| Toshiba has long been known as a manufacturer of | | | | Toshiba uses acceleration sensors to protect your |
| high quality devices, and in particular laptops. This high | | | | hard disk from falls or other strong vibrations. |
| quality used to come at a price, but with the T130 | | | | Connectivity |
| series this is not the case. With prices ranging from | | | | The standard 3 USB 2.0 ports (with Sleep and Charge |
| 500$ to 699$, they are a very tempting alternative | | | | technology to charge devices even when the laptop |
| to existing, highly expensive, ultra portable laptops. | | | | is turned off), VGA port and 10/100 Mbps ethernet |
| Read on to find out what this laptop series has to | | | | ports are provided and all are on the sides of the |
| offer. | | | | machine due to the battery taking up all the space in |
| Construction and Design | | | | the back. Wireless connectity includes an 802.11 b/g/n |
| The Toshiba Satellite T130 (or T135 in the US) series | | | | WiFi card and Bluetooth 2.1. The webcam could be |
| consists of a number of 13.3" CULV laptops sporting | | | | better and Toshiba's face recognition software, while |
| a 1366x768 pixel screen and an attractive glossy | | | | fully operational, is too slow to replace typing your |
| design, which, like all glossy black designs, is a | | | | password. |
| fingerprint magnet. The battery is so large that the | | | | Battery Life |
| whole laptop is actually lifted at a small angle when | | | | Toshiba advertises a battery life of 9 hours for the |
| sitting on a flat surface. This small angle, in addition to | | | | cheaper models, and an impressive 11 hours for the |
| a keyboard with good feedback action, actually | | | | pricier models (T130-12Z, T130-13M, T130-170). |
| makes it a very comfortable typing machine. On the | | | | However, the maximum battery life has been found |
| downside, the touchpad buttons are a bit too stiff. | | | | to be a more realistic 8 to 9 hours, depending on |
| The plastics are very sturdy, no creaks can be heard | | | | setup and usage. Naturally, that's still good |
| even when handling it roughly. The screen is a bit too | | | | performance, but we see once again that laptop |
| glossy, with lots of reflections making it a bit hard to | | | | manufacturers possibly measure battery life in a |
| use outdoors. | | | | slightly different universe. |
| Performance | | | | Verdict |
| Performance on the cheaper models isn't that | | | | Good battery life, solid construction, decent |
| impressive, which, given that they come with single | | | | performance, good keyboard. The screen might be a |
| core CULV processors, isn't a surprise. The second | | | | bit too glossy, but the colors and resolution are good. |
| core of the SU7300 version greatly increases | | | | The HDMI port can be considered as a bonus, |
| performance, especially in heavy multitasking | | | | although I wouldn't personally need it. All things |
| scenarios. The Intel GMA 4500M (or 4500HD on the | | | | considered, it is a very decent CULV laptop. I'd |
| pricier models) makes gaming out of the question, | | | | recommend getting the SU7300 version for the |
| but HD videos (even 1080p) and Windows Aero run | | | | added benefit of enhanced multitasking, due to the |
| smoothly. Hard disk capacities range from 250 to | | | | dual core processor. |
| 320GB and the disk rotates at a leisurely 5400rpm. | | | | |