Customer Reviews
Good laptop at reasonable price 
2006-07-17
After almost a month of doing research on 12-13" laptops, I decided to go with this one (net price=$1,099 from Amazon.com). It gives me all necessary features as the Sony Vaio SZ series do. The qualification is as advertised, except for the battery. Running basic Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Excel etc.) and surfing websites, I can have about 2.5 hrs from a standard battery. Overall, I highly recommend this model (at the price I bought).
great laptop! 2006-07-15
This is a great little laptop. I wanted something small but not too small, and lightweight, and this fits both those criteria. The 12" screen is just right, and at 4 pounds, it's light enough to carry around in my backpack. Very nice keyboard with lots of extra features -- the touchpad is great. At half the price of the Sony Vaio TX series, I'd recommend this highly.
Simply the best 
2007-01-17
I never owned a desktop in my life. Since 2000, when I purchased my first Toshiba, which still runs, I went through two Panasonics (over $2000 each), two Dells and I feel that this one is simply the best performer and the best value for the money. I also looked at the newest Panasonic Y5 as well as W5, which are more than twice more expensive and both of them are noisier and less impressive, albeit for the weight. I would rate Toshibas at the top, Panasonic in the middle and Dell somewhere below freezing.
A good choice for an ultraportable... 2006-11-27
So far this seems like a great "lil" laptop.
I was researching another ultraportable laptop, the Averatec 2370, when I first learned about this Toshiba. The reviewers always seemed to refer to this Toshiba S5002 as a leap up from the Averatec. As in " the Averatec is a fine/good etc ultraportable, but if you can spend the extra money you might want to look at the Toshiba S5002".
Well, I didnt want to spend the extra money, so I went to the store "Staples" to purchase the Averatec. However, this Toshiba was on display & it was on sale for the same price as the Averatec. It was the last one so I snatched it.
The reason Im explaining this is for two reasons.
First, it was a little more expensive than I wanted to or would have paid for an ultraportable with an intergrated system. But I wanted a small laptop for the road. I paid $3K for my Dell XPS with all the trimming but I found its to big & heavy to drag around everywhere I go.
Second, apparently the Toshiba S5002 is discontinued. I dont know if thats a Staples or a Toshiba thing. I just think that should be considered...
You should also know this Toshiba dosent come with a Stand Alone Windows CD. It has a "Restore" CD with "XP PRO Media Center" along with all the drivers & the trashware they want you to purchase. Not having a full version copy of Windows used to be a big deal to me, but not so much these days. If you want to do a clean install with a licensed copy of Windows then you can just download the updated drivers from Toshiba, wipe the drive & have at it. I may do this myself, but for now Ill leave it the way it came.
Ive only had this Toshiba for a day or so & have only had time to delete the trashware, install my own antivirus & make backup copies of the "Restore CD" & a recovery disk. But in that time it has run smoothly & quietly.
The LCD is very sharp & the sound is typical for small laptop speakers. The keyboard is not too much smaller than my other laptops & the USB, phone jacks etc are all placed along both sides instead of to the rear of the unit & there is an actual latch to lock down the top as opposed to the Averatec which just uses tension to hold the top down.
Im pleased with this Toshiba so far. Its slick, well designed & has everything I need for computing on the road. The 1GB of memory with the ability to upgrade is a big plus for me along with the memory card reading functions.
One last thing. I went to Toshiba's website & from what I could tell it seems very user friendly.
I havent commented on the more technical aspects such as the processor as thats something everyone needs to research for themselves. But as far as the design & the funtion of the unit, Im very pleased. So far...
I only gave it four stars due to only having it for such a short time.
Great Little Laptop 2006-10-04
This is the second Toshiba Laptop I've owned, the first one was a big bulky but bulletproof Toshiba Satellite A25-S207. The thing I like about toshibas is the fact that they come with a boot up disk that can absolutely wipe your computer clean. I owned my first toshiba for 2 years before programs and junk had built up and the computer was running sluggish, so I backed up my files on an external hard drive and wiped the system clean. Followed by reinstalling my most important documents and having literally a brand new system. This computer has been in my posession for 3 months and it's worked flawlessly.
I don't pretend to know all the fine details of computing technology. I use this computer to write papers, play download and upload music, watch DVDs or burn them on the go, and surf the internet. I do NOT game on this and I don't recommend it. Although the computer is strong I doubt it could handle the latest computer graphics. It is not meant to do anything a desktop replacement can do nor is it meant to be a gaming notebook. This is for people on the go. Any College student would LOVE this! it's fast, light, quiet and the screen is flawlessly beautiful.
The software preinstalled on this computer can help anybody figure out whats going on with wi fi connections or other diagnostic type problems. Overall I gave it a 5 because it does everything I ask of it. Toshiba is a good solid brand, you won't regret buying this. I made the mistake of sacraficing reliability for portability by getting a Dell 700m which only lasted me about 8 months before the motherboard fried. This computer will not fry on you. Toshibas are great, my 2 year old Satellite was just too old I'm sure it still works to this day, I sold it. anyways get this compter for 1000 and you won't be disappointed. Trust me
Cool features and configuration for the price but so-so performance 2006-08-30
This is best laptop you can get with such a great configuration and so many features in a small package, but I was expecting it to perform much better with Centrino Duo as my last laptop with Centrino performed the same. Though I am not complaining.
## Pros
- Light weight
- Awesome screen and clarity
- Huge hard drive (for a small laptop)
- Microsoft OneNote (once you use it it will really become your One Note)
- Express Media player (plays DVD and CD without boot-up)
- Touch and Launch TouhcPad (Side bars and corners of the touchpad can be used to scroll and launch apps)
## Cons
Average performance (may be good for others)
Slightly longer boot-up time (because of all the extra features that are launched but you can always turn them off)
So-So speakers
Good product - has several cool features 2006-07-25
Awesome notebook - install was really easy. Finger print reader is excellent - especially the additional functionality it offers. (Passowrd logins, launching applications using different fingerprints ... yes, you can actually give Outlook the middle finger !! No pun intended.)
Apart from the battery life, which is only about 3 hrs - (fine by me); everything else works to spec.
The best feature, which is somewhat hidden, is a dual display feature of the graphics card in the system - which means, if you connect an external monitor, you can use use the laptop display combined with the external display as an extended desktop.
Screen is clear and images are really nice, haven't used the Ilink port so far. Also, setting up the Bluetooth has been a pain, but, it's more a function of technical ability than smooth sailing.
Laptop comes preinstalled with a bunch of productivity software and additional tools - so, if you're technically inclined, you can make this purrrrr !! For the technically challenged, be prepared to spend some time reading the manual ...
Oh.. and, not to mention - the DVD Player function - where you can play DVD's and CD without actually powering up Windows (direct hardware buttons) is just icing on the cake.
Would recommend it to anyone - struggled with Averatec 1020 before finally deciding to spend the extra money to buy a U205. No regrets whatsoever!!
