boots up very quickly. The Windows log-in screen shows up in about 10 seconds. It takes an additional 30 seconds or so to finish loading the various programs that run in the background over on the desktop side.
+ This is one great tablet to use with Windows 8. It is snappy and very responsive.
+ One of the two USB ports can function as a charging port for a phone or other device, even when the tablet is powered down. This is a nice feature for those times when you need a bit more phone charge but don't have a plug nearby. This feature has to be turned on via software settings; it is disabled by default. When the tablet is connected to the wall charger, the USB port can be set to high power, which is used for IPad and some Android tablets, or regular power output. On battery alone, the ports are regular power only.
+ Windows based platform. One can run every Windows program desired with complete compatibility. Windows 8 is another story, and it already has people who like it and hate it. But there are add-ons to Windows 8 that allow it to function almost exactly like Windows 7. So I don't see any real problems with Win 8 being installed.
+ Very good specifications; Intel based I5 processor, with appropriate supporting firmware. This device it built for some major computing. The only real detraction is the on-board Intel graphic chip, which did not score very well in business graphics. However it worked well enough with Microsoft Office. I don't think this device is suitable for heavy duty gamers.
+ Support for SDXC high capacity memory. It is therefore possible to double the internal storage, although at present these SD cards are pretty expensive for 128Gb.
+ HDMI output, to connect with a monitor or TV.
+ There is a Near Field Communications area next to the touch pad. NFC is likely to become more important in the near future, so it is nice to see this feature.
+ The keyboard is backlit (this can be turned off to save power). Very useful if the room is dim.
+ Toshiba includes an Eco software utility that really makes it easy to change the power setting. It shows the power drain in real time so one can see the effects of settings as they happen.
+ There is a power setting for people who keep the device connected to the power connecter more frequently. It places the maximum charge at 80%, to lengthen battery life. I tested the battery with this feature off, so that I actually got to 100% of the battery, but it is nice to have the ability to choose to have a longer life on the battery, especially since it is non-removable.
What I'm not so fond of:
The Windows Experience Index is a bit low overall: 4.7 (limited by the business graphics score). Processor is 6.9, RAM is 5.9, gaming graphics 6.2, and hard disk 8.2.
The device does not have built in DVD or CD-ROM capability, but that not surprising in a portable this thin.
There is no standard DVI or Video output. This is due to the thin design, but it reduces the business utility of the device.
It is heavy for a tablet. It weighs in at around 50 ounces (1.4 kg for those outside the US). That makes it a bit heavy to carry around. However, I find in use that it is distributed well due to the large size, and it is acceptable.
There is no built in Internet jack. I'm not sure one could be fit into the thin case, but they could have provided some kind of proprietary solution so that when on the road, the device could plug into the more secure 10-Base T connectors rather than rely on WiFi. One has to buy a USB to RJ-45 device to connect via wires.
Due to the large screen size, it is pretty bulky. I bought a sleeve for it (no one would want to lug around something this size, and this expensive, without some protection), and it it much more trouble to carry than a standard 10.1 inch tablet. I may well decide to use a carrying case with handle instead of the sleeve.
The battery is not removable. I realize this was done to keep the device thin, but it means that one has to keep a sharp eye on the battery level when using the laptop function and recharge is the only option when power is low.
The power strip is customized for this individual device, so standard power mini bricks (even from Toshiba) apparently won't work. This one uses a 4mm barrel size, whereas other Toshiba ultraportables use a 5.5mm (or so) size. So the only place I've seen a replacement is direct from Toshiba, at a high cost. I usually have a brick at home and at work, but I don't with this model; I carry the small brick with me.
To take pictures with the rear camera, one has to partially slide the screen up. It is not a big deal, but a bit inconvenient. I really don't think people will be using something this big to take a lot of pictures!
The GPS is not supported on the desktop side; only on the Windows 8 interface. I've seen some comments that GPS doesn't work, but the Win 8 Maps seems to work fine with it; it shows my location exactly. I think that some of the confusion lies with people not understanding how Microsoft designed Windows 8. The new Windows 8 workspace is completely separate from the desktop, which runs as a single Win 8 process. The GPS is controlled on the Win 8 side, and therefore desktop applications can't communicate with it. That is not really Toshiba's fault, in my opinion; Microsoft designed it that way. I think the design intent of the device is to use tablet while mobile, and the laptop mode otherwise. Having GPS on the Win 8 side is completely understandable from this perspective.
At this price point, I think a 256 Gb SSD would have been better. 128 GB isn't much room these days.
Summary:
An excellent compromise between a tablet and laptop. It has it's drawbacks, but I highly recommend this if you need a device that can switch between tablet and ultrabook and if you can afford it. If you simply need a portable small laptop, there are cheaper devices available that may suit your needs.
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Additional comments about the concept:
What exactly is it? With the screen slid closed, it can function as a tablet, but the fast processor and relatively small 3-cell battery mean that it won't last 8 10 hours like an RT, Android, or Ipad. Also, it cannot be charged except by the power brick that comes with it, unlike other tablets that can charge from a USB cable. The screen size is 12.5 inches, which doesn't seem too much larger than a 10.1 inch tablet, but I found that it is exactly twice as wide and tall as the 8.9 inch screen HP windows tablet it is replacing. It is portable, but not really mobile.
