Latest Lapops

Toshiba didn’t offer more-recent drivers, either, and I couldn’t install standard Nvidia mobile drivers. So, in my tests, stereoscopic 3D for games was a no-show.

Fortunately, 3D Blu-ray movies fared a bit better in my tests. Alice in Wonderland (the 3D version with Johnny Depp) and the 3D Tron: Legacy both worked quite well in the supplied Toshiba Blu-ray playback software, in that the three-dimensional effect kicked in. However, the auto-stereoscopic playback has some serious limitations: The frame resolution drops to 1280 by 720, and you can see a “screen door” effect. Also, if you shift your head slightly, the viewpoint shifts in large increments, not smoothly as with glasses-based 3D. Overall, 3D viewing isn't really a pleasant experience. Stick with normal 2D.

Audio playback is a pleasant surprise. Vocals in music sound a touch nasal; stereo imaging is good, however, and the sound is full-bodied, though lacking deep bass. The sound quality in movies is even better, with clear dialogue that doesn’t get lost in the mix. Credit goes to the Harman-Kardon speakers, which we’ve heard on other Toshiba laptops and consider a big plus.

The F755-3D290 supplies a healthy mix of ports, including one SuperSpeed (USB 3.0) connection on the right side. Also on the right are a pair of audio jacks and a USB 2.0 port. Two more USB connections are on the left edge, as are VGA and HDMI video outputs. Ethernet and power are on the rear, and an SD Card slot resides in the lower front of the chassis. The laptop ships with gigabit ethernet and 802.11n Wi-Fi. Although Toshiba specifies Bluetooth 3.0 as well, we found no trace of Bluetooth hardware or software on the F755-3D290.

The software bundle is limited, mostly consisting of Norton Internet Security trialware, Toshiba utilities, the ad-supported Microsoft Office Starter edition, and Windows Live Essentials. Documentation is in a PDF file and completely generic, with no help offered on model-specific features, such as the auto-stereoscopic 3D.