Toshiba Satellite U920T hybrid Ultrabook

Toshiba has taken the hybrid Ultrabook concept and put it on the rails. Its Satellite U920T (PSUL1A-00S001) is a 12.5in, Windows 8 model with a screen that slides over its keyboard base. You can use it as a tablet or as a laptop, but it's designed primarily with the tablet form factor in mind, and the screen is always exposed in an out-facing position to reinforce this usage model. As such, the U920T is one of the first hybrids we've seen to move away from the folding clamshell design.

 

Features and design

Physically, the U920T weighs 1.5kg, feels solidly constructed and it includes a very useful configuration for those of us that require good performance and connectivity features in a tablet device: there is an Intel Core i5-3317U CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 256GB solid state drive (220GB formatted capacity), while the sides have a full-sized HDMI port, an SD card slot and two USB 3.0 ports. Indeed, it's the perfect tablet-style device for those of us that need to be able to plug in large displays, memory cards from a camera, and USB sticks or fast external hard drives. It also has front and rear cameras, built-in Bluetooth and 802.11n Wi-Fi, but it is single-band only via an Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2230 adapter. The other hybrids we've seen so far support dual-band operation. It supports WiDi though (Intel Wireless Display), which is convenient.

To use the U920T as a tablet, all you have to do is switch it on. The power button is located on the left side of the unit, right next to volume controls and an auto-rotation screen lock. There is a physical Windows Home key on the bezel, which allows you to get back to the Start screen (or Desktop) very easily. The screen itself is capacitive and it performed well in our tests. Windows 8-specific gestures worked without fault and we didn't have any problems sliding our fingers across the screen to close, switch or re-arrange apps using the Snap feature. However, when using the touchscreen on the desktop, some small targets, such as the window close, restore and maximise icons, were a little hard to hit. But overall, the touch experience on this screen is a very enjoyable one.

Reviews :

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