Toshiba's Intel Wireless Display-supporting Satellite E205 now shipping for $900
By Darren Murph 
posted January 19th 2010 4:58PM
posted January 19th 2010 4:58PM
posted January 19th 2010 4:58PM
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I saw one of these at Best Buy yesterday, really didn't like the design one bit.
@Paul This laptop tips the scales at a mere 5.1 pounds,, measuring no more than 1.2" thin while boasting the all-new Intel Core i5-430M processor with Turbo Boost Technology to provide above average performance while you're at work. Not so shabby details: http://bit.ly/toshiba-e205-details
another $100 for that receiver box? wireless keyboard with touchpad is just $50
@htd
This week it's free if you buy the package at Best Buy. So, just get it now if you got the money.
@shadowj0 The Netgear Push2TV adapter is always bundled for free! It's not a limited time offer.
@garryweil
Ah, you're right. Correct because of the new tech available to the masses... hey, you could always think the laptop is now $800 instead of $900, if you give the Push2TV a $100 price.
have I just been living in the apple bubble for way too long or is this actually really awesome specs for the money?
@safe travels
jupp, outside of the apple world you get great specs for under a grand, but as you see, most brands dont get the design right. also the durability isnt comparable.
The laptop is very cool, but the WiDi device is unresponsive and making the picture lagging. You'll also think since its hooked through a hdmi cord the picture will be clear, it looks all 420i. Laptop is cool, WiDi concept/attempt is NOT.
@Alchemsit
chill out, widi is extremely new and we can be thankful that it hits the market so soon. when widi gets pumped up to full hd an gets more reliable, it will rock (at least my) socks off
Played around with one of these at Best Buy yesterday. I actually kind of like the look and style (seems considerably nicer than the last few gens of Toshiba design). The main complaint I'd probably have with it would be the keyboard, which was really squishy and flexy - compared to the very rigid Dell and Sony laptops that are also part of Best Buy's Blue Label 2.0 (the main common thread I can see seems to be they all have this Intel Wireless Display tech), I think the keyboard would be enough to make me choose one of the other two over the Toshiba.
What's the hesitation? Well, for me personally:
1. WiDi, while cool, isn't that useful. So there goes the main draw over any other midrange wintel laptop
2. No decent graphics
3. Because of 2, no bluray.
4. Most importantly, it's not a mac. And you don't even get the consolation prize of Bluray.
@iCello What? Intel graphics can do Blu-ray: http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/quick-reference-guide-to-intel-integrated-graphics/
This laptop has a very poor display, very dim. Just like all the other basic cheap laptops have. I had bought the Sony model at Best Buy Sunday and returned it yesterday. Buyer beware.
I don't want "WiDi". I wan't non proprietary (ie standards based) multimedia over multicast. Imaging one day having all your feeds heading into you LAN and being able to receive those feeds from anywhere in your house. Listening to the morning news? In a hurry, but saw something interesting coming up? No need to have multiple receivers, just listen to the audio portion through network attached speakers while you take your shower. Watching a movie with the fam? Pipe it over to the kitchen for 10 minutes while you start dinner, no need to interrupt or pause. Push from anywhere into network, pull from anywhere in network. Wireless or no.
This laptop has been on sale for a like a week already at my bestbuy.
What are your comments based on? Did you just try this at the store, or use it at home, or what?
And no, it doesn't support 1080i at the moment, but is apparently limited to 720p, which should be entirely adequate for internet video for the moment, which is what I want it for.
Lag? Its not going to work well for gaming. Thats a given. For internet video though I could care less about lag...
On WiDi: will someone please hack this to be compatible with Atheros and Broadcom WIFI chipsets? I don't want to buy an Intel WIFI card since it won't work in MacOS. Also, will someone please hack this to work with Nvidia and GMA950 GPU chipsets? Also, AMD kids will want this tech too.
I think this should be relatively stutter-free and low latency using 5 GHz 802.11n. Nilay said the demo on the Engadget show was using 802.11g, although somehow I doubt that was the case. I assume that demo must have used some variant of MIMO. I was amazed that all of the smartphones in the audience didn't interfere at all.
Some of you may respond that this tech is locked to Intel products for a number of reasons. For example the WIFI chipsets may support multiple streams in a way that most chipsets do not. However, I can't imagine that CPU/northbridge would have much of an effect unless encryption is involved...the new Core iX processors would of course help with that. As for GPUs, the newer Intel variants are certainly much more powerful than the old GMA950, but I have trouble thinking of any feature on an Intel GPU that an Nvidia model doesn't have.
Someone, please unlock this tech! Centrino is just marketing and nothing more! And I say that as a very loving Intel kid.
@nightalon
Yeah, working on it. I've got a beta up and running in five minutes.
...
No, seriously. This tech is pretty damn advanced. It's very unlikely that this'll be hacked any time soon or even in the long term. It requires as you said a multi-stream Wifi adapter, it uses very very custom drivers from what I could see at the Engadget Show, and it's pretty much an unprecedented feature. I think you can forget about this version ever making it to other platforms, though I've no doubt future versions or similar systems from other vendors will, in time, allow for the same thing.
Wireless USB, I'm looking at you.
this thing looks like shit. how hard would it be to make a decent looking pc? except for my nokia booklet LOL
What a cheap looking piece of plastic.