Thinking about getting this laptop

This Toshiba laptop really caught my eye. It was just recently released. The one thing that I like about it is the Netgear push 2 tv function. It allows you to stream content from your laptop to a TV in 720P wirelessly. What do you guys think? Price isn't bad either...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+Satellite+Laptop+with+Intel&%23174%3B+Core&%23153 %3B+i5+Processor+-+E205-S1904/9999124400050013.p?skuId=9999124400050013&id=pcmpr d124400050013

Also, can anyone recommend a good wireless router for under 100?

Not sure what that push to TV adaptor is going to do? Is it a USB to video? Your xbox will setup a link for you to your computer so you can do just that plus audio. Even with that, it is more of a pain than anything. I have had two of the Toshiba's and they are nice (except the second one's screen broke in the fist month and I was screwed). I got my daughter the HP because it has a HDMI output that does carry sound and video and it has a remote control with it. Got it for $450 with a dual core pentium. The HDMI is a easier answer than other adaptors or software interfaces.

delta, I think that's exactly why Netgear came out with the Push 2 TV adapter, to simplify computer to TV connections. It streams video and audio wirelessly via HDMI or composite. Here's a good read on it.

http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800596418_499491_NP_ca82df8b.HTM

don't think that link works.

Showcased at Intel's CES keynote, Netgear today launched NETGEAR Push2TV (PTV1000), a small device that enables consumers to wirelessly display their notebook computer screens on their big-screen HDTVs. Compatible with select laptops featuring Intel Wireless Display and leveraging the new 2010 Intel Core Processor Family, Push2TV transforms the living room HDTV into a huge, remote monitor without the need for any cables. Slightly larger than a deck of cards, Push2TV enables consumers to wirelessly send stored media, content from other parts of the home network, and videos streamed from the most popular websites.

The NETGEAR Push2TV adapter, combined with Intel Wireless Display, extends the browsing and viewing experience on the PC, with setup as simple as "point and click," according to the companies. The solution consists of NETGEAR Push2TV connected to the TV via HDMI and Intel Wireless Display preloaded on new-generation notebooks powered by the 2010 Intel Core Processor Family. According to the company, Intel Wireless Display captures fully rendered display frames in real-time and sends the compressed video and audio directly to Push2TV via Intel My WiFi technology -- what it claims is the industry's first commercially available Wi-Fi Personal Area Network (PAN) or Wi-Fi Direct solution: the protected short-hop high-bandwidth wireless connection between the laptop and Push2TV, saving bandwidth overhead by up to 50 percent, Netgear said.

The sleek black minimalist device requires notebooks powered by the 2010 Intel Core Processor Family; it will be available in the U.S. via Best Buy later this month and will be bundled together with select laptop computers at promotional prices, or sold separately to end consumers at prices starting at $100 in the US.

Later this month, Best Buy will be the first retailer to make this new networking solution available, with the launch of an exclusive Blue Label 2.0 series consisting of three laptop computers developed in partnership with top PC OEM brands. Best Buy Blue Label 2.0 notebooks, which also will be touted with lighter weights and longer battery life, will retail starting at $900.

What do you want to do with it? Gaming might be okay but video editing would be a better suit for that computer.

That price is very good also....

I'm not a gamer. I do enjoy video editing thouhg. I don't have a laptop and figured it's about time to get one.

Toshiba is a very good laptop IMO. I have three in my house and have had them for 3-5 years already. Haven't had a problem with any one of them. The batteries don't work without it being plugged in but I can purchase a new battery to fix that issue.

Toshiba, Fujitsu, and Dell are three companies and their laptops that you can't go wrong with. Dell uses a ton of Toshiba product in their laptops.

Well, there was this time I "accidentally" softly tapped the laptop above the harddrive when it was spinning. The hard drive went bad but I had 15 days left on my warranty. It got fixed with no questions asked by Toshiba.

My IT guy recommends Toshiba. Of all the compys he works on, says he rarely sees a Toshiba.

