Toshiba Portege 3505: Purchasing Decisions & Impressions

[Jason Dunn]

Only 24 hours after the Tablet PC launch, and Thoughts reader Derek Hodgkins has submitted his thoughts on the brand-new Toshiba Tablet PC. What does Derek think about his new purchase? Read the review to find out!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/articles/tabletpc/Twisted.jpg" /><br /><br /><!><br /><br />Well, I knew it would happen. If I went to the Microsoft Tablet PC event I was going to want a Tablet PC really, really bad. I was right.<br /><br />First a little background. I have found the consumer notebook arena more than a little disappointing. I want to be able to hold, use, and manipulate a laptop before I shell out the money for it. Unfortunately the only places I have been able to go and try laptops before I buy are Circuit City, Best Buy, and Comp USA. They have a wide selection but they all carry the same models (for the most part) and they all seem to be of lower quality and cost (IMHO). Cases creak, keyboards are as mushy as my son’s oatmeal and they all have GIANT size screens at XGA resolutions (1024x768). I was hoping for something portable yet durable. In the past an IBM Thinkpad has always fit the bill but the price tag and the fact that there was nowhere I could go to try out the machine were the prohibitive factors. So the bottom line is I consider myself a fairly demanding laptop consumer.<br /><br />This is why I went to the event. I wanted to see these Tablet’s in person and try them out. I came away from the show impressed by all the Tablet PC’s. Yes, it is true, I felt all the Tablet PC’s were of much better quality than the regular laptops I was finding at the aforementioned retailers. I looked at the Toshiba, HP, Fujitsu, ViewSonic, and Acer. This is how I rated them in comparison.<br /><br />1. Toshiba (Fast, solid, expandable with CF, PCMCIA, and SD, Ram 512MB with Max at 1 GB)<br />2. HP/Compaq (Solid, small, nice battery life, Transmeta sort of slow in my experience, price ($1700) was awesome!)<br />3. Fujitsu (sturdy, slower processor 800-866 Mhz PIII)<br />4. ViewSonic (fairly sturdy, nice expansion - CF &amp; PCMCIA)<br />5. Acer (Nice size but some “mushiness” to keyboard)<br /><br />So after heading home and reviewing how much I had to spend, my main decision was between the HP at $1700 and the Toshiba at $2500. So here was what was going through my mind.<br /><br /><b><span>The Comparison</span></b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/articles/tabletpc/tabletpc-chart.gif" /><br /><br />Well you don’t have to be Shirley McClain to figure out I went with the Toshiba. Why? Well to tell the truth it was a hard decision. In the end I went with the Toshiba because of the processor, expansion and the fact that I believe Toshiba to be one of the better notebook manufacturers as far as quality and durability go (The fact that they sold advanced precision propeller milling equipment to the former Soviet Union during the Cold War not withstanding). So know that you know how picky I can be, on to the review.<br /><br /><span><b>Functionality Matters</b></span><br /><br />One of the things I was looking for in a Tablet PC was notebook functionality. Since I do a lot of programming a keyboard is quite essential. In fact I really do like the idea of a Tablet PC with a built in keyboard. This of course means I am not going to have the smallest or lightest of Tablet PC’s. For me the trade-off was acceptable as I would be using the keyboard 60% of the time. The keyboard of the Portege 3505 was excellent. It was sturdy with only a minimal amount of “flex”. As a touch typist, well, almost...oh..OK..so I use my first 3 fingers on each hand. Leave me alone :wink: , a sturdy, non-flexing, keyboard is a real plus. I found the keyboard spacing to be very good and the integrated touch pad quite responsive.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/articles/tabletpc/Keyboard1.jpg" /><br /><i>Excellent Keyboard. Similar to Thinkpad in quality</i><br /><br />The build quality of the 3505 was similar to what I have experienced with my IBM Thinkpad (though NOTHING has ever compared to the durability of my Thinkpad 600X series..if your out there..sniff..sniff..I miss you). I would say that the Toshiba felt similar to the Thinkpad T-series in build quality and sturdiness. I believe the casing is plastic but it may be some sort of magnesium composite. I guess we’ll have to wait for the Mass Spectrometry analysis. :lol: <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/articles/tabletpc/SizeCompare2.jpg" /><br /><i>Size compared to my iPaq</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/articles/tabletpc/SizeCompare3.jpg" /><br /><i>Compared to Ream of paper</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/articles/tabletpc/SizeCompare1.jpg" /><br /><i>Another comparison to my iPaq</i><br /><br /><b><span>The Screen</span></b><br /><br />The screen is very nice though I did notice it is not quite as sharp as some XGA screens I have seen. Now I am not sure if this is due to the design of a Tablet PC, where there are more layers of polycarbonate than a standard laptop screen, or something else. I find however, that it is only noticeable when I am looking close at the screen and looking for the differences at different angles. For me, the trade-off is worth it to have the screen protection and versatility a Tablet PC has. <br /><br /><i>&lt;RANT> Does anyone else hate it when co-workers touch your precious active matrix screen with their fingers? It drives me nuts! I feel like David Banner fighting the transformation to the Hulk when people come over and say “Look...see, here where I am pointing.......” Ahhhhh! No Touchy! &lt;/RANT>.</i> <br /><br />With the Tablet PC I do not have to be as concerned.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/articles/tabletpc/ScreenTilted.jpg" /><br /><i>Presentation mode. The photo is blurry due to my lack of any photography skill and resizing loss.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/articles/tabletpc/Twisted.jpg" /><br /><i>Twisted Display: The Hinge seems very durable</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/articles/tabletpc/TabletBlur.jpg" /><br /><i>Tablet Mode</i><br /><br /><b><span>Networking</span></b><br /><br />On the network side I have only used the 802.11b with my internal network at home. It has worked fine since I started using it with my Linksys access point. Toshiba has included a nice little utility that is very similar to “Netswitcher” for times when you are switching network environments. Pretty cool!<br /><br /><span><b>The Pen</b></span><br /><br />The pen is pretty light in my hands though I find that I often am clicking the “pen button” while I am using it. This simulates a “right-click” and messes up what I am doing. I believe this is just going to take some time for me to become more adept at using the pen. The pen has a nice housing in the screen of the laptop and “snaps” out easily when wanted yet seems held solidly in the housing when not in use.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/articles/tabletpc/pen.jpg" /><br /><i>The Pen and its housing</i><br /><br /><span><b>Expansion</b></span><br /><br />This is one of the areas that the Toshiba does very well. The 3505 has one Compact Flash slot, one PCMCIA Type II slot, and one SD Card slot. I am not sure if the SD slot is SD-IO compatible or not. The 40 GB hard drive can be upgraded to a 60 GB drive according to Toshiba and the RAM can be expanded to 1 GB. For me this is important as I can keep many apps open at once.<br /><br /><b><span>The Hinge</span></b><br /><br />A lot of people have said that they think that the hinge mechanism in Tablet PC’s that use them will be a point of failure. I think that they are right to be cautious. Though the hinge on the 3505 seems to be the strongest I have tried it is still one of the reasons I got a “No Fault” extended warranty from Toshiba. The way I figure it is a small price to pay for a new or repaired laptop if the hinge croaks. That being said the hinge feels very sturdy and durable. I would compare it to the quality of an entry level Bogen tripod camera mount. It had an even resistance during rotation yet it did not “wobble” when in “laptop mode”. If you compare the Acer hinge versus the Toshiba hinge, the Toshiba wins easily.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/articles/tabletpc/Hinge.jpg" /><br /><i>The Hinge: Please note the small lack mark to the left is a hair from my dog. How embarrassing! :cry: </i><br /><br /><span><b>Conclusion</b></span><br /><br />Well I have had it for a day and I really love it. Was it worth the extra money ($800), well I think so, but that is a pretty subjective opinion. I would urge those interested to attend the Microsoft Tablet PC launch in their area as you can see the various models for yourself. You may find that a different model suits you better. I know that Microsoft was allowing people to walk-in without registration at the Boston event so if you missed the free registration you should still be able to see at the very least the exhibits. Check out <a href="http://www.tabletpcevent.com/">http://www.tabletpcevent.com/</a> for dates and times.<br /><br />That being said, if you just can’t wait to see them yourselves I can whole heartedly recommend the Toshiba 3505 as a Tablet PC. I do not think you will be disappointed. In closing, I would like to pass along some information to the various laptop and tablet PC manufacturers....<br /><br /><b>MAKE MORE LIKE THIS!</b>

