Toshiba Satellite Pro A210-EZ2201 Value Laptop PC
At a Glance
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Toshiba Satellite Pro A210-EZ2201
Bargain priced laptop has sweet built-in speakers, but it's too slow for demanding users.
Those with only basic needs might find the $699 (as of 2/7/08) Toshiba Satellite Pro A210-EZ2201 acceptable. It's the lowest-priced laptop
The only model
Performance aside, this black-and-silver unit does have some nice features for a $700 notebook, including a DVD writer, a FireWire port, and an ExpressCard/54 slot. There are even two surprises. One is an empty bay inside the notebook for adding a second hard drive, if you're so inclined. (One 80GB hard drive comes standard.) The other is ebullient, crystal-clear sound. This plain little laptop belts out music like Ugly Betty channeling Celine Dion.
But the keyboard, while easy to type on, looked and felt cheaply made, and the 15.4-inch, 1280-by-800-resolution screen was on the dark side and prone to glare. The brightness controls seemed to have no effect whatsoever.
Considering that much better notebooks cost a mere $200 more, it's hard to recommend the A210-Ez2201 with much enthusiasm. On the other hand, I've never heard a better-sounding notebook at this price. Music lovers, at least, could score a real deal here.
--Carla Thornton


































