Toshiba Satellite A205 and Satellite P205 Notebooks Announced

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Toshiba today is launching a couple of new consumer notebooks. The Satellite A205 is a Vista loaded 15.4&quot; widescreen notebook that features a built-in web camera, Core 2 Duo processor, LabelFlash optical drive and Intel 802.11n wireless. The Satellite P205 is a larger 17&quot; screen Vista notebook that also offers a web camera, Core 2 Duo, LabelFlash and 802.11n wireless.

Toshiba Satellite A205

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The Satellite A205 is a 15.4&quot; widescreen from Toshiba that adopts yet another evolutionary design for the company -- this time adding a glowing &quot;Toshiba&quot; logo to the lid and backlit &quot;Satellite&quot; logo on the front of the notebook. Toshiba is also offering the A205 with an Onyx Metallic Blue coloration instead of just a plain silver or black.

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Outside of design Toshiba is offering a couple more new features for its consumer line: 802.11n in the form of the Intel 4965AGN wireless card and a LabelFlash optical drive. Labelflash is essentially the same technology as HP's LightScribe that allows you to etch labels onto a DVD using the optical drive laser (if you have LabelFlash media discs). Toshiba is also including a web camera built-into the screen bezel at the top of the notebook display. The specs for the lowest configuration Toshiba Satellite A205 are as follows:

Satellite A205-S4577 ($999)

• OS:Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
• Processor: Intel® Core 2 Duo Processor T5300 1.73GHz, 2MB L2, 533MHz FSB with 64-bit
• Memory / RAM: 1024MB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM memory
• Hard Drive: 160GB (5400 RPM) Serial-ATA (SATA) hard disk drive
• Optical Drive: DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive
• Display: 15.4-inch diagonal widescreen TruBrite display1280x800 native resolution (XWGA)
• Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• Wireless: Intel PRO/Wireless Network Connection 3945ABG (802.11a/b/g)
• Embedded webcam with built-in microphone
• Weight: 6.29lbs
• Dimensions: Height 1.6 in x Width 14.3 in x Depth 10.5 in
• Ports / Slots: ExpressCard 54 slot, 5-in-1 media card reader, FireWire, S-Video, 4 USB 2.0 ports, line-out for headphones (front) and microphone,

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If you're willing to spend a bit more for upgrades, you can get the Satellite A205-S4639 for $1,549.99 with the following improvements:

• OS: Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate
• Hard Drive:   280GB (5400 RPM) using two Serial-ATA (SATA) hard disk drives (Primary: 120GB + Secondary: 160GB)
• Optical Drive: DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) with Labelflash drive supporting 11 formats
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 with 128MB DDR2 discrete graphics memory
• Wireless:  Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965 AGN (802.11a/g/n)
• Fingerprint reader

So this is another solid 15.4&quot; consumer notebook from Toshiba with an attractive price offering and good looking design. It's interesting to see they're releasing this notebook now just ahead of the Intel Santa Rosa release and not adopting that technology into a 15.4&quot; screen notebook, but Toshiba willl likely have something else to fill that role later on.

 

Toshiba Satellite P205

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The Satellite P205 is essentially the bigger brother of the Satellite A105 and will seemingly replace the existing Satellite P105 17&quot; screen notebook. The P205 is large, most certainly a desktop style replacement notebook, and includes a number pad on the keyboard. The first few models available in the P205 line will not have dedicated graphics, just Intel integrated graphics. The emphasis will be on great price initially with the P205. Here's an example configuration of the baseline model Satellite P205-S6237 that costs $999:

• OS: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
• Processor: Intel Pentium Dual Core Processor T2080, 1.73 GHz, 1MB L2, 533MHz FSB
• Memory / RAM: 1024MB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM
• Hard Drive: 120GB (5400 RPM) Serial-ATA (SATA) hard drive
• Optical Drive: DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) with Labelflash drive supporting 11 formats
• Screen:  17-inch diagonal widescreen TruBrite display 1440x900 native resolution (WXGA+)
• Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• Wireless:  Atheros 802.11b/g wireless-LAN
• Embedded webcam with built-in microphone
• Ports and Slots: ExpressCard/34 and ExpressCard/54, 5-in-1 media card reader, video out, S-Video, headphone out, microphone in, FireWire, 4 Port USB ports
• Weight: 7.2lbs
• Dimensions: Height 1.8in x Width 15.7 in x Depth 11.3 in

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The Satellite P205 has the same design look as the A205, just bigger. It will have the same illuminated Toshiba logo lid and backlit Satellite logo on the front. If you want a higher end configuration of the P205 you can go for the P205-S6287 with the following improvements over the base model:

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5300 1.73 GHz, 2MB L2, 533MHz FSB
• Memory:  2048MB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM
• Hard Drive:  200GB (4200 RPM) Serial-ATA (SATA) hard drive
• Optical Drive: DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) with Labelflash drive supporting 11 formats
• Wireless: Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965 AGN (802.11a/g/n)

The price of the above configuration comes to $1,349.99.

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Although you can't see it in these pictures, based on some pictures leaked on another website, you can see that the touchpad will have the dual touch and scrolling ability. There's also a top row of multimedia keys above the keyboard and harman/kardon speakers to provide the sound.

Overall this is a sleek looking notebook, even the keyboard has been given some style loving with the white/grey keys and font used. Let's hope Toshiba offers some more juiced up and powerful configurations down the road, but for now the mainstream notebook buyers of the world have another great Toshiba laptop to consider.