[Chris Spera]

I hate it when I get PC Envy.

Now what the heck am I going to do with myself all weekend staring at my Dell CPxH 500GT..? Thanks a lot Derek!! :lol:

Seriously, great job on the review. I wish I had the ability to get myself a new toy like this; but I think I have to make the Dell work for at least another 6-8 months or more.


Kind Regards,

Christopher Spera

[sweetpete]

Thanks for the great review. It was nice to see some none marketing pix and get some user feedback/reaction.
One thing I wanted to correct was regarding your impression about the HP. I know that the basic model is $1700 and that is what they are advertising with, but you would have been better off comparing it to a similarly priced model. They offer several configurations with more RAM, HD space and WLAN. You can get a 512mb, 60 GB, WLAN model for $2299. You can view the different configurations at: http://www.smb.compaq.com/dstore/ctoBases.asp?ProductLineId=430&amp;FamilyId=1316
A better comparison would be that model with the optional docking station ($199) to the Toshiba (both at $2499)

I still generally agree with your decision as stated in my posts in the other thread. I like the larger screen, Bluetooth, and the 1.3 ghz proc, but I wanted other readers to realize that isn't the only config of the HP either.

PS. I totally agree with your &lt;rant> ... DON'T TOUCH MY SCREEN :evil: :lol:

[Richard S]

Nice review Derek. I figure I'll have one of these bad boys by the holidays, and as a developer, it's nice to know that the Toshiba can function well as a laptop and a Tablet.

[toshtoshtosh]

Great review... Thanks for making us drool, even though I'm stuck with my Toshiba Satellite for another year.

One thing you didn't mention was the extra weight of the Toshiba unit. Did you find it light enough to carry around and use as a Tablet?

[heov]

Exactly how's the screen? Is it viewable outdoors (is it reflective)? Is the screen matte like laptops and the casio e100 series or is it, in a way, "glossy" like the iPaqs where it's clear there is a digitizer over the LCD...

Are there any Tablet PC screen protectors :lol:

[Sheynk]

ONE WORD: AWESOMECRAZYGREATSUPERDUPERCOOL :onfire: :multi: :shocked!:

This thing is great, how's the handwriting recognition?

Tablet PC

UUUUUUUUU AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[ECOslin]

Good review, Did this come with a one or three year warranty?

Polycarbonate, nice, on almost any touch screen device I've owned, I have worried if I was putting too much pressure trying to get a response when it would not be forthcoming.

Yeah, I've felt like people were sticking their fingers in my stomach evertime I've seem them ramming their sticky fingers against my laptop screens. Anyone have a good way to electrify with HighVoltage the LCD surface?

There should be a steel box frame around the circumferance of the LCD panel, that should provide enough for the hinge. I hate the idea of one stress point and its being at the least structurally torsion sound part of the box. Toshiba laptop types are pretty good, I've cracked enough cases open to see that. I'd say Toshiba is one of the brands I do recommend(Place Product Endorsement Here).

I've often found the LCD wires to be a weak point both in the materials the wires were made of and the connector ends coming loose over a period of time. Recently the connectors on most laptop designs include a screw plate over top of the connector to hold it in position and take possible cable strain off of the connector. I've had wires break in mid cable from cases opening and close-ing.

The only service I've done regular on Toshiba Laptops have been for LCD problems, either the LCD panel has cracked by user left something in case when closing it or the backlighting has gone out. Most all the other components never had a complaint. One floppy drive got mistreated by user, and was replaced under warranty.

Edward

[klinux]

Wouldn't a steel box frame interfere with 802.11b? Apple's titanium POwerbook had that problem but it was due to the case forming a faraday cage.

Any engineers or physicists here? :)

[JonnoB]

One thing I always have liked about Toshiba notebooks is the trackpoint mouse pointer... I hate touchpads. Why not at least have both?

[newerjazz]

Derek

Great review! Makes me want to go out and buy one.

Is the event in Boston still going on? I can't find it with the link that you gave; appreciate it if you can tell me where it is.

[splintercell]

I played with all the major vendors' releases today at the launch event, and personally, I love the HP form factor the best, since I value that I can have a slate, laptop, and docked desktop configuration all with a single device. Love the size of it, the bridge battery for on-the-fly battery swaps (that's genius!), and the dock's pretty cool too. Wish that the dock had FireWire, but oh well. No Bluetooth, but I can stick my Socket BT CF card into the unit, so that's fine. The performance of the Crusoe processor remains to be seen, but it's the latest Transmeta one, so it may be adequate. If it improves battery life, I'm all for it.

[DerekTheGeek]

Hi All.. Lets me address some questions..

Did this come with a one or three year warranty?

