Quick review of Toshiba Camileo S20 and X100

s20

Toshiba has unveiled two compact HD camcorders, the Camileo S20 and X100.

The slim Camileo S20 is a pocket-size device that's just 17mm thin and weighs only 98g.

It supports 1080p full HD video recording and has 4x digital zoom and video stabilisation.

The camcorder has a variety of different recording modes that include macro for close-ups; motion detection for surveillance; slow motion for sports, and time elapse for recording extended footage.

The Camileo S20 can also double up a camera and shoot 5-megapixel still images. It supports SD cards of up to 32GB in size.

A 32GB card can store up to 5 hours worth of 1080p video recordings, according to Toshiba.

The camcorder also has a large 3in swivelling LCD screen for previewing and recording images.

Although not as slim, Toshiba's other full HD camcorder, the Camileo X100, gives users the added advantage of a long reaching 10x optical zoom with video stabilisation feature.

HD videos can be recorded at either 30fps (frames per second) or 60fps for even smoother quality.

For framing videos and reviewing shots, the X100 has a 3in LCD touchscreen that can flip out.

The camcorder also doubles up as a camera and captures 10-megapixel still images.

X100

The Camileo X100 has 4GB of internal memory and an SD memory card slot. Both cameras allow users to easily share their videos by uploading to YouTube with a one-touch YouTube button.

Alternatively, they can also hook them up to a HDTV using the device's AV and HDMI ports.

The local prices and availability could not be confirmed.

Quick review of Toshiba Camileo S20 and X100

s20

Toshiba has unveiled two compact HD camcorders, the Camileo S20 and X100.

The slim Camileo S20 is a pocket-size device that's just 17mm thin and weighs only 98g.

It supports 1080p full HD video recording and has 4x digital zoom and video stabilisation.

The camcorder has a variety of different recording modes that include macro for close-ups; motion detection for surveillance; slow motion for sports, and time elapse for recording extended footage.

The Camileo S20 can also double up a camera and shoot 5-megapixel still images. It supports SD cards of up to 32GB in size.

A 32GB card can store up to 5 hours worth of 1080p video recordings, according to Toshiba.

The camcorder also has a large 3in swivelling LCD screen for previewing and recording images.

Although not as slim, Toshiba's other full HD camcorder, the Camileo X100, gives users the added advantage of a long reaching 10x optical zoom with video stabilisation feature.

HD videos can be recorded at either 30fps (frames per second) or 60fps for even smoother quality.

For framing videos and reviewing shots, the X100 has a 3in LCD touchscreen that can flip out.

The camcorder also doubles up as a camera and captures 10-megapixel still images.

X100

The Camileo X100 has 4GB of internal memory and an SD memory card slot. Both cameras allow users to easily share their videos by uploading to YouTube with a one-touch YouTube button.

Alternatively, they can also hook them up to a HDTV using the device's AV and HDMI ports.

The local prices and availability could not be confirmed.

Quick review of Toshiba Camileo S20 and X100

s20

Toshiba has unveiled two compact HD camcorders, the Camileo S20 and X100.

The slim Camileo S20 is a pocket-size device that's just 17mm thin and weighs only 98g.

It supports 1080p full HD video recording and has 4x digital zoom and video stabilisation.

The camcorder has a variety of different recording modes that include macro for close-ups; motion detection for surveillance; slow motion for sports, and time elapse for recording extended footage.

The Camileo S20 can also double up a camera and shoot 5-megapixel still images. It supports SD cards of up to 32GB in size.

A 32GB card can store up to 5 hours worth of 1080p video recordings, according to Toshiba.

The camcorder also has a large 3in swivelling LCD screen for previewing and recording images.

Although not as slim, Toshiba's other full HD camcorder, the Camileo X100, gives users the added advantage of a long reaching 10x optical zoom with video stabilisation feature.

HD videos can be recorded at either 30fps (frames per second) or 60fps for even smoother quality.

For framing videos and reviewing shots, the X100 has a 3in LCD touchscreen that can flip out.

The camcorder also doubles up as a camera and captures 10-megapixel still images.

X100

The Camileo X100 has 4GB of internal memory and an SD memory card slot. Both cameras allow users to easily share their videos by uploading to YouTube with a one-touch YouTube button.

Alternatively, they can also hook them up to a HDTV using the device's AV and HDMI ports.

The local prices and availability could not be confirmed.

Review of Toshiba Libretto W100

THE first thought that popped into my head when I opened the box and took out the Libretto W100 notebook was "Oh man, this looks like an oversized Nintendo DS."

Unlike a typical notebook, this laptop does not have a physical keyboard. Instead, there is a 7in WSVGA LED multitouch screen in the space where the keyboard would be.

The dual screens - and the black metallic finish of the device - makes it look like a cousin to Nintendo's handheld game console.

Librettos are Toshiba's subnotebook computers that have made a name for themselves by packing a lot of firepower into a small form factor.

In conjunction with the company's 25th anniversary this year, Toshiba took the Libretto range further - the result is the W100 ultraportable, a concept model that was the world's first dual-screen laptop.

