Price Toshiba Satellite L655-S5158 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Review

Price Toshiba Satellite L655-S5158 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Review

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #618 in Personal Computers
• Color: Black
• Brand: Toshiba
• Model: PSK2CU-0R901U
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 1.49" h x 14.96" w x 9.84" l, 5.48 pounds
• CPU: Intel Core i3 2.53 Hz
• Memory: 4GB
• Hard Disk: 640GB
• Graphics: HD Graphics 64MB
• Battery type: Lithium Ion
• Native resolution: 1366 x 768
• Display size: 15.6

Features

• Intel Core i3-380M Processor 2.53 GHz, 3MB Cache
• Configured with 4GB DDR3 1066MHz (max 8GB)
• 640GB (5400 RPM); Serial ATA hard disk drive with TOSHIBA Hard Drive Impact Sensor (3D sensor)
• 15.6-inch diagonal widescreen TruBrite LED TFT display at 1366 x 768 native resolution (HD) with native support for 720p content; HDMI port
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit with a 6 cell/48Wh Lithium Ion battery pack; Battery Life (measured by MobileMark 2007): 5 hours, 14 minutes

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Product Description

Toshiba Satellite L655: Fashionable, Affordable and Portable with 15.6-Inch Screen

Offering plenty of mobile computing power plus room to multitask, study, and play, the Toshiba Satellite L655 (model L655-S5158) offers a generous 15.6-inch display that's great for doing more things at once--handling business at home or in the field, watching movies or playing online RPG games. The L655 is perfect for handling computing essentials at home, school or work--from surfing the Web and downloading video to managing household finances or studying for finals. And its high-gloss Fusion Finish in Helios Black will be sure to raise a few eyebrows.

Enjoy added screen real estate with the L655's 15.6-inch screen (see larger image).

Burn through the hottest new digital media, content creation and advanced 3D gaming with the breakthrough performance of the Intel Core i3 processor--with 4-way multitasking processor power to work on four tasks simultaneously.
This all-purpose, eco-smart machine's stunning 15.6-inch LED-backlit display is easy on the battery and provides 720p native high-definition resolution. It includes a plethora of multimedia features, including a SuperMulti drive that can handle all your DVD and CD formats, built-in speakers with Dolby audio processing, and Intel HD integrated graphics.

Fusion Finish in Helios Black.

Thanks to the built-in webcam and Toshiba Face Recognition software on this machine, you'll enjoy a more convenient way to communicate, log on or share your laptop among the family. Other high-tech features include a power-saving Eco Utility to help reduce power consumption based on your needs, one USB/eSATA combo port, and an HDMI that lets you scale up with an external monitor or home theater.
This Satellite comes pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version).

Key Features

• 15.6-inch widescreen HD TruBrite LED-Backlit display not only renders stunning visuals, but it's more as it uses less power (1366 x 768 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio).
  
  
  
  

  A wide range of ports will keep you well connected, including
  an HDMI output (see larger image).

  
  

  Enjoy a full 104-key keyboard with 10-key pad (see larger image).
  
• 2.53 GHz Intel Core i3-380M dual-core processor for a fast, responsive PC experience (3 MB L3 cache). It comes equipped with Intel HD Graphics, an advanced video engine that delivers smooth, high-quality HD video playback, and advanced 3D capabilities, providing an ideal graphics solution for everyday computing. Intel's Hyper-Threading Technology enables each core of your processor to work on two tasks at the same time, delivering the performance you need for smart multitasking.
  
• 640 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM)
  
• 4 GB of installed DDR3 RAM (1066 MHz; expandable to 8 GB)
  
• Intel HD Graphics with 64 MB - 1274 MB dynamically allocated shared graphic memory.
  
• 8x SuperMulti DVD drive with double layer support and Labelflash printing, which enables you to personalize your discs and keep them looking attractive and organized with direct-to-disc laser printing.
  
• Wireless Connectivity
  • With its integrated Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking capabilities, this laptop provides up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range using 802.11n-compatible routers as you would with 802.11g networks. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found at Wi-Fi hotspots and in older home routers).
    
• Built-in stereo speakers with Dolby Advanced Audio blends a suite of technologies to deliver a stunning audio experience from headphones or your laptop speakers. It analyzes audio signals and restores tones often lost in encoding, mimicking the same optimization techniques that go into tuning movie theaters and mixing rooms, resulting in brighter highs and deep, thumping bass tones. It also expands stereo signals to 6.1- or 7.1-channel playback for a listening experience that will have you talking long after the performance.
  
