Technology has advanced exponentially these past few years. It is no longer surprising how there is always a new kind of device being launched every single year to cater to the technologically advanced public’s wants and needs. Certain features available in a laptop or a personal computer (PC) right now may no longer be relevant in the next five to ten years. Because of the constant changes that people experience every single day, electronic companies have to adapt and innovate to meet the growing needs of the masses when it comes to gadgets such as computers and smartphones. Due to the increase in demand of highly advanced technology, more and more companies have also emerged to appease the demand. One of the leading technological companies these days that offer a wide range of products and services comes from the humble country of Japan, known as Toshiba.
The Company Behind the Satellite Series: Toshiba
Toshiba, also known as Kabushiki-gaisha Toshiba in Japanese, is a multinational corporation that has its main headquarters in the city of Tokyo, Japan. Founded in the year 1938, it was initially named as Tokyo Shibaura Electric K.K. based on the merger of two companies known as Shibaura Seisaku-sho that was founded in the year 1875 and Tokyo Denki that was founded in the year 1890. The official company name of Toshiba Corporation, on the other hand, was coined later on in the year 1978. Through the years, Toshiba has made a number of corporate acquisitions such as the Semp in the year 1977, the Westinghouse Electric LLC in the year 2006, and the Landis+Gyr in the year 2011. The corporation itself is divided into four groups, namely, the Digital Products Group, the Electronic Devices Group, the Home Appliances Group, and the Social Infrastructure Group. The company’s products and services range from information technology and communications equipment and systems, electronic components and materials, and household appliances to office materials, medical equipment, and logistics. Currently, the conglomerate is the seventh biggest semiconductor manufacturer in the world.
Among the numerous lines of products that Toshiba has manufactured over the years is the Toshiba Satellite series. Also known as Dynabook Satellite in Japan, the Toshiba Satellite series was first introduced to the public in the early 1990s and was considered as among the first laptops to be manufactured at that time. The series was marketed to compete against the Thinkpad line of products manufactured by IBM. The products in this series varied immensely and ranged from entry-level laptops to media center-class notebooks. The latter models had additional features such as two hard drive bays, several graphics cards, backlit keyboards, better quality sound systems, and multiple input and output ports to name a few. These features were added to compete against specific products from other companies such as Aspire by Acer, Pavilion by HP, Inspiron by Dell, and IdeaPad by Lenovo.
While the first number of models initially did not have its own internal CD-ROM drives built in, this soon changed because of technology advancement. Come spring season in the year 2000, laptops manufactured in this line had 15-inch screens and built-in DVD drives as some of its features. Currently, a new model called Satellite Pro is still being sold to consumers.
Comparisons Among Toshiba Satellite C55-C5241, C655, 1755, and C855D
There are several models that the Toshiba Satellite series has, but there are certainly some notable ones that one may be interested in. Among the more popular laptop models in this series is the C55. The C55 has subcategories or models like C55-B5299, but what would be discussed is the C55-C5241. Toshiba Satellite C55-C5241 is a laptop designed especially for students and for people who would be opting to use the laptop at home. It carries a 5th Gen Intel Core i5 5200U CPU that can clock up to 2.2 GHz, which is not bad for a home laptop. Students would find this notebook fast enough for everyday activities like surfing the web, writing research papers, and creating presentations. With 8GB of RAM and 1TB 5400 RPM hard drive, one can rest assured that the performance of this laptop is not compromised despite the affordable price tag. Battery life of this notebook is also rather okay wherein one can run several applications at the same time and even play some light games and the laptop will still hold some power. It also has a 15-inch screen that is not bad for a laptop for students. As for connectivity, the C55-C524 supports 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 and has a 100 Mbps Ethernet jack. There are two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 port, an SDXC card reader, and a microphone jack. Also, the main operating system of this laptop is Windows 10 Home.
On the other hand, for a lower end laptop that is still manufactured within the Toshiba Satellite series is the C655, specifically the C655-S5542. It is a midsize notebook type with HD display. Its CPU runs on Dual-Core Intel Celeron B815 and can clock up to 1.6 GHz while its chipset type is Mobile Intel HM65 Express. While it is of lower end compared to C55, the capacity of this model is not bad. It has L3 cache memory type with an installed size of 2 MB. This model’s memory speed can run up to 1333 MHz with a maximum supported size of 8 GB. Its hard drive of 320 GB has a spindle speed of 5400 RPM. As for the graphics processor, the C655 runs on Intel HD Graphics with Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0. On the connectivity part of this laptop, it supports 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0 HS. For the battery life, the C655 has lithium ion technology with a capacity of 48 Wh and a run time of up to 4.8 seconds. As for the AC adapter, it has an input of AC 120/230 V or 50/60 Hz and an output of 65 Watt, 19 V, and 3.42 A.