Acer has just released a similar product, the Iconia.

I have to admit that it was not love at first sight when I laid eyes on the W100. It looked weird without a keyboard. Also, the lid with its airvent and speaker grill on top, looked odd.

Then there's the sticker on the lid that cautions users about the heat that the notebook produces when in use. Gosh, how hot does this thing get?, I wondered.

The need for the airvent soon became obvious. It's above the processor and the air around the opening gets really toasty, even after operating the notebook for a short while. The rear of the device is mostly taken up by the battery.

Toshiba has made this Libretto really light. It tips the scale at a mere 776g. It's small too; only slightly bigger than our palm, so it's real easy to carry the device around.

But due to the small form factor, the laptop is only able to offer limited connectivity options - a single USB2.0 port, a microSD card reader, and a headphone jack.

For wireless connections, there are Bluetooth and WiFi options.

Fast boot

Preinstalled with Windows 7 Home Premium, the machine booted up in about 20 seconds. That's quite fast if you have to ask.

Processing power is supplied by an entry-level 1.2GHz Intel Pentium U5400 chip, while there is an integrated Intel HD graphics card chip.

FAST ACCESS: The Bulletin Board provides fast access to daily activities, tasks and projects, plus the ability to drag and drop photos, videos, links, documents and application shortcuts into one place.

The W100 aced our tests when it came to multitasking and standard tasks such as wordprocessing and surfing the Web. It also played all the high-definition movies that I threw at it, without so much as a hiccup.

Also, its 62GB solid-state drive is more than enough to hold most users' files, photos, music and videos.

My only real complaint is the audio, which was too soft even at the highest setting. To add salt to the wound, the device's exhaust fan made whirring sounds that were loud enough to drown out the audio. I fixed this by hooking up a pair of headphones or external speakers.

Built-in accelerometer allows the dual screens to automatically orientate themselves to landscape or portrait view, depending on how the laptop is held. In portrait mode, the W100 looks like a digital book.

I flipped the laptop into several positions and noticed that the screens took a few seconds to reorientate. That's slow, in our book, but not a deal breaker.

I love the dual-screen setup. I could work on a Word document on one screen, while surfing the Internet on the other. This makes it really easy to research an article while writing the piece. And no need to be flipping between the two.

To make it easier to navigate around the screens, Toshiba has added its own tool next to the "Close" icon on each window pane. With it users can shift the desktop window to the bottom and back, or maximise it across both displays.

Also the notebook comes with the personalised Toshiba Bulletin Board app that provides fast access to daily activities, tasks and projects, plus the ability to drag and drop photos, videos, links, documents and application shortcuts into one place.

Incidentally, the bottom screen dims when idle to conserve battery power.

Virtual keyboards

Yes, you read that right. Keyboards. Plural. The W100 offers up to six virtual keyboards to suit users' preferences.

At the press of a button, you can choose from a full Qwerty layout, simplified Qwerty keyboard, a 10-key numeric pad, split keyboard for thumb-typing, and so on. Each has haptic feedback to simulate keypresses.

BEST FOR ME: The split thumb-typing keyboard worked the best as I was able to hold and type while lying down.

And, a virtual trackpad is also available.

I enjoyed trying out all the virtual keyboards but the user experience was hampered by the small size of the screens at first; I'm used to regular-sized keyboards. But given more time, I may have gotten used to typing on the W100.

The split keyboard worked best for me and because the W100 is really light, I could hold it in both hands while I used my thumbs to type, without it becoming cumbersome.

Also, I liked that the virtual keyboards are all lit, so I could type in a darkened room easily.

The W100 proved to be quite an interesting piece of hardware and despite a few shortcomings, such as weak audio and cramped virtual keyboards, it is both useful and fun. It turns heads too, especially when the dual screens are obvious.

It's really portable and carrying it around won't cause you to develop over-muscular arms or a hernia. And too bad you can't play Mario Bros on it. Also regrettable is that it retails at RM3,999, which makes it out of reach for a number of people.

Pros: Dual-screen setup is neat; lightweight and small; boots-up fast; easy to use; enjoyable.

Cons: Screen orientation is slow; barely audible audio; only one USB port; runs hot; pricey.ends

LIBRETTO W100
(Toshiba)
Dual-screen ultra-portable notebook
PROCESSOR: Intel Pentium U5400 Duo Core (1.2GHz)
MEMORY: 2GB DDR3 RAM
DISPLAY: Two 7in WSVGA LED multitouch displays (1,024 x 600-pixels resolution)
GRAPHICS: Intel HD graphics
STORAGE: 62GB solid state drive
CONNECTIVITY: WiFi 802.11n, 10/100 Ethernet port, Bluetooth 2.1
PORTS/SLOTS: One USB2.0 port, microSD card, mono microphone, mono speaker, earphone jack
BATTERY: 4-cell (Two hours battery life maximum)
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 7 Home Premium
OTHER FEATURES: Accelerometer, 1.3-megapixel webcam and six choices of virtual multimode keyboards (with haptic feedback to simulate normal keypresses)
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 202 x 123 x 30.7mm
WEIGHT: 776g (with battery)

Review of Toshiba Libretto W100

THE first thought that popped into my head when I opened the box and took out the Libretto W100 notebook was "Oh man, this looks like an oversized Nintendo DS."

