With the midsize Tecra S3, Toshiba takes aim at business users who want a laptop that's as durable and secure, if not more so, than a desktop PC. While far from hitting the bull's-eye, the Tecra S3 does hit the target with a strong case design, a built-in fingerprint scanner, and an integrated Trusted Platform Module. As good as it is, though, the Tecra S3 exhibited disappointing performance and battery life on our benchmarks. And at $1,519, it costs hundreds of dollars more than comparable models from Lenovo (ThinkPad) and Gateway.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The Toshiba Tecra S3's black-and-silver case has a demure look that belies its tough magnesium frame, shock-mounted components, and waterproof keyboard. It's not as rugged as the Itronix GoBook, but it should be able to stand up to everyday abuse. Its 6.2-pound weight (7.2 pounds with the AC adapter) will feel a bit heavy for frequent travelers. Measuring 13.1 inches wide, 11.1 inches deep, and 1.5 inches thick, the Tecra S3 is a bit larger than the ThinkPad R52 and the same size as the Gateway NX500X.
You can get the Tecra S3's 15-inch standard-aspect display configured with one of two native resolutions: the standard 1,024x768 or, for an extra $75, the finer 1,400x1,050; we find the standard resolution sufficient for typical office work. In addition to a spacious keyboard, the Tecra S3 has a textured pointing stick and an ample touch pad, each with its own set of mouse buttons. To the left of the keyboard are two buttons; one launches a window for system management, while the other lets you output presentations to a projector. Below the keyboard lies a fingerprint reader that lets you log on with the swipe of a finger. A wireless on/off switch and a volume wheel sit along the front edge of the machine; we wish there were also a mute button.
Business travelers won't miss any connections with the Tecra S3; it includes VGA, S-Video, four-pin FireWire, and three USB 2.0 ports, as well as headphone and microphone jacks. Its parallel and serial ports will come in handy for offices with older peripherals, and its slots for Type II PC Cards, ExpressCards, and Secure Digital flash cards provide room for expansion. Workers will also be able to stay in touch with the home office via Gigabit Ethernet, modem, Bluetooth, and Intel 802.11b/g connections; a triband a/b/g radio costs an extra $20. While our test unit included a nondescript CD-RW/DVD combo drive, the upgrade to a more versatile double-layer DVD burner costs just $80. Every Tecra S3 includes a Trusted Platform Module for hardware data encryption.
In keeping with its business focus, the Tecra S3 runs on Microsoft Windows XP Professional, and its software bundle includes the Microsoft Works 8 minisuite, Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 note-taking software, and a handful of applications for viewing and burning discs.
Our Tecra S3 test unit included an odd mix of components, including a midrange 1.73GHz Pentium M processor, a small 40GB, 5,400rpm hard drive, an Nvidia GeForce Go 6600 graphics card with 64MB of dedicated VRAM, and a paltry 256MB of swift 533MHz RAM (although you can pack up to 2GB of memory chips into the system). On CNET Labs' mobile benchmarks, the Tecra S3 excelled at neither performance nor battery life. It ran 30 percent behind a similarly configured, $1,049 ThinkPad R52 and 24 percent behind the $950 Gateway NX500X, which had a slower processor and hard drive. Sacrificing performance doesn't even get you more battery life; the Tecra S3's battery lasted just 2 hours, 35 minutes--20 minutes less than the Gateway's and a full hour less than the ThinkPad's.
The Tecra S3's comes with a one-year warranty, which is disappointing compared with the three-year warranties on the ThinkPad R52 and on similarly priced business systems offered by competitors Dell and HP. An upgrade to three years on the Toshiba costs an additional $100. That said, Toshiba does provide one of the best global-support safety nets for mobile businesspeople, with repair facilities in all of the major business capitals. You'll find a wealth of materials online, ranging from software updates to troubleshooting help to an automated response system. If you prefer to interact with a human, helpful technicians are available 24/7 via a toll-free phone call or e-mail. For more detailed information about warranties and service plans, check out Computer Shopper's overview of 37 major computer vendors.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 | BAPCo's MobileMark 2002 performance rating | Â Â |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
| BAPCo's MobileMark 2002 battery-life minutes | Â Â |
Find out more about how we test Windows notebooks.
System configurations:
Gateway NX500X
Windows XP Home; 1.7GHz Intel Pentium M 735; 512MB DDR SDRAM PC2700 333MHz; Intel 82852/82855 64MB; Hitachi Travelstar 4K40 40GB 4,200rpm
ThinkPad R52
Windows XP Pro; 1.73GHz Intel Pentium M 735; 512MB DDR2 SDRAM PC3200 400MHz; Intel 915GM/GMS 910GML Express 128MB; Hitachi 5K100 40GB 5,400rpm
Toshiba Tecra S3-S411TD
Windows XP Pro; 1.73GHz Intel Pentium M 740; 256MB DDR2 SDRAM PC2700 266MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 6600 64MB; Toshiba MK4032GSX 40GB 5,400rpm