Although Toshiba made a late (but worthy) entry into the netbook market, the company has jumped right into the Ultra-Low Voltage (ULV) category: affordable thin-and-lights that are slightly larger and more powerful than mini-notebooks. The $709 Satellite T135-S1310WH, a 13.3-inch configuration from the company’s new T Series of ULV notebooks, is one of the most stylish we’ve seen, and offers faster performance than many of its more expensive competitors. We’re not fans of the single touchpad button, and we wish the speakers were louder, but overall the T135 is a good value.
Design
Toshiba’s Satellite T Series notebooks are a good looking bunch. Available in black, red, and white, they all have a subtle pattern, similar to houndstooth, which spreads across the lid and extends onto the keyboard deck and palm rest. Even the touchpad bears that pattern (although it has a textured finish), while the rest of the machine is positively glossy. Because of this pattern, fingerprints remain more or less hidden. Coupled with metal accents on and around the touch button, this design keeps the machine looking a bit more expensive (and rightfully so) than, say, a netbook.
At 3.8 pounds, the T135 is about as light as you’d expect a ULV system to be. That is to say, it’s light and slim enough to hold in one hand. Even though the six-cell battery creates a slight bulge at the bottom, it was still a cinch to carry, especially from room to room; however, after toting it around in our shoulder bag for a few hours, we experienced some mild discomfort.
Keyboard and Trackpad
Despite being 12.7 x 8.8 x 1.4 inches—in other words, a full-sized notebook—the T135’s keyboard feels a bit cramped. Toshiba could have easily fixed this by extending the keyboard from edge to edge, instead of leaving almost an inch on either end of the deck. The keys themselves are flat and arranged close together, with the right Shift key slightly shrunken and the four arrows wedged into the lower right corner—almost an afterthought.
Typing on the T135 takes a little bit of getting used to; we initially scored 77 words per minute on the Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor, which isn’t bad, but seems weak compared to the 88 wpm we’ve scored on our desktop keyboard, and even the 80+ wpm we routinely score using other notebook keyboards.
Unfortunately, the T135 doesn’t borrow the two large touch buttons we loved so much in the NB205, the company’s flagship, Editors’ Choice-winning netbook. Instead, it has a single narrow touch button. Although the metal design—similar to that on the Satellite U505—looks sleek, it can feel stiff if you accidentally press the center of the button, as opposed to the left and right edges.
As for the touchpad, it supports multitouch gestures, such as pinching and zooming, and is fairly responsive, but the short 3.2 x 1.6-inch size isn’t ideal for utilizing this functionality.
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