Toshiba makes awesome laptops imo. Although currently I am running 2 Dells at home, 1 XPS and 1 Studio. Haven't had a problem with either.

There are some nice deals here.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/dell-adamo-monitor-lg-hdtv,9513.html

Interesting, Toshiba and Sony would be towards the bottom of my list. I stick to Dell or Apple (or certain Lenovo models).

My biggest pet pee about Sony is that they are usually 6 months behind the curve ball when new hardware is released. Then when their stuff does come out, they price it like it was a new hardware improvement.

Apple on the other hand is over priced. You are paying for a name, not the hardware IMO.

For example, Sony would sell a 2.4 Ghz processor when every other manufacturer is selling the 3 Ghz processor. The price for the item would be exactly the same. I have always wondered why they did this and never really had a good answer from anyone. I guess people just associate Sony as being good quality.

yeah...I like the XPS laptops from dell, but the whole Push 2 tv technology is really cool. I went to bestbuy yesterday to ask them if they could do a demo...they said no...wtf?

Now this one would be awesome.

At $999, that is one good deal.

" Dell Adamo premium ultraportable drops to $999 "

(Message edited by dabell on January 29, 2010)

Still not sure that is a fantastic deal. I just got the HP for $450 that had 4G of DDR3 memory, 14" screen, the same video adaptor (uses system memory), with a HDMI output port. The Hard drive you are looking at is about 180Gig bigger and it has a newer processor (the one I got had the T2300 dual core intel 2.1GHz). Still not $400 worth of extra hardware. The video adaptor seems interesting though but it is only $100 it sounds like for stand alone.

On the comment that Mac is overpriced, I would look again. IF you actually take spec for spec and match it against a regular PC, you will pretty much come up with the exact same price. Basically a Alienware computer had the same things as the Mac does. Now compare those prices. Dell, Toshiba, HP and so on give you cheaper performance options than Mac. That is fine and serves a purpose, but, it is not accurate to say mac is overprices when a comprable Dell, Toshiba or HP costs the same or more than a Mac.

+1 on the Lenovos that Wes mentioned. Nice hardware. I have one that's forced on me by a client, and as far as PC's go it's fantastic.

(Staying out of the Apple talk on this one!)

Alienware is overpriced as well.

Apple MacBook $999.99

Toshiba Satellite $799.99

Dell Laptop $689.99

It's not the easiest to fine something but you can say that both these have about the same hardware. But when you do compare them, the Dell and Toshiba look like the better deals when it comes down to just hardware. The OS is another story that can be argued until everyone is "blue in the face".

I'm in no way referring to Apple as being a piece of crap. It is known that Apple does charge more for their computers.

(Message edited by dabell on January 29, 2010)

Well I think I'm going to get the one I posted originally today. I could go back and forth all day with all the laptops to choose from, but I'm just going to go for it. I like the Toshiba and especially like the Wireless Display

Your still off David B.

Add DDR3 memory and Lithium Polymer battery to the mix. Also, the LED monitor to one and N wireless to the one. Then add in a slot loaded disk drive and all metal housing, you will quickly be at the mac price. The Dell only has a 800Mhz buss. Like I said, if you really go exact for exact the mac is not priced higher than the others. If it is, it is in the noise. Can the Dell and Toshiba support dual external monitors?

Also forgot about the integrated bluetooth.

Actually Rod, you're still off... Obviously different parts of Apple's lineup will line up and compete differently with the slew of other options out there, but the Apple tax is still there (although FAR less than it used to be).

The Adamo and Macbook Air line up pretty directly. They use the same SL9600 cpu and chipset at 1066mhz (dell's website is in error on this - not that there is any real-world difference between DDR at 800 and 1066mhz anyway) - trust me).

They both cost $1,799 but the Adamo has 4 GB ram to the Air's 2 GB. It also has a 256 GB SSD to the Air's 128 GB. Both provide wireless-N (again not that it matters), bluetooth, and non-user-serviceable lithium polymer batteries. The Air has only one USB port, and it's configured in such a way that most peripherals can't even be plugged in without using a special extension dongle. The Adamo has 2 USB ports and eSATA as well. The Adamo also has gigabit ethernet - the Air has NO ETHERNET. None.

