Toshiba Satellite A135-S4487 Notebook

Easily mobile at just 6 pounds, the Toshiba Satellite A135-S4487 makes it easy to get your work done with a large, bright 15.4-inch widescreen LCD. The XGA-resolution screen (1280 x 800) permits side-by-side viewing of documents for increased productivity. It's also great for using as a media center, with Toshiba's unique Express Media Player enabling you to bypass the system and access CDs and DVDs with a touch of button. This notebook is powered by the 1.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 processor, which offers a 20 percent performance boost over its predecessor while using 28 percent less power--so you get the benefit of a powerful dual-core PC plus all the benefits of mobility. It provides an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved gaming and multitasking performance. It also offers 220 GB of total storage (from a dual 100/120 GB hard drive array), 2 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum), dual-layer/multi-format DVD drive that also burns CDs, integrated tri-mode wireless connectivity (802.11a/b/g), and Intel GMA 950 video card with up to 256 MB of shared video RAM. It comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, which includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. In addition to easily playing your DVD movies and managing your digital audio library, you'll be able to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV). Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, and offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures. The Basics Processor: The Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 processor has a 1.66 GHz processor speed, super-fast 667 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and large 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.) The Intel Core 2 Duo processor has two computational execution cores in a single processor, providing greater system response when running multi-threaded applications simultaneously with no significant increase in power consumption. It's optimized for multitasking and is ready to support the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. It can simultaneously run multiple demanding applications--such as graphics-intensive games or serious number-crunching business productivity applications--while downloading music or running virus-scanning security programs in the background. Some of the advanced Intel innovations of the Core 2 Duo processor include: Smart Memory Access: Improves system performance by hiding memory latency, thus optimizing the use of available computer data bandwidth to provide data to the processor when and where it is needed. Advanced Digital Media Boost: Effectively doubles the execution speed for instructions used widely in multimedia and graphics applications. Dynamic Power Coordination: Coordinates Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology and idle power-management state (C-states) transitions independently per core to help save power. Deeper Sleep with Dynamic Cache Sizing: Saves power by flushing cache data to system memory during periods of inactivity to lower CPU voltage. Hard Drive: This notebook offers a total of 220 GB storage from a dual Serial ATA hard drive array--a primary 100 GB drive and a secondary 120 GB drive. It provides more than enough capacity for storing documents and productivity software and allows for a good-sized digital media library. These SATA hard drives also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0. Memory: The 2 GB of built-in memory (PC4200, DDR2 SDRAM) is a very good start for power users, and it offers a decently fast 533 MHz speed. It has two memory slots, enabling you to add up to 4 GB of RAM for worry-free handling graphics-intensive presentations and multiple open business productivity applications. To receive the faster data transfer benefits of the dual-channel DDR2 RAM, any RAM additions require memory modules of same capacity and clockspeed. DVD/CD Drive: The double-layer DVD drive is compatible with a wide range of formats, including both DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs, CD-RW discs, and dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can hold up to 8.5 GB of data--great for backing up your MP3 collection or your most important documents. It features the following speeds: 4x DVD+R DL, 4x DVD-R DL, 8x for both single-layer DVD+R/-R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 5x DVD-RAM, and 24x/16x for CD-R/RW. It reads DVD-ROM discs at 8x and CD-ROMs at 24x. Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 85-key keyboard and electro-static two-button touchpad. It also offers a launch button for the Express CD/DVD media player and control buttons (play, stop, next, previous) as well as a volume control dial. Screen, Video & Audio This Toshiba Satellite A105 has a 15.4-inch TFT display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. It also provides TruBrite technology, which makes images brighter and more vivid thanks to its anti-glare feature. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, which uses Intel Dynamic Video Memory Technology (DVMT) and provides up to 256 MB of shared video memory. It also features an integrated audio card with headphone and microphone jacks. Networking, Connectivity & Expansion This Toshiba Satellite has an integrated tri-mode Intel 3945ABG wireless LAN, which is compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found in home routers and wi-fi hotspots) as well as 802.11a networks (which has a higher throughput, but more limited range--great for closed office environments). You get a good offering of connectivity options: 4 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals 1 VGA monitor port 1 S-Video out 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type II, PCMCIA R2.01, PC Card16, CardBus) 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack 5-in-1 memory card reader that's compatible with Secure Digital (including SDIO), MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD Picture Card memory cards It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.92) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Fast Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems). Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium is the operating system for users with advanced computer needs, and it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center for watching DVD movies and accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect to your favorite WiFi hotspot. Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities. Preloaded Software Toshiba software includes Disc Creator, Recovery Disc Creator, and Speech System. Third-party software titles include Microsoft Works 8.5, InterVideo WinDVD 8 SD, Google Desktop and Toolbar, Ulead DVD Movie Factory, McAfee Internet Security Suite (with 30-day trial), and Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (60-day trial). Dimensions & Weight This notebook measures 14.2 x 10.5 x 1.45 (WxDxH) and weighs 6 pounds. Power It's powered by a 6-cell rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which has a battery life of up to 2.5 hours (depending on usage). It has a 4.5-hour full charging time. What's in the Box This package contains the A135-S4487 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty.  more