Toshiba A105-S4014

Users that frequently play music or watch movies on their notebooks will find Toshiba's A105-S4014 an enticing choice for their entertainment needs. It doesn't have stellar battery life, but this notebook more than makes up for it with robust multimedia features and dual-core performance.

 

The A105-S4014 black-and-silver color scheme isn't particularly eye-catching, but the contoured edges give the notebook a streamlined look despite weighing six pounds and measuring 14.2 x 10.5 x 1.1 inches. The 15.4-inch TruBrite screen staves off harsh reflections and looks great from multiple angles–perfect for watching DVDs.

 

The A105-S4014's keyboard is a mixed bag. It's quite spacious and provides an extremely comfortable typing experience for users with large hands but the keys feel hollow and light. To the left of the keyboard is a multimedia control panel. The dual quick-launch button opens two programs, depending on where you press it. The left side opens the Web browser; the right portion boots Media Center. This button is customizable and can be remapped in the Control Panel to launch any other program.

 

Below these buttons are standard CD/DVD playback controls: play/pause, stop, and fast forward/rewind. Although all of the buttons are easily accessible, we wish they were raised a bit higher. Nestled above the keys are twin Harman Kardon speakers that provide decent audio quality. The Media Center button launches the Express Media Player that plays CDs and DVDs without booting into Windows.

 

The touchpad is small but performs well. Located along its perimeter are several quick launch areas, where you can open your e-mail, print a document, or adjust the notebook's volume. For the peripheral-happy, the A105-S4014 boasts connections a-plenty, including four USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, and S-Video. On the right side of the unit is a dual-layer DVD drive.

 

Under the hood is Intel's Core Duo processor, which is designed to keep the machine running smoothly while multitasking. We tested this dual-core muscle by playing a DVD while performing a virus scan. The A105-S4014 performed without a hitch, even after we added the additional challenge of running an instant messaging program and checking e-mail. The notebook scored an above-average 238 in our MobileMark 2005 test.

 

The A105-S4014's battery lasted a little over three hours with Wi-Fi turned off, which is a bit below average. The runtime dropped by about 20 minutes with Wi-Fi turned on. The data throughput averaged 14.5 Mbps from 15 feet and 14.7 Mbps at 50 feet, which is good. 3D games are not on the menu for this system; the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 scored only 1,482 in our 3DMark03 tests.

 

In addition to the Media Center OS, the A105-S4014 comes with Windows Digital Media Enhancements software and Protector Suite QL. Windows Digital Media Enhancements offer such options as Windows Party Mode, a full screen skin for Windows Media Player that enables users to use this notebook as a jukebox. Windows Audio Converter allows users to change the format of music tracks (from MP3 to WAV, for example). The security-conscious will appreciate Protector Suite QL, which works in conjunction with the fingerprint reader to keep prying eyes from accessing your system.

 

We wish Toshiba offered a configuration with discrete graphics to satisfy gamers, but the Toshiba A105-S4014 provides almost everything you could want in a portable entertainment notebook. At a very reasonable $1,399, you can't go wrong with this system.