Compared to big-box stores such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart hasn’t isn’t exactly well known for its comprehensive laptop selection. But recently, that’s been starting to change. First, the retail giant made waves last month when it began selling a $298 Compaq laptop. Now, it’s making another statement with the Toshiba Satellite L355 (S7915)—a bare-bones, but surprisingly capable 17-inch notebook that can be had for a dirt-cheap $348. A few design letdowns aside (such as an absent webcam), the performance is good for a sub-$400 system, and is sufficient for people who just want to check their e-mail, surf the Web, watch movies, and do some word processing. Moreover, you’d be hard pressed to find a budget notebook that gives you better specs and performance punch for your dollar.
Spartan Design
Although Toshiba has gone to great lengths to modernize its design over the past year, adding slick finishes, Harman Kardon speakers, and USB ports that charge gadgets even while a notebook is asleep, the L355 is a basic-looking system. It combines a matte, fingerprint-resistant lid and keyboard deck with a matte black keyboard.
In addition to the color scheme, the complete lack of frills and features gives away the L355’s budget price tag. There’s no webcam, and the space above the keyboard is devoid of any launch keys or multimedia controls; there’s a thin, unused panel that houses such buttons on more expensive configurations of this system.
Measuring 15.6 x 11.4 x 1.6 inches and weighing 7 pounds, the L355 is not unreasonably heavy for a notebook this size; in fact, it feels lighter than you might think when you pick it up. We found it easy to shuttle from room to room, which is about how far you’re likely to transport it.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard on the L355 has a full number pad along the right hand side, as you’d expect in a 17-inch notebook. The keys’ matte finish felt comfortable underneath our fingers, and we appreciated their large size. The keyboard’s panel felt sturdy, even if it was a bit noisy. On the Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor test (www.tenthumbstypingtutor.com), we were able to type at 86 words per minute, which is close to our all-time high of 88 wpm.
The 1.8 x 3.0-inch touchpad was plenty large, and has low friction, making it easy to drag the cursor across the screen. While the buttons are a tad noisy, they’re easy to press, although their shallow pitch is surprising given their size.
Display and Sound
The bright, 17-inch widescreen display has a glossy finish that makes colors pop, but limits viewing angles. When we watched an episode of Mad Men on DVD, the picture looked crisp and vibrant head on, but as soon as we dipped the lid forward the screen appeared washed out; when we tried watching from the side (as if we were part of a group crowded around the screen), the contrast was too low.
Although the 1440 x 900 resolution is low compared to other desktop replacements, it was still high enough to make our standard-def DVD look sharp. Once buffered, an HD program on Hulu ran smoothly, and showed lots of detail.
The speakers, located on either side of the strip above the keyboard, produced loud sound when we streamed songs on Slacker, but our air conditioner easily drowned out dialog in a movie. As for the quality, tracks by Oasis and Beck sounded minimally tinny. In a nod to older notebooks, the L355 has a volume wheel on the front edge, as opposed to individual buttons.
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