Toshiba Portégé Z835-P330 Ultrabook Review
Software & First Boot
;)
We're always thrilled to see a clean desktop when first booting up an OEM system, and outside of a Best Buy link, Toshiba's home screen is pristine. It was also interesting to see Google's Chrome browser come pre-installed alongside Microsoft's obligatory Internet Explorer. Symantec's Norton Internet Security 2012 also comes installed as an optional 30-day trial.
Booting into Windows from a powered off state took 32 seconds. Shutting down took 10 seconds.
In place of a bunch of trialware, Toshiba opted to install a bunch of its own software and utilities instead. There's quite a few, though they're unobtrusive and only a couple load at startup. One of the utilities is the Toshiba Bulletin Board, which is like a customized mini homepage to help you keep track of appointments, plan vacations, and various other tasks.
Of more utility, at least if you're a bookworm, is Toshiba's Book Place. It's an eBook reader powered by Blio. It's an eBook reader for Windows and Android that supports sounds, color, video, a "ReadAloud" feature, integrated Web search, hyperlinks, text-to-speech capabilities, exportable notes, and more.
Booting into Windows from a powered off state took 32 seconds. Shutting down took 10 seconds.
;)
In place of a bunch of trialware, Toshiba opted to install a bunch of its own software and utilities instead. There's quite a few, though they're unobtrusive and only a couple load at startup. One of the utilities is the Toshiba Bulletin Board, which is like a customized mini homepage to help you keep track of appointments, plan vacations, and various other tasks.
;)
Of more utility, at least if you're a bookworm, is Toshiba's Book Place. It's an eBook reader powered by Blio. It's an eBook reader for Windows and Android that supports sounds, color, video, a "ReadAloud" feature, integrated Web search, hyperlinks, text-to-speech capabilities, exportable notes, and more.
;)
Most of what Toshiba offers is fluff, but if there's one utility a power user might be apt to use, it's the PC Health Monitor. It serves as a central hub of sorts for different diagnostics and provides a live visual snapshot of the state of your system.