As for those working or run a corporate or small business in the past, then the Toshiba Satellite 1755 might have been for them. Designed specifically for people who run a business, this model had built-in AccuPoint II, display, keyboard, and stereo speakers, all of which were new when it was manufactured and sold back in the day. Its operating system was the Microsoft windows Millennium Edition. At the time, this model was definitely at the top of its game. With its CPU running on Intel Celeron 700 MHz and a data bus speed of 100 MHz, the Satellite 1755 was considered quite fast back then. As for storage, it had an optical drive of a single DVD-ROM fixed and has compliant standards with CD-DA, CD-XA CDI, and Kodak PhotoCD. On the other hand, this model had an HDD type of hard drive with a capacity of 10 GB that certainly was not that bad back when technology was just starting to develop.
Going back to the recent models, the C855D is another low-end model of the Toshiba Satellite series, specifically the C855D-S5104. Having a 15-inch display, though, the quality of this product is great considering the very affordable price. Designed specifically for home use, the C855D runs on a dual-core AMD E-300 Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) that can clock up to 1.3 GHz. Integrated with Radeon HD 6310 graphics chip, the display, and graphics of this model is great if used just for home tasks. Weighing at 5.5 lbs, the C855D can be considered quite heavy, but since it is designed for everyday home use, then it is not ideal to carry it around outside. On the other hand, it can still be brought out should there be a need. This model also comes with three USB 2.0 ports, a VGA video output, Ethernet port, headphone jack, and microphone jack. On the other hand, this model certainly has great battery life despite the very affordable price tag.
An Overview of Toshiba Satellite Radius 14: Battery, Charger, Drivers
One of the most notable models of the Toshiba Satellite series is the Radius 14. With the development of 2-in-1 gadgets, the price tag of these models has also become affordable through time. Among the more affordable ones in the market is the Toshiba Satellite Radius 14. With a rotating 14-inch touchscreen display, this model can be considered of great value given the price without compromising the quality. Running on Intel Core i3, the performance of this model is fast and great for everyday use. In comparison to other hybrids in the same price range, the battery life of Radius 14 definitely lasts much longer than the others. A special feature of this model manufactured by Toshiba is the Cortana button that was designed specifically so that the user can communicate with the Windows 10’s digital assistant better.
At first glance, one can see that the Radius 14 has a matte black plastic chassis that is not that special or notable to begin with. However, upon opening the lid of the notebook, one can be surprised at the huge 14-inch screen display of Radius 14 that can also rotate 360 degrees into tablet mode. Weighing 4.5 pounds, this model can be carried around with ease. The touchpad of this model also has a smooth matte surface that feels great to touch. As for the display, the panel of this model recorded a standard brightness of 182 nits, which is great for video viewing. As for connectivity, the Radius 14 has one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.0 port with USB Sleep and Charge, which just means that one can charge a device through the USB even while the notebook is turned off, and one vanilla 3.0 port.
As for performance, the Radius 14 runs on Intel Core i3 5015U CPU that can clock up to 2.1 GHz with 6 GB of RAM and a 500 GB 5400 RPM hard drive. Everyday usage such as surfing the internet or watching HD videos with closed-caption (CC) mode would be a breeze using this laptop. Opening multiple tabs would also not give a noticeable lag or hanging. On to the battery life, the Radius 14 can power up for longer hours as compared to other notebooks manufactured by other brands. When bought, the box comes with a charger and other accessories. It can also be bought through an actual store or online via a shipping pass depending on the location.
Fret not that the Radius 14 might get broken in a short amount of time. To ensure quality in their products, Toshiba regularly includes a warranty for one year for their products and this includes software utilities like the PC Health Monitor designed to check the condition of the battery and stats of the device. Toshiba Service Station also exists to assist in fixing security problems and updating the drivers of the PC.
Why You Should Get A Laptop From the Satellite Series
One of the main things that make the Toshiba Satellite Series great is its affordability.
It shows that one need not pay so much cash to get the best value. Being a Japanese company, Toshiba ensures the quality of their products and the best customer support that they can provide. The Satellite series proves that quality need not be compromised just to get the best value out of a certain product. Not only is the price tag affordable, but the performance of the devices manufactured under this line is notable as well. The materials used to create the laptops of this series were definitely not cheap and were made with precision and good quality equipment. While there are several options out there for buying a laptop, one can rest assured that with Toshiba, especially with the Satellite Series, the quality and the price would be in the consumer’s best interest. Hence, when looking for a laptop that performs fast and great, has good battery life, has the right amount of storage, be sure to check out Toshiba Satellite Series as quality and great value is certainly guaranteed.