  
  

  Toshiba ReelTime. Click here to learn about its features.
• Included Toshiba Software:
  • Toshiba Media Controller offers simplified media sharing. Using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, it lets you share videos, music and pictures from the media library on your laptop with compatible devices in your home entertainment network, or with other compatible laptops and devices, like an Xbox 360 game console. And you can do it all without moving equipment, burning discs or fumbling with cables.
  • Toshiba Bulletin Board is an easy-to-use organizational and productivity app that lets you build your own personalized space on your desktop. With Toshiba Bulletin Board, you can quickly and easily manage your to-do lists and calendars, plus create your own custom work area by pinning your favorite photos, documents, links and more.
  • Toshiba ReelTime helps you cut down the time it takes to search for files. The easy-to-use app takes traditional text-based file structures one step further to help you find what you're looking for more quickly. Accessible from your taskbar, it shows you a visual timeline of your recently accessed files--using graphical thumbnails--so you can easily identify and get to your files faster.
    
• Included Toshiba Utilities:
  • Toshiba eco Utility makes it easy to go green as you go mobile. Hit the Eco Button and you'll launch the Toshiba Eco Utility, which puts all sorts of easy-to-read information on your screen, and gives you the ability to adjust the power settings on your laptop. It also activates a light showing you're in the Eco Mode. The Toshiba Eco Utility lets you pick the optimal power plan for your situation. Choose High-Performance when you need every watt you can get, Power Saver for the least energy consumption, or Balanced as a perfect blend of the two.
    
• Up to 5 hours of battery life (6-cell battery)
  
• Dimensions & Weight: 14.96 x 9.84 x 1.49 inches (WxDxH); 5.48 pounds
  

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion 3 total USB 2.0 ports with 1 eSATA/USB combo port that enables you to connect to compatible external hard drives for lightning fast transfers of large multimedia files--up to 5 times faster than via a standard USB port. HDMI high-definition audio/video output allows a single cable to transmit uncompressed high-definition video to your compatible digital TV or external monitor. VGA video output (analog, RGB) Microphone and headphone jacks Multi-format memory card reader compatible with Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Multi Media Card, xD Picture Card Fast Ethernet (10/100)

What's in the Box This package contains the Toshiba Satellite L655-S5158 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It also comes with the following software: Norton Internet Security 2011 (30-day trial); Microsoft Office Starter 2010; Google Toolbar and Google Chrome; Microsoft Windows Media Player 12; Microsoft Silverlight; Microsoft Live Essentials; Toshiba Online Backup (30-day trial) This laptop is backed by a 1-year limited hardware warranty.

Environmental Specifications

• Energy Star 5.0 certified
• Gold EPEAT designation for meeting standards to help reduce its environmental impact.
• RoHS compliant effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances

Learn more about Toshiba's environmental commitment.

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Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

The Best Entertainment Experience On Your PC

Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. You can even watch, pause, and rewind TV or record it to watch whenever and wherever you want. For the best entertainment experience, choose a PC with Windows 7.

Peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop (see larger image).

Windows 7: Your PC Simplified

Simplifies everyday tasks, works the way you want, and makes new things possible.

• Improved desktop navigation features like Snap, Peek, and Shake, make it easier to manage all of your open windows.
• Creating a home network has never been easier. You can even share files and printers with all the PCs with Windows 7 on the network.
• Find virtually anything on your PC--from documents to songs to email--just by typing a word or two with Windows Search.
• Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker.
• Watch, pause, rewind and record TV with Windows Media Center to watch whenever and where ever you want*.

Create, Connect and Share with Windows Live

Windows 7 and Windows Live bring it all together for free. Get the free set of programs that make it simple to create and share amazing photos and movies, organize mail, and stay connected with your closest friends.

• Get 25 GB of free online storage with Windows Live SkyDrive.
• Sync files on your PCs automatically with Windows Live Mesh.
• Share photos during video chats with Windows Live**
• Easily edit photos and combine the best parts of multiple photos into one perfect photo with Photo Fuse.

Windows Live is available for free at download.live.com.

Complete your PC Experience with Microsoft Office 2010

• Microsoft Office Starter 2010 includes reduced functionality versions of Microsoft Word and Excel with advertising. (Note that PowerPoint or Outlook are not included.)
• Purchase Office 2010 today and get the most out of your new PC.

* Additional hardware may be required. Not available in all countries. (See windows.microsoft.com/products/windows-7/system-requirements/ for more information.)
** Requires a compatible microphone, speakers or headset, webcam, and broadband connection.