It came with a 1 year warranty and I paid an extra $250 for the 3 year extended warranty from Toshiba. The rep at the Tablet PC event said Toshiba had this great "No Fault" warranty that would cover "anything" that happened to a notebook. I do however need to make sure that this is the type of warranty I got for the $249 at CompUSA. I will be calling Toshiba support after this post and I will report what I find out back to this thread.

it was due to the case forming a faraday cage.

Wow! I have not heard that term since college physics. Not that I ever understood it! 8O


I've often found the LCD wires to be a weak point both in the materials the wires were made of and the connector ends coming loose over a period of time.

Funny you mention this Ed, because the Toshiba reps mentioned specifically that there was only 250 or so wire connections to the LCD as opposed to standard laptops which can have several hundred or more. At least this is what the rep's said.

This thing is great, how's the handwriting recognition?

I have not really used it that much to give an informed answer but it does come with the Block Recognizer and Transcriber from the Pocket PC which I thought was way cool. To tell you the truth I have been afraid to put tablet mode through it's paces as I do not have a screen protector yet. Even though a screen protector is not "officially" required I would still feel a lot more comfortable having one on there. My hope is the guys at Pocket PC Tech might be able to come up with one. I know that I have always had one on my iPaq and I have never regretted it.

A better comparison would be that model with the optional docking station ($199) to the Toshiba (both at $2499)

Your right aboout that sweetpete, it would be a more fair comparison. I would still be interested in seeing how a Transmeta Crusoe 1.0 Ghz meaures up. For those looking for the smaller form factor I would definetly recommend checking out the HP. Also the docking station was in a word..Awesome.

I hate it when I get PC Envy.

I know the feeling, but take heart, in less than a month mine will be outdated and you all will have me drooling over your new Tablet PCs. Such is the nature of our disease! 8O

How did you find the weight?

This is an areas where the HP would win out. Roughly 4 Lbs for the 3505 is not good but not bad either. As someone used to hauling an 8 Lb Dell around I can say the Toshiba is not that bad. That said I do believe it was the "heaviest" out of all the tablets at the show.

Thanks for the feedback all. Please keep the questions comming and I will be happy to answer what I can. If there is a particular photo of the 3505 that you would like to see post here and I will try to accomodate. Thanks... - Derek

[DerekTheGeek]

Newerjazz, Unfortunately the event was only 3 hours on Thursday. But check out the link in my original review and you can find one in your area. I know there is at least 1 more in Waltham and another in Nashua, NH in the next few weeks.

- Derek

[splintercell]

This thing is great, how's the handwriting recognition?


Actually, suprisingly good. I have - for quite some time - been able to adjust to a "neater" style of handwriting for pda's and such, so it definitely had no problems with mine, but I was totally blown away at how well it interpreted the pretty bad writing of the demo people and - this was most amazing - the total chicken scratch of one of my co-workers! I couldn't tell what she had written until it actually recognized it! Plus I love the intuitive gestures like scribbling over something to delete it or the shortcut to bring up the input panel.

[ECOslin]

Klinux: the frame shares a substancial silvery braided ground wire with the motherboard(or the Tosh notebooks I've worked on have).

DerekTheGeek: Wait til I finish filling out the franchise paperwork on screen protectors for tablet devices! :idea:

- Does it handle the heat generated by the processor well?
- Maybe you could load some temp monitoring software to see how well it does in sweeping the heat away from the processor. Run a test of Imperium Galactica 3 movie/demo or convert a file from Mpeg to WMA to generate Mips and heat.

JonnoB: Yep, when I've gotten one laptop one year it has a touchpad, the next has a J-mouse or a pencil-eraser in the center of the keyboard. Or when I need to borrow one and get adjust my typing style to work around the mouse. Nothing like typing in some paperwork and finding out that you thumbed the touchpad to another part of the page.

Edward

[TrojanUO]

Exactly how's the screen? Is it viewable outdoors (is it reflective)? Is the screen matte like laptops and the casio e100 series or is it, in a way, "glossy" like the iPaqs where it's clear there is a digitizer over the LCD...

Are there any Tablet PC screen protectors :lol:

There is nothing over the screen that should interfere with viewing it. The TabletPC screens are not touch-sensitive, they use an electromagnetic pen/stylus similiar to Wacom Tablet.

