Toshiba Revamps and Releases New Satellite Notebooks

Toshiba today updated their entire Satellite notebook lineup in one fell swoop.  New designs, processors and innovative features enter the mix with these attractive looking and reasonably priced consumer notebooks.  It appears that Toshiba has had their thinking caps on as I think most will agree that these new Satellites look like tempting offerings against those from Dell and HP.

Satellite A300 / A305 Series

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The Satellite A305 started showing up in stores such as Best Buy last week, but the official release date occurs today.  The A300 is a 15.4" screen mainstream consumer laptop that updates the popular Satellite A200 / A205 series.

The Satellite A300 series has a new design and Toshiba's unique Fusion finish with Horizon pattern.   Much like the HP imprint finish that has become so popular, the design pattern is part of the casing and not painted on, ensuring a durable finish that will last.

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The A300 will start at $949.99 with an AMD Turion X2 processor configuration, higher configurations will have the Intel Core 2 Duo Penryn processor.  An example configuration for $1,299.99 is as follows:

• Windows Vista Home Premium (SP1, 32-bit version)
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T8100 (2.10GHz, 3MB L2, 800MHz FSB)
• 3GB PC5300 DDR2 SDRAM memory (Maximum capacity 4096MB)
• 400GB using two Serial ATA hard disk drives (Primary: 200GB (5400 RPM) + Secondary: 200GB (4200 RPM))
• DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) with Labelflash drive supporting 11 formats
• 15.4-inch diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD display
• 1280x800 native resolution (WXGA)
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 with 512MB DDR discrete graphics memory, plus up to 767MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory using ATI HyperMemory
• Built-in Harman Kardon stereo speakers
• Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (802.11a/g/n)
• 4 USB Sleep-and-Charge ports
• Built-in Webcam and microphone
• Fingerprint reader
• One-year standard limited warranty

One great new feature Toshiba has included is what they're calling Sleep-and-Charge USB ports.  This means that you can charge your iPod by plugging it into the Satellite A300 whether the notebook is powered on or off.

Another neato feature is the facial recognition software on board the A300.  You can use the web cam to log in to your notebook simply by having it record your face and from then on it will grant access to you based on the recognition of your face.

Satellite M300 / M305 Series

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The Satellite M300 is a 14.1" wide-screen laptop that weighs in at just over 5lbs.  It features "feather-touch" control multimedia keys, meaning the media buttons react to touch instead of having to push buttons.  The same Sleep-and-Charge USB ports on the A300 are also included with the M300.

Design wise the M300 is much like the A300, it has the Horizon finish.  Worth mentioning also is the fact there is a white LED light across the top of the touchpad to add a nice accent.

The M300 comes with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and integrated graphics and will start at $949.99 for a base config, below is an example configuration of the M305:

Satellite M305- S4826 Unique Specifications ($1,049.99)

• Genuine Windows Vista Premium (SP1, 32-bit version)
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T8100 (2.10GHz, 3MB L2, 800MHz FSB)
• 3072MB PC53000 DDR2 SDRAM memory (Maximum capacity 4096MB)
• 250GB (5400 RPM) Serial ATA hard disc drive
• DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) with Labelflash drive supporting 11 formats
• 14.1-inch diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD display (1280x800 native resolution (WXGA))
• Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 
• Built-in Webcam and microphone
• Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG (802.11a/b/g)
• 3 USB Sleep-and-Charge ports
• Built-in Harman Kardon stereo speakers
• One-year standard limited warranty

Satellite P300 / P305 Series

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The Satellite P300 / P305 replaces the Satellite P200 series.  It is a 17.1" notebook designed for those that need a good desktop replacement that doesn't break the bank, with prices starting at $949.99 for an AMD Turion X2 based config.  Toshiba again included the Fusion finish with Horizon imprint design.  The web cam and all the fancy multimedia features from the A300 series are on the P300, with the addition of a number pad, better graphics in the form of an ATI HD 3470, and a higher resolution WXGA+ screen.  Below is an available config for $1,049:

Satellite P305-S8825 Unique Specifications ($1,049.99)

• Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (SP1, 32-bit version)
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5550 (1.83 GHz, 2MB L2, 667MHz FSB)
• 3072MB PC5300 DDR2 SDRAM memory (Maximum capacity 4096MB)
• 320GB (5400 RPM) Serial ATA hard disc drive
• DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) with Labelflash drive supporting 11 formats
• 17.1-inch diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD display (1440x900 native resolution (WXGA+))
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 with 256MB DDR discrete graphics
• Built-in Harman Kardon stereo speakers
• Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (802.11a/g/n)
• 4 USB Sleep-and-Charge ports
• Built-in Webcam and microphone
• One-year standard limited warranty

Satellite U400 / U405 Series

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The Satellite U400 is the smallest notebook of the group, it has a 13.3" screen designed for on the go users that need something a bit lighter.  Toshiba has given it the same design finish and features as the rest of the Satellites being released today.  The U405 starts at $949.99, here's what you get for such a price:

Satellite U405-S2820 Unique Specifications (ESUP $949.99)

• Genuine Windows Vista Premium (SP1, 32-bit version)
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5550 (1.83GHz, 2MB L2, 667MHz FSB)
• 2048MB PC-5300 DDR2 SDRAM memory (Maximum capacity 4096MB)
• 250GB (5400 RPM) Serial ATA hard disk drive
• DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive supporting 11 formats
• 13.3-inch diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD display (1280x800 native resolution (WXGA))
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
• Built-in stereo speakers
• Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG (802.11a/b/g)
• 3 USB Sleep-and-Charge ports
• Built-in Webcam and microphone
• Fingerprint reader
• One-year standard limited warranty

Satellite X205 Update

The Satellite X205 has been around for about a year, it's a well priced gaming notebook that offers a nice design coupled with excellent performance.  Toshiba has added two new configurations to the X205 today.  The new Satellite X205-SLi5 and Satellite X205-SLi6 provide remarkable each incorporate dual NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics card and now have Intel's 45nm Penryn processor technology.

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The X205-SLi6 will be sold for $2,499 and is configured as follows:

• Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate (SP1, 32-bit version)
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.50GHz, 6MB L2, 800MHz FSB)
• 3072MB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM memory (Maximum capacity 4096MB)
• 400GB using two (7200 RPM) Serial ATA hard disc drives (Primary: 200GB + Secondary: 200GB)
• DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive supporting 11 formats
• Toshiba USB HDTV Tuner (External) Broadcast high-definition (720p or 1080i) (Broadcast standard definition (480i))
• 17-inch diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD display (1680x1050 native resolution (WSXGA+)
• NVIDIA SLi Dual GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB GDDR3 discrete graphics memory
• 4 Built-in Harman Kardon stereo speakers with one sub-woofer
• Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (802.11a/g/n)
• Bluetooth version 2.0 plus Enhanced Data Rate
• Built-in Webcam and microphone
• Fingerprint reader
• One-year standard limited warranty

The SLi-6 will be sold for $1,999 with a 2.40GHz T8300 processor and smaller 320GB hard drive size.

Related Articles:

• Toshiba Satellite X205 Review