• PC World
• » Computers
• » Laptops

Full immersion in a detail-rich computer game like Quake III requires a PC with a fast processor, plenty of memory, good graphics, and decent sound. On Monday, Toshiba is announcing just such a system: its new Satellite 2805 notebook.

The 2805, scheduled to ship in February, will be the first notebook to hit the market with NVidia's new GeForce2 Go mobile graphics processing unit, and you'll see the difference immediately, says Mike Wagner, vice president of marketing at Toshiba.

This notebook offers three to five times the graphics performance of typical notebooks, he says. It's designed with the game player/DVD watcher in mind.

The top-shelf version of the 2805 is the S402 model, which will cost $2749. It has an 850-MHz Pentium III processor, 128MB of SDRAM, a 20GB hard drive, 16MB of video SDRAM with the NVidia graphics, a 15-inch thin-film transistor display, and integrated Ethernet and modem. It includes a three-in-one optical drive--with 24X CD-ROM, 8X DVD, and 4X CD-RW--as well as a smart media slot, two type II PC Card slots, and a Yamaha sound system with a subwoofer in the base.

A less expensive version of the 2805 called the S202 offers a less robust hardware set for $1799. It has a 700-MHz PIII, 128MB of SDRAM, a 10GB hard drive, S3 Savage IX graphics with 8MB of video SDRAM, and a 14.1-inch display. The rest of the specifications are the same. Both units should be available in February, Wagner says.

Value and Business Units Debut

The multimedia 2805 offers the flash, but Toshiba is also unveiling on Monday some notebooks geared toward business customers, as well as price-conscious consumers and small businesses, Wagner says.

The Tecra 8200, also scheduled to ship in February, includes an integrated Wi-Fi antenna in the lid for use in a wireless Ethernet network, he says. (Wi-Fi is a trademarked name for certified products using the 802.11b wireless networking standard.) Designed for corporate buyers, the 8200 can be configured to order, but Toshiba will offer several standard configurations. For $3399 you get a 850-MHz PIII, 128MB of SDRAM, a 20GB hard drive, Trident XP graphics with 16MB of SDRAM, an Ethernet port, an 8X DVD drive, and a 14-inch TFT display.

The Satellite Pro 4600 offers the same Wi-Fi technology in a unit designed for small business users, and also features multiple configurations, Wagner says. For $2899 you can get a system with the 850-MHz PIII, 128MB of SDRAM, a 20GB hard drive, Trident XP graphics with 16MB of SDRAM, integrated Ethernet and modem, an optical combo drive with DVD and CD-RW, and a 15-inch display.

For budget-minded consumers, Toshiba is rolling out 1700 Series notebooks, Wagner says. The 1735 sells for $1199, thanks in part to its low-cost 13-inch dual-scan display. It has a 700-MHz mobile Celeron chip, 64MB of SDRAM, a 10GB hard drive, an integrated modem, and a 24X CD-ROM drive. The 1755 offers largely the same hardware set, except for a 13.3-inch TFT display and an 8X DVD-ROM drive, for $1399.

Pushing Wireless, Fingerprint Security

In addition to its slew of new notebooks, Toshiba is announcing on Monday a handful of notebook accessories and services. Also scheduled for release in February, the devices focus largely on wireless connectivity.

Toshiba will offer its own wireless Wi-Fi LAN access point that can accommodate about 128 users within a 300-foot distance indoors or 1500 feet outdoors. The unit will sell for $899. Wireless Lan PC Cards that work with the access point (and devices from other vendors) will cost $169. Toshiba is also supporting Bluetooth, and is shipping a $199 Bluetooth PC Card.

To entice customers to try its wireless products, Toshiba is also announcing several "wire-free" initiatives. Among them are discounted installation and service of Wi-Fi networks, and a loaner program that lets you try Bluetooth free of charge for three days, with up to six borrowed notebooks.

Toshiba is also unveiling a 2GB hard drive sandwiched into the form factor of a type II PC Card. Most PC Card-based hard drives require the larger Type III format. Pricing will be announced upon the product's release in February.

Shipping in February as well is a Fingerprint Reader Card, announced last fall and priced at $199. Used to secure data on a notebook, the PC Card-based device uses biometrics technology that can identify your fingerprint. The device can lock thieves out from Toshiba-brand notebooks all the way to the BIOS level. It works on other notebooks too, but only as far down as the operating system, Wagner says.

• See more like this:
• Satellite,
• Tecra,
• Biometrics,
• NVidia