Toshiba Satellite T135 Win 7 CULV Notebook Review

Name: Toshiba Satellite T135 Win 7 CULV Notebook Review
Brand: Toshiba

by Jennifer Johnson — Thursday, November 05, 2009, 10:30 AM EDT

Introduction and Specifications

We're seeing more and more CULV notebooks hit the market these days. The growing sector of Consumer Ultra Low Voltage machines attempts to bridge the gap between lower cost netbooks and full-size notebooks, offering a more powerful chip than the ubiquitous Atom options we see in netbooks, but one that consumes less power than the mainstream Core 2 Duo processors we see in many full-size notebooks.

The Toshiba Satellite T100 Series fits in the CULV segment and attempts to offer the comfort and convenience of a standard laptop in an ultra-thin package. As the larger model in the T100 series, the T135 features a 13.3-inch widescreen display and measures 1.35 inches at its thickest point, while the smaller model, the Satellite T115, offers a slightly smaller 11.6-inch diagonal widescreen.

Toshiba claims that the T135 can offer a battery life of 9 hours, 22 minutes with its included 6 cell battery, a figure we'll put to the test later in this review. Part of the reason the T135 is able to boast of all-day battery life is thanks to its Intel ultra-low voltage processor. Our test model, the T135-S1310RD ($709.99), came with the dual core 1.3GHz Intel Pentium SU4100; you'll find a handful of processor options in the T135 line, including some models that cost as little as $600.

The T135 made its debut on October 22 when Windows 7 launched and found its way onto retail shelves and PCs everywhere. With all of the Windows 7 hype, we know many users are anxious to hear more about the new laptops that will ship with the latest OS. Does the T135 hold its own and provide enough performance to justify spending your hard-earned cash? Join us as we find out.

T135-S1310RD Specifications

Intel Pentium SU4100 @ 1.3GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB
Mobile Intel GS40 Express Chipset
Configured with 4GB DDR3 (max 8GB)
13.3 inch widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD (1366x768 resolution, native support for 720p content); LED backlight
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M with 128MB-1759MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory
320GB (5400 RPM) Serial ATA hard disk drive
Realtek 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN
Bluetooth 2.1 plus Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)
RJ-45 LAN port (10/100 Ethernet)
No optical drive (Toshiba USB Portable DVD SuperMulti Drive available, sold separately)
Webcam and microphone
RGB (monitor) output and HDMI ports
Microphone, Headphone jacks
3 USB v2.0 ports (1 with USB Sleep and Charge)
6-in-1 Memory Card Reader
Built-in stereo speakers
85 key US keyboard
TouchPad pointing device
5600 mAh (6 cell) Lithium Ion battery pack (claimed battery life of 9 hours, 22 minutes measured by MobileMark 2007)
Starts at 3.88 pounds
12.7 x 8.78 x 0.87/1.35 inches
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
1 Year Standard Limited Warranty
Price: $709.99 (as configured)