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705

Hands-on with the Toshiba Portege R835

One of our most popular reviews last year was of the 13-inch Toshiba Portege R705, a slim high-end laptop that managed to pack in a solid set of components for around $800. It became one of my go-to recommendations for people who liked the look and feel of MacBooks, but wanted to either spend a few hundred dollars less, or had to stay on Windows.

But in 2011, the still-popular system was hampered by being stuck on Intel's previous processor platform, while newer laptops moved to the latest Core i-series Sandy Bridge chips, which offered both outstanding performance and … Read more

Toshiba's R800 series priced; sequel to one of our favorite laptops

One of our favorite laptops in recent memory (and giving rise to one of the most popular laptop reviews we published last year) was the Toshiba R705. This slim 13-inch laptop packed in tons of features and decent performance, all for around $800, and was one of the best Windows-based alternatives for those who like the general size and shape of MacBooks but need a Windows machine.

But with the first few rounds of laptops featuring Intel's second-gen Core i-series processors hitting stores, the R700 series is a bit behind the times.

Toshiba has mentioned the next version, the R800, a few times, but specs, prices, and actual availability information have been sketchy. Now detailed specs and prices are up on Toshiba's Web site (we spotted these via Engadget), and they run from the $889 Intel Core i3-2310M Portege R835-P50X to the $930 R835-P56X, which has a Core i5-2410M processor. All four models have 640GB hard drives and USB 3.0 ports.… Read more

(Still) Editors' Choice: Toshiba Portege R705

Back in July, we awarded a CNET Editors' Choice to the Toshiba Portege R705-P25 laptop. At the time, Senior Editor Dan Ackerman proclaimed that "the new 13-inch Portege R705 is close to a perfect balance of design, price, and performance." Indeed, the R705 was a great laptop at a great price: the 13-inch Windows 7 system weighed just 3.1 pounds and was just an inch thick, but it was still able to pack in Intel Wireless Display, a DVD optical drive, 500GB hard drive, 4GB of memory, and an Intel Core i3 CPU--and it was widely available … Read more

Toshiba adds WiMax to a handful of its laptops

In what's sure to be a growing trend in laptops, Toshiba is rolling out WiMax connectivity in several of its fall laptop models, including the Satellite M645, the Satellite A665, the Portege R705, and the Satellite E205. The new WiMAX-ready configurations will go on sale starting September 26.

Though 4G wireless broadband isn't available in all U.S. cities yet, at 54 cities and counting, it's on the rise. It's currently soft-launching here in New York City, a place where good mobile Internet can be extremely handy. However, the costs of 3G and 4G wireless Internet … Read more

The $599 question: Is the Toshiba Satellite T235D-S1345 enough computer for the money?

Back when thin-and-light laptops were all the rage in 2009, a surprise contender for the most affordable thin 13-inch laptop came from Toshiba. The Satellite T135, an optical drive-free laptop with an Intel Pentium or AMD Neo dual-core CPU, managed to provide exactly the sort of computing power that most Netbooks lack. For everything from video streaming to general office work, it was more than adequate. It wasn't as cheap as a Netbook, but it wasn't as expensive as many thin laptops, either.

Toshiba's update, the Satellite T235, is much like its predecessor in many ways--perhaps in … Read more

High-end back-to-school retail laptops: The big guns

Though budget and surprisingly affordable laptops are all the rage lately, there are still quite a few high-end models out there that aren't exactly cheap. Even so, many of these "high-end" laptops offer far more for the money than ever before, making for potentially compelling buys for people looking for big screens and superpowered processors offering desktop-replacement-level performance.

Our high-end laptops from this year's 2010 back-to-school retail roundup are actually a pretty affordable bunch, including an $829 Toshiba Portege R705-P25 that offers an executive feel for less than the white Apple MacBook. In fact, only one of these laptops breaks $1,000: the $1,349 Sony Vaio F126FM/B. In fact, the two Vaio models here are virtually identical, designwise. The more-expensive version has a faster CPU and better graphics card, but the $999 Vaio F12A may be a better overall deal, offering a big screen, Blu-ray, and mainstream/casual gaming graphics for $350 less than its big brother.

Editors' note: See our roundup of retail laptops in all price ranges.

Check out details of each system below:… Read more

Hands-on with the Toshiba Portege R705

We know that the quest for the perfect laptop is ultimately fruitless. Different users have different needs, budgets, and expectations, and tomorrow's technology threatens to make any just-purchased laptop semi-obsolete before it even comes out of its cardboard box. That said, the new Toshiba Portege R705 comes about as close as anything we've seen this year, offering a great mix of price, design, features, and performance.

The Portege R705 is a 13-inch laptop (similar to Apple's MacBook), which is the biggest screen size we'd consider carrying around on a regular basis, but also the smallest we'd be able to comfortably use for full-time computing. It's thinner than the current white plastic MacBook (but not as svelte as the MacBook Air or Dell Adamo XPS), and has a sturdy magnesium alloy chassis.

Toshiba lists the Portege R705 for $889, but as of this writing, it can be found online for $799. A handful of business-oriented configs are also available (called the R700, instead of the R705), adding a docking port and a few other corporate-friendly features for $999 and up.

For $100-$200 less than an entry-level MacBook, you get a newer Intel Core i3 processor (the basic MacBook has an older Core 2 Duo CPU), a large 500GB hard drive, and Intel's Wireless Display technology, which allows the laptop's display to be beamed to a remote TV or monitor (this requires a sold-separately $100 Netgear adapter that connects to your TV). Not to draw too many MacBook comparisons, but it also has an SD card slot (as does virtually every Windows-based laptop no matter the price), something the $999 MacBook lacks.

There are a few issues. The integrated Intel graphics are a drag, and the keyboard isn't backlit, which would have been a nice touch on this slick-looking system. Also, out of the box, the hard drive accelerometer was far too sensitive, parking our HDD head every time we so much as breathed on the R705.

Those problems aside, the Portege R705 looks and feels like a much more expensive laptop, and is our new go-to choice for those who want a 13-inch experience but can't (or won't) join the MacBook masses.… Read more

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Battles over Internet time are common in households with kids. Now you can turn even the most vapid Web surfing into an educational experience with Popnoggin. This charmingly named program lets kid earn Internet time by correctly answering questions from a variety of categories. With plenty of options for customization and handling multiple users, Popnoggin is a fun way to put some intellectual stimulation back into computer time.

The program's interface is basic and intuitive, making it easy for both parents and kids to use. Users can select one or more categories of questions to use during each session; … Read more