However, the Air can run both Windoze and OS X - obv the Adamo is Windoze-only. But if you're talking Windoze parity, the Adamo is a winner. Oh and it's thinner at .65" across, where the Air tapers up to .74". Both are good machines, the Dell just gives you more bang for the buck.


Don't get me started on the single socket Mac Pro and the heinous Apple tax you find there...

Also I don't believe any laptop I can think of (including the Macbook Pro) can drive two external monitors. Are you sure you aren't thinking of dual-link DVI (different that dual dvi connections)?

-- Look at the Toshiba again. It already has 3 GB of DDR2 where the Apple has 2 GB of DDR3. Wash. However, the price of DDR2 and DDR3 is about the same. If anything the DDR2 is more expensive since there is more memory in the unit.

-- The Toshiba has blue-tooth built in.

-- What do you mean by dual monitor? Neither device can do dual monitor from the way the pictures look.

-- Toshiba has Wireless-N also.

-- The case you are referring to is not in a Mac Book from what I see. It's a polycarbonate case.

-- Both computers do not have removable drives.

-- The Apple does have a faster processor. You are probably talking $30-$40 at the most for the difference. However, look at warranty part below.

-- All batteries a recyclable. The organic battery Apple comes out with is nice but in today's economy, definitely not a deterrence on wanting someone to spend more money to go that route.

-- Then what about a warranty on the two. Toshiba has a two year warranty. That alone will cost you $$'s.

Again, I don't see where I am off. If you start comparing the top of the line stuff from both companies, then that is definitely a different situation.

Both the Toshiba and MacBook are the closest I can find being the same. Both have +'s and -'s within the specs.

Wes, there are laptops that can do dual monitor if there is a VGA output on the laptop. One will be on the laptop and the other will be on the monitor..

hahaha, no pun intended there.

That's not what we are discussing though... Rod is specifically saying macbooks can drive two external monitors.

That is what I thought he was saying but from the spec's, I can't find that the MacBook does. I could be missing something somewhere.

Yes I believe he is mistaken.

- Actually according to this article the DDR2 cheapest you can find was around $18 (I assume a Gig) and the DDR3 memory is around $85 per gig. That is $170 vs $54 in cost.

http://www.brighthub.com/computing/hardware/articles/12461.aspx

The DDR3 is a bit faster and uses less energy. That means the video adaptor should run a bit faster too.

- The Mac can support dual monitors but apple does love to sell adaptors.

- You are right about the case.

- The batteries you are way off on. It has nothing to do with recycling. A li-po battery is more expensive and better than a lithium Ion. They are harder to charge properly but better performance and less likely to go into thermal runaway (fire) than a lithium ion if I read the literature correctly.

- the disk drive (CD/DVD) slot on the mac is slot loaded. Meaning nothing pops out. You just insert the disk into the slot. The others you have to hit the button and the tray pops out.

- The apple display is pretty much second to none

- The warranty may be more, but, try and use it. I have a toshiba at home that is now a desktop because the screen crack within the first month of using it. Before you think I got through laptops, I used around 3 laptops a day moving them from steel platforms to scaffolding to you name it for years without damaging a single unit at work and I have more than one at home including other toshiba's that are fine.

- then the mac mouse pad you can page over, zoom in and out, and move the scroll bar up and down with finger motions.

- The charging adaptor is quit small and is magnetic do you don't every have to worry about someone tripping over the cord.

Like I said, when you really start to get down to the little details, the mac is not more expensive than the pc. The little things you think don't cost much, really do cost a lot. Like you said, it may not be worth it and I totally agree. That is why I spend about $400 dollars less for my daughter for hers than Ben is because I could not find the extra value. I do have both a mac and more than 1 and I think less than 6 pc's at home. Then throw in the few I used at work.

