You may now push your stereo, VCR, and TV off a bridge, because the Qosmio is here. Capturing the hearts and eyeballs of home consumer electronics enthusiasts, this notebook can do everything your home theater can, thanks to virtual surround-sound speakers and a display bright enough to light up a room. On paper, Qosmio seems to be the ideal entertainment notebook for apartments, dorm rooms, bedrooms, or even kitchens.
At its core, the Qosmio is an all-in-one consumer electronics component that just so happens to be a Centrino computer. Even turned off, the laptop still works as a TV and DVD/CD player. The Qosmio uses a small version of Linux to start a media application that enables basic DVD or CD playback using either the media keys or one of two included remote controls (more on that later). It takes about 9 seconds to fire up the TV tuner and about 25 seconds to begin playing a DVD.
Because this laptop uses Windows Media Center Edition, it supports full DVR capabilities as well as Microsoft's highly stylized but simple interface for managing your music, photos, and videos.
Appearance-wise, the Qosimo is a heavy but not-too-big square desktop replacement with a 1.7-GHz Pentium M processor and 802.11g wireless. The keyboard is stiff and spacious, although the Caps Lock and Tab keys are much smaller than normal, and the tiny arrow keys are difficult to get used to. The trackpad is standard, with a center scroll button, and there is a full set of ten AV keys above the keyboard. Another nice feature is a volume wheel on the right side for when the remote decides to hide under the sofa.
Toshiba has included a fast-for-a-notebook 8X DVD burner, as well as Intervideo's WinDVD Creator 2. For those who don't own a digital camcorder, Toshiba includes a composite-in connector and adapter for capturing footage from analog camcorders or your VCR. Media Center comes standard with Sonic's PrimeTime software for recording TV shows directly to DVDs.
The TV tuner itself brings in an excellent signal from either a coaxial, composite, or S-Video connection. Output connections include S-Video and component for video and S/PDIF for pristine digital audio.
Regardless of the source, the 15-inch TruBrite is stunningly bright. The video we recorded looked sharp and the colors were nicely saturated. On the other hand, we would have preferred a 16:9 aspect ratio, especially from a $2,699 system. Toshiba says a 15.4-inch widescreen Qosmio is on the way later this month, along with a 17-inch widescreen version.
Even with our Qosmio's 15-inch display, we could easily burn a DVD from the couch using the Media Center remote control (the Qosmio has two). The other remote is for basic media playback functions, although we thought a single remote would be more than sufficient.
As a laptop, the Qosmio seems a bit overpriced. While the MobileMark score of 237 is fast, the included Nvidia GeForce FX Go 5200 graphics are middling for such a premium system. And don't even think about taking this system on the road. We saw only 1 hour and 45 minutes of battery life with wireless off.
In a nutshell, Toshiba has created a desktop entertainment system with the first instant-on TV tuner in a notebook, excellent speakers, full audio-in and -out, and one of the brightest displays ever. It's nearly everything that a multimedia fan could want. However, the Qosmio is also a barely portable laptop with short battery life. Overall, Toshiba delivers on the promise of convergence, but we'd just as soon wait for the 17-inch version.
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|
| Processor |
| Processor Type |
Intel Pentium M Processor (Centrino) |
| Data Bus Speed |
400 MHz |
Cache Memory |
| Installed Size |
2 MB |
RAM |
| Installed Size |
512 MB |
| Technology |
DDR-SDRAM (DDRRAM) |
Storage |
| Hard Drive |
80 GB |
| Drive Controllers |
IDE (ATA/EIDE/ATAPI) |
Optical Storage |
| Type |
DVD+-RW/CD-RW Combo,
Hard Drive |
Display |
| Type |
LCD Display w/ TruBrite Technology |
| Aspect Ratio |
4:3 (Standard) |
| Graphics Processor / Vendor |
NVIDIA GeForce FX Go 5200 |
| Video Memory |
64 MB |
| Max. Resolution |
1024 x 768 (XGA) |
Networking |
| Data Link Protocol |
Ethernet (10/100 Mbps),
Wireless Ethernet - 11 Mbps IEEE802.11b,
Wireless Ethernet - 54 Mbps IEEE802.11g |
Expansion |
| Expansion |
Memory Stick PRO,
MultiMedia Card (MMC),
SD Card,
Sony Memory Stick,
Type I CardBus,
Type II CardBus,
Type II PC Card,
xD-Picture Card |
Miscellaneous |
| Chipset Type |
Intel 855PM |
| Input Devices |
Keyboard,
Touchpad |
| Included Devices |
Built-In PVR,
Built-In TV Tuner,
Microphone,
Modem,
Wireless LAN Antenna |
Operating System |
| Operating System |
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition |
Battery |
| Average Run Time |
2.4 hour(s) |
Dimensions (W x D x H) |
| Unit |
13.3 in x 11.2 in x 1.7 in |
Weight |
| Unit |
8.2 lbs |
Warranty |
| Warranty |
1 Year Limited Warranty |
|
|
= Comment
= Outstanding
= Good
= Poor
= Bad
