Toshiba Satellite E205 (with Intel Wireless Display) review
By Joanna Stern 
posted February 1st 2010 10:46AM
posted February 1st 2010 10:46AM
Exclusively sold at Best Buy as part of its Blue Label program, the 15-inch Core i5-powered laptop is outfitted with Intel's Wireless Display -- what we've taken to calling WiDi -- which wirelessly connects the laptop to any HDTV using the included Netgear with just the push of a button. But can you really watch Hulu on the big screen without leaving your couch? And is the E205 even a laptop you'd want to use in the first place? We've been "testing" it -- or watching loads of web video on our TV -- for the last couple of days to find out. Read on for our full review!
Look and feel
The 1.2-inch thick, 5.1-pound E205 doesn't fall into the thin and light category, but for a 14-inch mainstream laptop it's actually fairly trim. There's also enough space to house a number of ports, including two USB ports, a combo USB/e-SATA, HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, a card reader, mic and headphone jacks and a slot-loading optical drive. Obviously, the entirely-plastic machine doesn't feel as sturdy as a metal-clad system, like the Envy 15 or a MacBook Pro, but its accelerometer-protected hard drive should help it withstand some bumps and bruises.
Keyboard, touchpad and screen
Like many other recent laptops, the trackpad is flush with the case and differentiated only by a rougher surface, which we found comfortable on our index finger. It also supports multitouch gestures, and while two-finger scrolling actually worked well we disabled the pinch-to-zoom function because it, like lots of other pads we've been seeing, was overly sensitive. However, we just don't recommend you to use the pad in conjunction with the stiff right and left mouse buttons. We're sure they can be broken in, but the side of our thumb actually showed some irritation from having to press so hard.
The 14-inch, 1366 x 768 resolution LED screen is plenty bright, and watching an episode of Cougar Town was crisp, though we're not sure even the nicest OLED screen could make the show appear halfway decent. But the glossiness gets in the way of things, not to mention tilting the screen back to about an 135 degree angle caused parts of the screen to be unviewable. Horizontal viewing angles, on the other hand, weren't too bad.
Wireless display performance
Once our desktop showed up on our TV it was smooth operating, though there's a noticeable two second lag between what happens on the laptop and what shows up on screen. That actually didn't bother us as much as you'd think since the video and audio on the TV were completely in sync. For instance, watching a 720p YouTube video of Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA" at full screen was smooth and sounded great. It was the same case with a 1080p Iron Man 2 trailer in both QuickTime and Windows Media Player, but it was only output at 1280 x 768 since the technology doesn't support full 1080p HD playback yet -- it's fixed at 720p. We didn't have much of an issue with distance given that our couch was only about 15 feet away from the TV, but even when we walked about 50 feet away from the TV the laptop's content showed clearly on the TV. By the way, the setup also works awesomely as a wireless music solution; playing our Pandora channel over our home theater's speakers sounded superb. Sonos, what?
So, what are the issues? The E205's display can only be mirrored, so extending the desktop to a TV is out of the question. Dragging a video to the TV to free up the E205's screen to chat or send e-mails would be great, but isn't going to happen right now. Additionally, WiDi also doesn't support playback of DRM'd DVDs or Blu-ray discs; when we tried to watch Empire Records on the E205's on-board DVD player we got sound, but no picture on both the laptop and the TV. Good thing we had an actual DVD player. But regardless of these hold ups, we've got to say hooking up a laptop to a TV to watch content is mindblowingly easy, and call us lazy, but the fact that you don't have to get up from the couch is wonderful.
Performance and battery life
| PCMark Vantage |
3DMark06 | |
| Toshiba Satellite E205 (2.2GHz Core i5, GMA HD) | 5187 |
1920 |
| Acer Aspire 5738PG (2.55GHz Core 2 Duo, ATI Radeon 4570) | 4049 |
3098 |
| Lenovo ThinkPad Edge (1.3GHz Core 2 Duo, GMA) | 2955 | 905 |
As for graphics, the E205 sticks with just Intel's integrated GMA HD which was just fine for playing local as well as streaming 1080p video. When it came to gaming we could keep up with slaying gnomes in WoW at an average of 27fps (set at native resolution), but when we attempted to throw some punches in Batman: Arkham Asylum the 8fps didn't cut it. We should also mention that the $999 model includes 500GB of storage which is a downright good deal.
The E205's six-cell, 63Wh battery busted out a decent 3 and a half hours on our video rundown test with brightness set to 65 percent. That isn't as long as a netbook or ULV laptop, but we got about four and a half hours of use when just writing and surfing the web which isn't too bad for this class of laptop. Toshiba's loaded up this puppy with its typical proprietary software, including its Bulletin Board and ReelTime applications. However, it's what Best Buy's put on that's a bit peeving -- the Best Buy Software Installer, which is basically a digital version of the retailer's box software aisle, popped up more often than we'd like.