Wes, Yes, I think you are correct. I am thinking of dual link DVI.

Dual-link dvi drives a single monitor. You also neglect the cost of their dual-link dvi adapter (arm plus leg)

Dual link allows to drive more pixel resolutions basically. Still better than the VGA outputs of the regular laptops.

No, I mentioned apple loves adaptors. They will kill you with them, but, still the costs of the machines are very close when you really look at them. Little specifications don't seem like they cost a lot but they do. I fell for the mac is more expensive mem too until I really started to price it out then noticed the mac's quality and I was sold on it.

Sigh. Many other laptops offer dvi or even hdmi ports (like the adamo) without the super expensive adapter. Apple specifically puts minidisplayport ports on their laptops knowing that no monitors use them, forcing the purchase of adapters

Someone Else, you sound like you run about the same in my house. I just don't have Apple computers. Have had some experiences lately with warranties running out and iPods going bad (2 of them lately)

At times, there are benefits of being in the IT field.

I've had two Toshiba laptops that have had warranty issues. Both have been great and now questions asked. I am not familiar with the Toshiba laptop but I do know that some of Toshiba's laptops do have other controls in the mouse area to do other functions.

Again, I still think Apple computers are more expensive but we are not talking by a lot of money. We are talking about $100 to $200 in most cases.

(Message edited by dabell on January 29, 2010)

Don't get me going on warranties in general. I will go nuclear. I had a ipod crack internally and bestbuy would not help me even though I bought the warranty.

The I have 3 toshiba's (two laps and one netbook). I do like them. The one that broke was the one with the thin flexable beasel around the monitor. They would not help me one bit. I did not even have that computer a month. That's when I said screw it and bought the mac. I love it. It has all sorts of little features. Small ones, but, cool just the same. I use a dell at work all day. The toshiba's are putting a little area you can program through a tool to designate the scroll bar. The HP has it on the right side built in. The mac can do all the things I wrote earlier right off the bat.

Wes, I know. That is apples flaw. they do not like to play well with others.

Now if you want to talk about software included with the mac then you are talking better value when comparing piece by piece equipment and software.

Bzzzt. Throw in $100 or office on the above Adamo and the Air is still way behind with half the ram and storage, not to mention the connectivity deficiencies.

well I'm typing on my new laptop now. I tested out the widi...it's pretty amazing. It connected wirelessly without a problem. hulu on the 50" love it!

The software that comes with an Apple is better for sure. No arguments there. There is a ton of freeware for Windows but you have to spend time hunting and searching for it only to come across some malware/virus. And that might be where the price point would be for some. College students need all the money they can get to support their "habits" while in school.

Then the OS for Apple is one version fits all where Microsoft provided different versions of the software. Again, the software for Apple is better.

Interesting that Toshiba did that with you. I have one harddrive and a monitor go out on me and Toshiba didn't even question it. Must have been that I got the person when it wasn't that time of the month.

Ben, how do you like Win7 so far? It's impressive if you ask me. Just wonder what Microsoft had up their arse with Vista...

coke pepsi
ford chevy
malibu mastercraft
obama mccain
apple pc

ok, no one wins. goodnight.

That's cool Ben. I may have to check into that wireless TV deal you have.

Glad your happy with your laptop Ben. WiDi is a promising emerging technology.


Since the subject of hardware value came up and people were making comparisons...I thought I'd mention another thread that's up about computer problems. Go read it, then think about Apple's mag-safe power adapters. The little things add up.

Doh! I said I was staying out of it!

Dave, I like WIN7, but never really used vista because of all the people complaining about it.

Delta, I was skeptical about the Widi..but it works great. There's a bit of a lag, but it works perfectly for hulu, youtube, etc. The display on my tv looks better than the laptop. I can't wait until Dave gets this 90's message board updated...hate resizing pics!!!!

I have the inverse. I have a slingbox that I use to watch my directv (NFL sunday ticket as well) on my laptop. If I am playing on my Xbox the wife will throw the TV on the laptop or we will have a couple games on at once during football season.