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
200 of 208 people found the following review helpful.
Got one a month ago from Toshiba Direct
By Jennifer
After my overpriced, underperforming, Vista disabled HP laptop died on me, I shopped around for a good deal on a budget priced, reliable laptop. Asus is the only laptop brand that has better reliability than Toshiba (see [...]). When I checked the Toshibas, this is the model they were pushing (and apparently, still are). It's got an even bigger screen than I expected. It has a full size keyboard with a number pad on the right. It's a little large for carting around, but it is incredibly high performing with a great display. When I put a tumb drive in to copy some folders and files, I wondered why it wasn't working. I was used to watching the little folder transfer icons on my HP. Well, I was wrong - it did work. It just worked so quickly I didn't even see it. It transferred a ton of data in the blink of an eye. I've only had it a month, so I can't speak to longevity. But the battery life is reasonably good, and it's a great computer - especially at the price!
45 of 45 people found the following review helpful.
Not bad for the money
By April Scarafino
This is a pretty good laptop for what your going to pay but there are some things that could use some work. The touchpad is a pain. While trying to move around a page, it constantly zooms in or out or slides the entire page down. That can be very annoying if you are working on a paper or something like that. I suggest if you buy this laptop to invest in an external mouse and just turn the touchpad off. Also, the speakers are terrible. If you plan on using this laptop to listen to music or stream movies, invest in some headphones or an external speaker.

Other than that, it does what I need it to do and, again, for the price, I don't think you will find a better laptop. It runs nice and cool and is silent as a mouse.
97 of 105 people found the following review helpful.
great laptop, good speakers
By Scott
I'm typing this just thinking about what I wanted to know before I bought so this will be very back and forth as I'm thinking. For the price this is a great laptop. This one is replacing and older desktop that is close to death so I'm not picky. I like the number keypad but if you don't like having that like some people then don't buy a laptop with the number pad so you can't complain. I can actually type without having to turn off the touch pad unlike other laptops I've used. The lock for the touch pad is below the space bar so it would be easy to turn off if you end up with problems typing. It's also great to have the multi touch touch pad to zoom in and out. I can find the delete, number lock and insert keys easily so that's good. The backup took about an hour and used 3 DVD disk to complete plus one disk for the system repair disk. It has a great screen for watching Hulu unless you are use to extremely large screens. The speakers are good for a laptop. Really do you expect much from laptop speakers? I turned up the volume on both the player and main volume control and could back up where multiple people could watch and hear. They are better than other laptop speakers I have used where you have to hover inches from the screen to hear or use headphones. I'm happy with it. The web cam did well with Skype. It has a microphone which low end laptops don't always have. The blue light to tell you the web cam is on is a little bright but maybe that will help when in low light. Plus you'll know when you're on camera when it activates and blinds you for a couple of seconds. I'm having to get use to the windows 7 but already like the ease of sharing files with my wife's laptop. I haven't tested the battery life yet but everything I read said it has really long life if you use the correct settings with dimmer display and short time before sleep kicks in. I set mine to that when not plugged in but always awake when plugged in for when I use it to play videos. I'll see how the battery life does this weekend while out of town. I don't notice it getting hot. I don't hear much mechanical noise unless the fan to the left kicks on but that's not often. If you are use to a more expensive laptop you may say this is a loud laptop. There is extra software added but I think that's fairly usual and I don't see much extra crap to be removed. With a 20% discount this was the same price as some other's I was looking at (also at a discount) but it had a larger hard drive by 150GB and a GB more memory. The one thing I didn't read that I don't like is that the memory card slot only takes the SD style cards/adapters. My wife's much cheaper Acer has a multi card reader that will accept SD style and XD. We have Olympus cameras that use the XD cards. I can use an adapter or just upload to her laptop and transfer to mine so I'm not too upset over this. It probably is written somewhere in the specs but I just didn't see it. I hope this answers any questions you have. I used the laptop last night without the cord and the battery life is great. It ran for about 4 hours before I got the 10% warning. I also hadn't turned on the eco utility until the last 30 minutes which dims the screen by 1 level, turns off unimportant programs and resets the standby to about 2 minutes of unuse. I'm sure with that it would easily reach the 5 hour battery life that is in the specs. It does have a cool chart when using the eco utility that shows the amount of power being used at that moment. Normal use when I checked was around 20-25 watts and the eco utility on setting dropped it to 8-10 watts. Too see the price