Toshiba Satellite X205

Windows 8 could bring a new era of consolidated, simplified product lines. For now, that doesn’t seem to be the case–if anything, it seems to be encouraging even more diversification and experimentation. Of course, like natural selection, when there...

Great gaming performance for an integrated GPU ; Blu-ray drive ; Above average speakers ; Good battery life ; Bright screen

Cheap-feeling, fragile plastic casing ; Weak CPU performance ; Inhibitive number and positioning of ports ; High-gloss screen ; Apparent throttling under heavy stress ; Unremarkable WLAN adapter

The inconsistent Turbo Core performance during our throttling tests

The keyboard layout is different from other notebooks. They aren't a major issues but something worth noting, if you're thinking of buying this notebook. The keys are spaced out quite a bit, and they are quite slim and thin. They lack a chunky feel to...

IPS display offers good viewing angles ; Can be used in tablet mode

Slider design means limited keyboard space ; Loud fan noise ; Short battery life ; Build quality isn't great

The U925t's slider form factor makes for a compromised typing experience. Meanwhile, other Win 8 convertibles offer better screens, battery life and build quality for a similar price.

Attractive, slim exterior ; Plenty of RAM and hard drive capacity

Chassis flex ; Poor keyboard and touchpad ; Fan is audible at idle and loud at load ; Poor value

This laptop is a good value if it can be found for $600 but should be crossed off your list as long as it’s priced higher than that.

Big, responsive display ; Slider makes it usable as a tablet ; Solid complement of ports

Unattractive design ; Gets hot and loud while gaming ; Small, finicky trackpad ; Lots of bloatware

The sliding trick is nice, but the U925 doesn't have much else going for it

Quick boot time; Adjustable screen angle; Fast solid-state drive

Switching to tablet mode is awkward; Standard-definition display that's exposed when traveling; Short battery life; Runs very warm on bottom

Click to EnlargeLike the Sony VAIO Duo 11, the Toshiba Satellite U925t tries to marry a tablet and a notebook into one device, but it's not the most elegant solution. While we like that we can adjust the angle of the display, the sliding motion itself...

Attractive but practical exterior ; Very little bloatware ; Great Harmon/Kardon speakers ; Quick performance ; Entry-level version is well priced

Mushy keyboard feel ; Poor battery life ; Expensive variants aren’t a good value

Toshiba’s P855 is a beautifully designed entry into the mainstream segment. It’s certainly one of the better-looking PCs available and, unlike similarly shiny competitors...