Wrap-up
wow. so your cold beverage of choice after a long day of work when you want to be just chillin' out max and relaxin all cool is a red bull? look at you.
@Anonymoose +1, I love how it's turned around, as if noone recognises the brand.
Screw you Engadget - you're getting cheques from Red Bull as well as Apple now!!
@FORDY
in keeping with comments not related to the actual article, i like how she has that chair setup next to the tv. it looks like it's the chair for guests she doesn't like.
"hey guys, thanks for coming to my viewing party of the jersey shore! ziegler and laura (oh look at how excited you guys are!) can sit with me on the couch. umm...josh tops? you, uh, you take that chair over there."
"but i can't see the screen. let me just move it."
"you move that chair and you die!"
"sheesh, lay off the redbull, stern."
stern sternly looks down at josh tops. josh quails under her unrelenting gaze. he quietly sits in the chair and weeps. joanna nods to herself multiple times and pulls a deer leg dripping blood out of her purse and chews away menacingly. they commence with watching the jersey shore marathon and joy abounds for all save one.
@FORDY And Starbucks paid me to drink the coffee I have on my desk right now. You know, just in case I have to shoot a tech related video.
@Anonymoose
I played with this laptop too actually - and she is 100% right about the touchpad buttons. theyre stiff like a double jack and coke.
Great idea but I think my HDMI cable works just fine, thanks
@thetoad
Yep, I can just leave my laptop next to my TV and use a wireless mouse(and keyboard) and get "REAL TIME" response in full HD instead of this 2 second lag which makes it unbearable for anything but movie watching. There's going to be a lot of returns on this thing when people realize the lag.
@thetoad
you're right, it does. and screw wifi, hooking up my internet via ethernet cable works just fine, thanks.
@lespaul85
wouldn't the main benefit of this thing be for viewing media? if i'm just browsing the web, i'm using the laptop screen. i'd only want to use the tv when i'm watching a video and maybe playing some awesome games like solitaire.
yes.. like my old wired telephone. Have to go now! Post a letter in the mailbox 3 block away..
@thetoad And screw wireless remote controls. I can get up off the couch to change the channel and never have to worry about changing pesky batteries. :)
@thetoad
Hooking up the Mac mini to a 40 inch screen and playing WoW with wireless keyboard and mouse is a blast. Just saying...
@thetoad
I'll stick to playing videos on my big screen through the use of my $99 SlingCatcher with the SlingProjector software running on my computer. It the most impressive aspect of the SlingProjector. The ability to grab just a small window of my computer's screen and send it out to the TV is huge. I love my SlignCatcher...thanks SlingMedia.
@thetoad
You guys have it all wrong - if something's worth seeing, it's worth the walk to see it, none of this namby-pamby 'tele-viewing'.
@thetoad What does this wireless thing do to the battery life? If I have to keep my laptop charged, I'd still be plugging something in.
Hmmm, no extended desktop is a deal breaker for me. If I just wanted to watch a video from my laptop to my TV, I would connect it VIA HDMI.
The thought of WIDI for me, would be watching a video on the TV, whilst browsing the web or playing some poker on the laptop.
@sethmo
I know...when ever some simple trivial task is described as if it's the most inconvenient and labour intensive activity known to man on gadget blogs it always makes me wonder how lazy have we all gotten.
I have a spare HDMI cable that just sits there for when I want to connect my netbook. It takes less than a second. Does millions of dollars of R&D really need to go towards doing away with a single second activity?
The clowns above comparing this to old wired phones, Ethernet cables or sending mail via the post office...those are tasks that were made easier/more portable by technology. If my laptop can only show the media and I can't use it, I don't CARE how portable it is.
While this seems pretty sweet, it's still no match for having a dedicated box hooked up to your TV.
I bought a used C2D MacBook for $400, loaded up Leopard on it, docked it to my TV/Stereo/External storage, and I use Mac OS X's Screen Sharing application on my couch-side MacBook to control the docked MacBook.
It is absolutely supreme, being able to use your laptop as an ultimate remote control, not to mention that you can still browse the web, chat, etc. on the couch-side laptop, without all of it showing up on the big screen, since you actually have TWO computers. Anyone who currently uses a MacBook should check this solution out. It just makes way more sense than having to pay the premium for any other sort of Wireless HD hardware/interface. To my knowledge, W7 doesn't have this feature, though I'm sure you can fire up remote desktop with little hassle.
@crawdad689
There is actually tons of software to do that been around for years. I actually use my android phone to control my Windows 7 box connected to my tv now but I used to use a laptop in the past.
I see this wireless tech more for just those times when you want to see things on your TV, which for me is pretty much just bluray and tv shows using whatever application. I don't really want to have my tv as my extended desktop because I need that on my monitor. Hopefully 1080p and protected content will be available soon, seems like a great solution to me.