With the screen slid open, it functions as a netbook, but again, it is heavier and bulkier than the original netbooks (and the battery does not last as long). As a full-time laptop the screen is a bit small. Cost wise, it is more expensive that even the highest end Android, and around 400 more than a comparable ultra portable that doesn't morph into a tablet.
I think this device will appeal to techies, but also be suitable for people who need more computing power and the Windows platform. A real estate agent would find it useful, and it would be good for business presentations when traveling (it could lay flat on a surface) provided the business projector supports HDMI, of course. The higher resolution camera on the rear of the screen would make a nice video conferencing solution, using Skype and the HDMI output.
EDIT: I found a decent screen protector that covers most of the screen), and I'm using this sleeve.
EDIT Jan 28, 2013: I reviewed this ultra portable hybrid under the Amazon Vine program, but somehow that review, and the entire product page, got removed from the site. I am reposting this review so that people can have some information on the product.
Granted, it is lacking some apps but more and more are getting added daily. I have tried iPad and this is operating system is going to create havoc for the Apples system. They made many improvements with security with Defender and other parts of the system. I love the way it slides back and forth where you can use it as regular laptop or tablet and it feels solid.
The battery life is good and 5 to 6 hours life is good enough for me. It is solid and has a great feel to it where you can take it with you with no worries of dropping it. The 128 GB SS drive plus the Sky drive will hold all my work files and more. Also with Sky drive, you keep all those offline where they are safe in case something happens. If you are in to music it will work for you also.
I am not in to gaming that much but it does most of my games good like words with friends and angry birds. The keyboard is great and lights up only when you using it to conserve battery power. One of the negatives I can find is that the battery is internal and just can't be replaced unless you take apart the computer. Another negative is that I have had to restart the computer 10 times in the 6 months I have owned it. The computer will lock up for some reason and I am not sure if it is a Windows problem or the computer. I am leaning towards Windows and I am sure they will fix that one day
Once you start learning Windows 8 you will get the hang of it quickly because I am learning different things every day. One thing I just recently learned was in the apps you can find all those other items programs that are offered in Windows 7 like word pad and media player and maintenance functions. I also installed Microsoft Office 2007 which has no problems and has been working well. The screen size works for me because I watch movies on it when I am on the road from HBO, Netflix and Hulu and definitely like to see it on a bigger screen than say a 7 inch.
Newest Update: Computer continues to stop working on the touch screen. It stops working but you can go to the laptop mode and then it is fine that way. It looks like the computer is having trouble distinguishing between laptop mode and tablet which is causing me allot of headaches. I sent the computer to Toshiba to try and fix the problem but they found nothing wrong. It is definitely a software issue that has not been fixed yet. At this time I cannot recommend this computer unless you plan on just using it as a laptop. I will keep everyone updatedIf you like touch, need an ultra, and like windows, this is it.
Lighting startup, easy config, good size. Less trouble than a full laptop, but bigger than a tablet.
Price is about high right now. If you really need it, buy. If you are just curious and would like to buy, wait a little.
In any case you won't be disappointed.Yes, the Touchpad is stiff and the On/Off, Volume and Screen-rotation buttons (on the left side toward the back, as I face the laptop) are tiny, as a reviewer somewhere noted, but these minor inconveniences haven't slowed me down yet. So, I'm unlikely to push any of those buttons inadvertently and the pad works well enough alongside the Touchscreen, which is suitably sensitive.
Yes, the Touchscreen is highly shiny and becomes "fingerprinted"--of course it does--like most tablets I've seen. Wiping it clear (using a lint-free cloth designed to clean eyeglasses) is easy enough.
And yes, as tablets go this is rather big and heavy--but it's less awkward than I expected. I hope to take it traveling often.
Also, this aside: Yesterday, when I fired this up, was my first-ever hands-on whirl with Windows 8 and I was relieved to realize I could catch on, pretty much, within an hour, though I don't consider myself terribly-techy. The hybrid nature of this little critter and/or Windows 8 must/might be partially behind the double-keyboard effect that distracts occasionally (that I read about somewhere), but I know my confused input, hit-and-missing while learning the new OS and getting used to switching between tablet and laptop modes, caused this weirdness also. Anyway, it's no big deal for me--easy to fix and move on.
Right away I found the hinge mechanism sturdy-enough-feeling and pleasantly-surprisingly easy to work during mode-switching.
The device is too new for me to rate at 5 stars and this 4-star rating is provisional (I didn't subtract a star just for the slightly stiff Touchpad and buttons or glare or smudge-proneness or any weirdness I've mentioned because that's all minor, in my view, considering my purposes); I'm still exploring the features and testing; and I will update this review with further details, probably.I bought this after trying many different tablets that i was unsatisfied with their versatility. I really needed Word and Excel so it only seemed logical to get a windows computer which got me looking around. I would not say this is the lightest, it is a little heavier than some options but for me the built in hidden keyboard makes that worth it, i dont have to carry one along a detachable one. That being said i am kind or irritated by the space bar on mine. sometimes when i am typing away i will look back and notice several spaces missing between words, im not sure if this is just mine or if this is a common problem.
Other than that minor issue i am really enjoying this convertible, it is fast, start up is almost immediate. All the buttons are conveniently placed, it is well built, touch screen is very responsive, and still has no scratches even without a protector, it also cleans easily which is nice. Battery life is very close to what is said to last, i have gone a week without using it, picked it up and there is still plenty of a charge.
i have recommended this to several of my friends and would say it is definitely a nice computer for what you are paying. It is difficult to go back to a regular computer/laptop.
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