Toshiba Satellite E205 Reviewed

The Toshiba Satellite E205 is a mid-size laptop with some solid specs that can compete with some of the best in its class, at a fairly respectable price point of about $900. While on this basis alone it would seem that the E205 is a good but not great value (unlike, say, the Sony VAIO CW), the E205 does offer a little something extra, and that’s Intel’s Wireless Display technology. Is this enough to make the E205 a great laptop in its own right, or does it still leave something to be desired?
Positives
In terms of hardware, the E205 is at the higher end of what 14-inch laptops are offering right now. Its recommended setup includes an Intel Core i5 processor (2.26GHz), 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive. It compares favorably with the Sony VAIO CW, which has a less powerful Core i3 processor, but an improved NVIDIA GeForce graphics card, as opposed to the E205’s middle-of-the-road Intel card.
The Intel card is necessary for another reason, though, and that’s the aforementioned Wireless Display feature. The E205 is one of the first laptops to incorporate this new technology, which allows wireless projection of video from the laptop to any television in up to 720p with HDMI or component inputs. All you have to do is plug the included Netgear Push2TV adapter into the HDMI or component ports. This is ideal if you regularly use a broadband internet connection, such as those available at sites like o2.co.uk, in order to watch video files over the internet. The result is essentially the same as what you get when connecting a laptop to a TV via an HDMI cable, except, well, without the cable.
Negatives
While this is an excellent feature, there are some frustrating limitations. Wireless Display doesn’t work with DRM-protected DVD or Blu-ray video, so the E205 doesn’t quite work as a comprehensive replacement for most of your media devices. There is a noticeable delay between what happens on the laptop and what appears on the TV, and although this doesn’t result in audio-video syncing problems, it does make it difficult to use the desktop or pretty much anything other than video on your TV.
The Bottom Line
Thanks to Intel Wireless Display, the Toshiba Satellite E205 is one of the best options yet for users who want to interface a laptop with their home entertainment system. What’s more, the E205 is very solid hardware-wise, and is pretty reasonably priced, all things considered.

Posted in: Toshiba