@crawdad689
Only thing is don't you have to leave the laptop's screen open all the time in order for it to work? One thing that annoys me about my MB is that I can't shut the lid and tell it not to go to sleep or anything.
If it did 1080p and protected content like bluray it would be such an ideal solution for what I am looking for. Hopefully it will happen soon.
Wow, is it me - or is the display on the laptop a much better image?
"Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA" at full screen was smooth and sounded great"
Really? Sounded 'great'? I find it hard to believe that Miley would ever sound 'great'. This must be magic tech! Next thing you know, the Jonas Brothers will be 'wonderful' :-)
@Ecosse Heck it wasn't even smooth, I noticed lag in between the frames, But I'm a bit to picky about things....
Remove that overscan please!
Any plans to review the Dell or Sony? I'm getting ready to buy one or the other this week. This Toshiba is too glossy and just plain ugly, to me.
@MBN Yep, planning on it, but not sure how soon. The WiDi on all of them should work the same though.
You'd only be starring at a screen if you talked like a pirate.
Why Miley Cyrus? Why? Why do you hate us so?!?
@Tes
seriously +1 "not sure you can have too much Miley..." o yes, that was far to much Miley lol
"Once our desktop showed up on our TV it was smooth operating..."
c'mon Joanna! proofread your articles before posting.
@hariss
Uhh...that's perfectly fine. It's like the expression "smooth sailing". I don't think she meant to say "operating smoothly". Try to think of alternate possible meanings before you jump down someone's throat to call them wrong.
"Everyone loves Miley"... Last time I checked NOBODY cared about her...
"Once our desktop showed up on our TV it was smooth operating, though there's a noticeable two second lag between what happens on the laptop and what shows up on screen. "
I stopped reading after that.
Sorry, not acceptable to me, just another crippled intel fad technology that's not ready for the masses yet.
How can they make such good CPUs but suck at video and graphics and storage adapters and basically everything else?
@(Unverified)
Also, forgot to mention (god I wish engadget had an EDIT function), that this "2 second lag" would make this wireless display technology impossible to use for gaming. Proves my point that this isn't polished technology yet and isn't ready yet, but it's being pushed anyways -- Typical intel.
@(Unverified)
If you're watching a 2-hour movie and don't touch the laptop during that time you wouldn't even notice the 2 second difference. Of course i assume the difference remains constant for the whole time, if it did not, that would be a disaster.
I'd be happy to use this instead of HDMI.
@(Unverified)
What about for gaming though? It would not work _at_all_ ... plus the fact that it's limited to 720p...
Too many "cons" just to be able to not use a wire.
@(Unverified)
Yes, gaming wouldn't work at all, but i for example only use HDMI for movies so the lag wouldn't be much of a problem.
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 and the price is sub-1K USD, Highly-impressive indeed. Details: http://bit.ly/toshiba-e205-details
Argh, my eyes! Turn on the image stabilizer on your camera!
2 second lag seems like a fatal flaw. I would imagine early adopters will want to use it for presentations in conference rooms. Two second delay on Powerpoint clicks is going to be aggravating. The next early adopters will be AV home theater geeks, and I can only imagine the hell that it will be trying to skip through content (bypassing commercials, or skipping chapters) using a remote control, etc. I have had the content lag by 1/2 second and it made it damn near unusable.
So it sounds like the only viable way to make this work is to actually watch the laptop screen while controlling the content. At which point it seems silly in a lot of instances.
This is kind of a terrible review of the laptop itself. For example, you don't even talk about the speakers, which Best Buy customer reviews indicate might be the worst laptop speakers ever.
Anyone remember WebTV? This is what it should have been!
Red Bull and Vodka. :)
Crummy laptop, cheap, dull non bright LCD screen. I returned the Sony version at Best Buy.
Glad to scroll up and see that a woman wrote this. I was beginning to worry a man owned that furniture.
As for the tech, if I am ever able to get decent internet I would love to have this, until then watching any video from the web is a pain. 4G is my only hope because AT&T doesn't give a rip about their DSL speed here. Though if it's really solid I could see using if for full time monitor connection when at home though. Don't need internet speed for that. :)
@Cringer
A would have been my first choice. :) Do you think the cable box is rated to have a TV sitting on top of it? :) It's usuall the other way around...but it does look nicer that way.
@IO
You may wanna proofread that. Just sayin'. ;)
Those connectors on the back are not component, they're composite video and stereo audio. Unless Netgear went completely nuts and is trying to redefine what yellow, white, and red jacks mean.
nice review. thanks.
It looks great. It's for those times I guess when you found a nice youtube video in the house and instead of calling your roommate to come and watch on the small laptop screen you can switch the tv and watch it on the big screen instead.
And you don't have to go and setup yet another pc for a dedicated media pc.