The Acer model has a sheet of tempered glass over the the LCD, and I was under the impression that all the TabletPC's have a tempered glass screen (though I may be mistaken there) The Acer Screen has a fairly narrow viewable area. It's hard to read over someone's shoulder if they're using it, but if you are using it, it seems pretty readable in most lighting conditions. I haven't seen the Toshiba yet, so I can't comment directly on it's screen.

[Bob Anderson]

The review was awesome... I think these are very powerful devices... and we'll start seeing them all over the place.

I'm going to constrain my excitement, however, not because I think the platform will fail, but because I think those "convertible" tablet PCs are going to develop problems with their hinges. Those hinges are going to cause problems.. make no doubt about it. If I did cough up the cash to get one, I'd buy the longest extended warranty I could get.

For those that are the "early adopters" I hope I'm wrong... but I'm not willing to test the manufacturer's claim for a $2,000 fee.

[Jonathan1]

I got to play with one of the Toshiba's at a CompUSA Wednesday evening about an hour before close. I figured that the tech heads over there couldn't hold off playing with their new toys. And I was right. One of them had a Tosh out. Its a very nice device.

I went to the launch event here in Bloomington MN and got to play with all of them. They ALL are very nice devices, to varying degree’s. And therein lies the problem. There are a lot of compromises in these devices all in the name of batt life. Two many compromises IMHO.

I personally am going to wait until spring and see what the second generation of Tablet PC’s bring. Intel is coming out with its next batch of ultra low powered CPU’s and that should help heat and battery life tremendously. I like to stay on the cutting edge but not at $2,000+ a crack. If I’m going to shell out 2G I want something other then first generation devices.
Then again. That Toshiba makes me drool. I just hope on their next version they place the speakers in a better location. Being hidden under the screen in tablet mode sucks.

[Mr. Anonymous]

I'm so torn over the Tablet PCs. They look amazing cool, but even 3 pounds is just way too heavy for me to consider using slung over an arm in tablet mode.

Besides, right now I freak out daily about protecting my T-Mobile's screen from scratches. I can't even imagine how I would cope with a $2000+ screen attracting dust and scratches!

[cjb]

:) Got the Toshbia yesterday, loaded every programming tool I use (Forte, .net, Sql server, etc.) and it works like dream. I haven't put this puppy down since. I use the BT with my T68i and WiFi at work and home flawlessly. Best hardware design and implementation I've seen in a long time. The Remote Desktop lets me roam the office/SOHO with my other desktops in tow. MS has a winner here. Gates may indeed be right, my 7 year old wants one one for school (in 5 years these will be standard in most schools - I think). Wife has a doctorate in education and agrees. My poor Ipaq is so jealous... :wink:

[johncj]

Great review. I wish the Toshiba came with a detachable keyboard, but I'd rather have a real Intel processor. Now I just have to decide who's easier to con, er, uh, convince, my wife or my work boss.

[toshtoshtosh]

cjb.. so it does in fact have BOTH Wi-Fi and Bluetooth? Cool!

Cause the specs are conflicting on two different Toshiba pages.

[chrisnian]

Now I just have to decide who's easier to con, er, uh, convince, my wife or my work boss.

I'd go for your boss... It would probably be easier :lol:

Seriously though, I took my wife to a launch event (and she isn't a geek like me) and she was really impressed by the capabilities. We'd been thinking about a notebook for a while, but that's pretty much ended. She was so impressed that she suggested we get a Tablet PC :D

Only thing is... If I get one, will I get to use it now? Did I shoot myself in the foot here? :oops:

By the way... This is the same lady who said she would never use a Pocket PC, but since I bought her one 18 months ago she now says she couldn't live without it. That's why I love her :werenotworthy:

[cjb]

[quote="toshtoshtosh"]cjb.. so it does in fact have BOTH Wi-Fi and Bluetooth?

Wi-Fi was built in, I installed my 3Com BT PC card instead of getting the "optional"* BT feature.

*CompUSA was unsure about this out-of-the box and we discovered after playing with the display model indeed the hardware was not present though the BT stack was installed already :confused totally:

[The Half-Ling]

WOW! looks sweet according to your review, one downfall though...MORE iPAQ PICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hehe,
iPAQ Phreak

[Kevin Meyer]

The invitation I received mentioned coupons for $50 off WinXP Pro and Office XP as well as a T-shirt? Get any goodies like that? :x-mas:

[disconnected]

Can you change the resolution down to 800 by 600 on any of the tablets, without getting jagged fonts? I'd really like one of the smaller tablets, but I know I'd have trouble with the higher resolution.