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We like the U845W for its powerful speakers and attractive, portable design. It's just not the most practical system, and though $1,000 is palatable in a world of high-priced Ultrabooks, you can find faster, longer-lasting Ultrabooks for a similar price.

I was immediately prepared to dislike this machine for simply being ‘too different.’ But after actually using it for a while, it eventually won me over.

Among the standout features of the laptop were its battery life and its speakers... Despite these features, the Toshiba U845W is still a niche product that, for now, will likely appeal to only true cinephiles or multitaskers.

The media-geared Toshiba Satellite U845W has an extrawide 21:9 screen and Harman-Kardon speakers, but no DVD or Blu-ray player. The screen is a novelty act that offers some benefits, but it's really no better than your standard laptop for most uses.

This elegant-looking laptop targets movie buffs, but it's not a good choice for productivity or gaming.

Toshiba's widescreen experiment compares pretty favorably to the 1366x768 screens that glut the Ultrabook and low-to-mid-end laptop markets, but in most cases a higher-resolution 16:9 display is going to be a better choice.

There's more and more 21x9 content out there.... So there's room for an honest, premium machine that takes advantage of it, and then uses its mutant width in creative ways, either with traditional Windows or in Metro. But the U845W isn't that machine. Not yet.

The Toshiba Satellite U845W-S410 will attract movie lovers craving extra-widescreen entertainment, but the 21:9 display winds up being more of an inconvenient gimmick than a feature.

It's a little bit different, and we'd hazard a guess that only a few people will be sold by Toshiba's extra-wide display. For those who do get the appeal, they'll also find a well-built, well-featured laptop, with better than usual audio.

I’m not convinced that a laptop with a 21:9 aspect ratio display makes sense if you view it as a computer built for watching videos... If the Toshiba Satellite U845W had a user replaceable battery, a keyboard I enjoyed typing on, and a cheaper SSD option, I would seriously consider picking one up...

Toshiba has taken a brave step in being the first to introduce a ‘cinematic’, ultra widescreen laptop into the market. The Satellite U840W is an all-round goody bag combining generally premium build and materials with a usable backlit keyboard ... along with good battery life.

Its super-wide 21:9 aspect ratio screen makes Toshiba's 14.4-inch ultrabook ideal for the latest movies and videos, but a bit ungainly for everyday use.