 

Glowing "look at me" logos? Sign me up! OK, while I don't mind the... "understated" look of my current laptop, style never hurts and if it is competitively priced, I would imagine it would get a lot of attention from the budget buyer (I don't know how good it is US prices wise)

 

looking good, i love that they have increased the harddisk space. the white top/keyboard/palmrest looks good but might look dirty more quickly than a black one does. not sure if they beat HP in the looks department though.

oh is it just me; or every laptop maker nowdays fit those annoying hinge that doesn't extend 180 degrees.

 

are these santa rosa?

 

GMA 950 in a 17"?!

 

santa rosa is only in one hp laptops now, do not remember symbol

 

Well, it also reduces the height of the laptop when it's opened, and that's key in some situations, such as on a plane. That extra 1" of height difference can make such a huge difference.

Oh, am I the only on that thinks those Toshiba logos are HUGE? And wow, they managed to fit two hard drives into a 15.4" laptop that isn't like 8 lbs...

 

Looks like they are out at CompUSA already and discounted too: P205-S6237

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?&ref=cj&pfp=cj&product_code=344553

 

No they are not Santa Rosa, nothing until May for that.

 

hmmm... thats strange... toshiba should have gotten santa rosa from intel right now. but judging by the timing and some not-so-santa-rosa-looking spec sheet (providing they're correct).

i wonder why toshiba launch this laptop right now, why not wait till santa rosa, then launch a new laptop, that's what dell usually done? pricing concern, bugs/problem concern.....?

oh how come the FSB is 533mhz. isn't the T5300 has 667mhz FSB?

 

I hate how all the new laptops have these hinges because then all the ports and up being on the side. Having cords coming out of the sides just doesn't look nice when a laptop sends most of its life on a desk

 

I don't see myself using a 17" on a plane...

 

Yea I agree, the side ports can get very annoying, and they look far too cluttered.

This Toshiba seems nice, but they need higher resolution screens. IMO 1280 by 800 is way too low a resolution for 15". At least give 1440 by 900 on 15" and have a 1680 by 1050 option. Dell does this, I'm still unsure why all the other manufacturers are so reluctant to offer higher resolution screen options on their 15" systems.

 

well so far these laptops are all for show and not performance. it would be nice if they released good looking systems with great performance specs. 533mhz RAM? not even mid-range graphics? guess in time theyll introduce the good systems.

 

What do we get when we combine the styling of the Dell XPS M170, Sony VAIO FJ, and Apple Macbook? Why the A205 and P205 of course.

edit: and $1549 for the GeForce 7300 configuration? That's outrageous! It better be built like a tank. I can the exact same thing from Acer for $600 less.

 

god it looks like laptops are taking after cars who wants a HUGE stupid logo on the back of the laptop I remember lets say a 86 honda accord the honda emblem was maybe a inch and a half wide now the new accord has a GIANT one smack dab in the middle of the grill jess keep the logos small.

 

The 15" Macbook will be up for some real competition...

 

these models have been available at couple of computer stores 3 weeks ago... i see that they have dual HDD on 15" models which is pretty cool. the thickness is still the same.

 

I think they look like previous Toshiba models with a white and blackish color sceem rather than silver and black. Still with the colored metallic lid. So it isn't a dramatic redesign. Still they don't look bad. I'm not so sure I would want a big glowing Toshiba logo, that sounds like an idea they got from Apple that doesn't really work well for Toshiba.

 

Onyx Metallic Blue... kinda reminds me of oxymoron...

 

Why these systems are not customizable? I want built in bluetooth

 

I'm looking at P205-S6237 and there's no doubt that Toshiba made that configuration just to prove that they can offer a 17" under $1000. Both "desktop replacement" are desktop replacements for a computer illiterate only.

 

Glowing logo.. don't think so..

 

It seems Toshiba is so proud at these models , it bothered to put its signature in such a bold way .

Its not fair to judge them by dry sepc/look only but to me they don't look too hot and those hinges could block any rear side usage .

I'll just say when you pay xxxx$ for those , you pay to be a big walking neon advertisment .

 

I'm pretty sure it's just because these are the models intended for the retail space. You will surely be able to custom configure models on the toshibadirect.com site.

 

http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cdetland.to?poid=379367

- Trip

 

There was two very interesting features I noticed, other than that backlit logo:
1. It has a normal keyboard, no more of that convoluted layout that I hate!!! I can now legitimately consider a Toshiba notebook.
2. There is an option for a 250GB (single) 4200RPM hard drive....I didn't know that they came that big. I'm still stuck on the 200GB 5400RPM and 160GB 7.2k drives. Bah, tech moves too quickly these days.

 

I like the new design far better than the old; the overall shape is similar but the color scheme of the new is much more appealing. I actually like the glowing logos; hopefully they are not too bright.

Reminds me of the R400 tablet:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3592&review=Toshiba+R400

 

I have this computer on my lap right now.17" model P205-S6267 this is really nice computer. i picked it up at bestbuy this week for $999 + tax... For everything in this thing I thought the price was decent. Is very fast, the key board is set up nicely. I saw the older models, and I really like the way this is set up. The logo you guys are talking about on the lid, the letters are a little over 3/4" tall... Yes it seems large, but not really noticable with the screen up and the way I figure it, I think you should be proud of your computer if you love it, so why not let people know what you have. And with the fan, I have too put my hand by the air vents on the left side just too see if they are working, very quite so far. So far after a couple days, very nice, I have Xp on my desk top, and vista now with lap top, I really like Vista with all it has too offer.