Toshiba Launches High-End Laptops

Toshiba rolled out several new notebook computers Tuesday, offering both larger, more powerful systems billed as desktop replacements and some lower cost consumer systems.

The Satellite 1905 and 5105 Series pack features often found in a desktop, such as Intel's latest chips and a large hard drive, into the smaller, more portable notebook mold. The Satellite 1905 comes with a 2-GHz Pentium 4 chip, 40GB hard drive, a 15-inch display, and a combination DVD/CD-RW drive.

Including Microsoft's Windows XP operating system, the Satellite 1905 starts at $1,899, says Carl Pinto, director of portable product marketing in Toshiba's computer systems group.

The Satellite 5105 runs on a slower 1.7-GHz Pentium 4 but comes with a variety of features targeted toward fans of multimedia applications. Toshiba has included an infrared remote control with this notebook that controls volume and DVD/CD play functions.

In addition, the Satellite 5105 includes a port for connecting the notebook to Dolby home audio systems and an Nvidia GeForce4 440 Go graphics card. With a 40GB hard drive, this systems starts at $2,299.

Budget Choices

For customers looking for cheaper systems, Toshiba also announced its Satellite 1400/1405 and Satellite 2400/2405 series notebooks.

The lower end Satellite 1400 and Satellite 1405 come with a 1.2-GHz Celeron chip, 30GB hard drive, and 256MB of memory. The 1400 starts at $1,379 and ships with Windows XP Professional. The 1405 starts at $1,299, shipping with Windows XP Home Edition.

With the Satellite 2400/2405 series, users will find Pentium 4 chips, a 30GB hard drive, and 256MB of memory. The 2400 ships with Windows XP Professional, a 1.7-GHz chip, and a 15-inch display for $1,799. The 2405 will come with Windows XP Home Edition, a 1.6-GHz Pentium 4, and a 14.1-inch display for $1,599.

Toshiba said users should expect between two and two and a half hours of battery life with its consumer notebooks. The company has had to find a balance between performance and battery life, as the faster Intel chips tend to consume more power.