Entertainment seekers looking for a big-screen notebook without an accompanying big-ticket price will find a lot to like in the Toshiba Satellite P505-S8010, an 18.4-inch system featuring Intel’s new Core i3 processor, touch-sensitive controls, excellent audio, and enough graphics muscle to handle mainstream games. At $949, the system packs a significant amount of features for its price, but film buffs may lament the lack of a full HD screen and a Blu-ray drive with the standard configuration.
Design and Aesthetics
Measuring 17.4 x 11.6 x 1.6 inches and weighing a hefty 8.6 pounds, the P505 isn’t a notebook designed for the coffee shop. However, this attractive machine will look great sitting on a desktop or entertainment center thanks to the Fusion Finish in Sonic Black design. The system features an eye-catching glossy coating that extends from the lid to the bezel, keyboard, and base (the latter incorporates subtle arcing white lines that cut through the black).
Heat
After playing a Hulu video for 15 minutes at full screen, the P505 remained relatively cool. The touchpad measured 89 degrees Fahrenheit, the space between the G and H keys was 89 degrees, and the bottom reached 94 degrees. However, the back vent soared to 112 degrees. We consider anything higher than 100 degrees to be unpleasant.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard on the P505 is wide and spacious, but the individual keys lack a certain amount of tactile feedback that touch typists may enjoy. Still, you have a full number pad and nicely sized Shift keys. To the left of the keyboard is a responsive touch-sensitive media control panel that allowed us to easily play, pause, and skip tracks while listening to music files.
South of the keyboard is a smallish 3.3 x 1.6-inch touchpad that could have benefited from additional horizontal and vertical space. Its texture invites a bit of friction, but not enough to interfere with cursor movements. The ample mouse buttons were easy to press, but some might find them too mushy.
Display and Audio
Our Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street DVD displayed rich blacks and vibrant colors on the 18.4-inch display, which sports an unusual 1680 x 945-pixel resolution. Toshiba says this “HD+” resolution is designed to show sharper images than 720p while keeping costs down. Film buffs may lament the lack of a full HD display (a feature more expensive machines such as the Sony VAIO F Series have), but the image quality was excellent. While the picture held up from all but the most extreme angles, the screen’s glossy coating kicked back plenty of reflections.
Twin Harmon Kardon speakers produced excellent audio when we fired up some James Brown tracks on Slacker. The Dolby-powered speakers separated high- and low-end sounds rather nicely, which opened up the soundscape and allowed us to appreciate both the treble and bass. The speakers also produce enough volume to fill a medium-sized room; the P505-S8010 would make an excellent addition to your media center.
Ports and Webcam
The perimeter of the P505 is packed with ports for connecting gear: arrayed around the chassis you’ll find three USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, VGA, FireWire 400, ExpressCard/54, eSATA/USB, VGA, Ethernet, and modem ports, along with a Kensington lock slot and 5-in-1 memory card reader.
Above the display is a webcam that served up somewhat murky visuals when we chatted with Meebo friends. Moving into brighter light helped, but skin tones became a bit washed out.