Unlike a typical notebook, this laptop does not have a physical keyboard. Instead, there is a 7in WSVGA LED multitouch screen in the space where the keyboard would be.

The dual screens - and the black metallic finish of the device - makes it look like a cousin to Nintendo's handheld game console.

Librettos are Toshiba's subnotebook computers that have made a name for themselves by packing a lot of firepower into a small form factor.

In conjunction with the company's 25th anniversary this year, Toshiba took the Libretto range further - the result is the W100 ultraportable, a concept model that was the world's first dual-screen laptop.

Acer has just released a similar product, the Iconia.

I have to admit that it was not love at first sight when I laid eyes on the W100. It looked weird without a keyboard. Also, the lid with its airvent and speaker grill on top, looked odd.

Then there's the sticker on the lid that cautions users about the heat that the notebook produces when in use. Gosh, how hot does this thing get?, I wondered.

The need for the airvent soon became obvious. It's above the processor and the air around the opening gets really toasty, even after operating the notebook for a short while. The rear of the device is mostly taken up by the battery.

Toshiba has made this Libretto really light. It tips the scale at a mere 776g. It's small too; only slightly bigger than our palm, so it's real easy to carry the device around.

But due to the small form factor, the laptop is only able to offer limited connectivity options - a single USB2.0 port, a microSD card reader, and a headphone jack.

For wireless connections, there are Bluetooth and WiFi options.

Fast boot

Preinstalled with Windows 7 Home Premium, the machine booted up in about 20 seconds. That's quite fast if you have to ask.

Processing power is supplied by an entry-level 1.2GHz Intel Pentium U5400 chip, while there is an integrated Intel HD graphics card chip.

FAST ACCESS: The Bulletin Board provides fast access to daily activities, tasks and projects, plus the ability to drag and drop photos, videos, links, documents and application shortcuts into one place.

The W100 aced our tests when it came to multitasking and standard tasks such as wordprocessing and surfing the Web. It also played all the high-definition movies that I threw at it, without so much as a hiccup.

Also, its 62GB solid-state drive is more than enough to hold most users' files, photos, music and videos.

My only real complaint is the audio, which was too soft even at the highest setting. To add salt to the wound, the device's exhaust fan made whirring sounds that were loud enough to drown out the audio. I fixed this by hooking up a pair of headphones or external speakers.

Built-in accelerometer allows the dual screens to automatically orientate themselves to landscape or portrait view, depending on how the laptop is held. In portrait mode, the W100 looks like a digital book.

I flipped the laptop into several positions and noticed that the screens took a few seconds to reorientate. That's slow, in our book, but not a deal breaker.

I love the dual-screen setup. I could work on a Word document on one screen, while surfing the Internet on the other. This makes it really easy to research an article while writing the piece. And no need to be flipping between the two.

To make it easier to navigate around the screens, Toshiba has added its own tool next to the "Close" icon on each window pane. With it users can shift the desktop window to the bottom and back, or maximise it across both displays.

Also the notebook comes with the personalised Toshiba Bulletin Board app that provides fast access to daily activities, tasks and projects, plus the ability to drag and drop photos, videos, links, documents and application shortcuts into one place.

Incidentally, the bottom screen dims when idle to conserve battery power.

Virtual keyboards

Yes, you read that right. Keyboards. Plural. The W100 offers up to six virtual keyboards to suit users' preferences.

At the press of a button, you can choose from a full Qwerty layout, simplified Qwerty keyboard, a 10-key numeric pad, split keyboard for thumb-typing, and so on. Each has haptic feedback to simulate keypresses.

BEST FOR ME: The split thumb-typing keyboard worked the best as I was able to hold and type while lying down.

And, a virtual trackpad is also available.

I enjoyed trying out all the virtual keyboards but the user experience was hampered by the small size of the screens at first; I'm used to regular-sized keyboards. But given more time, I may have gotten used to typing on the W100.

The split keyboard worked best for me and because the W100 is really light, I could hold it in both hands while I used my thumbs to type, without it becoming cumbersome.

Also, I liked that the virtual keyboards are all lit, so I could type in a darkened room easily.

The W100 proved to be quite an interesting piece of hardware and despite a few shortcomings, such as weak audio and cramped virtual keyboards, it is both useful and fun. It turns heads too, especially when the dual screens are obvious.

It's really portable and carrying it around won't cause you to develop over-muscular arms or a hernia. And too bad you can't play Mario Bros on it. Also regrettable is that it retails at RM3,999, which makes it out of reach for a number of people.

Pros: Dual-screen setup is neat; lightweight and small; boots-up fast; easy to use; enjoyable.

Cons: Screen orientation is slow; barely audible audio; only one USB port; runs hot; pricey.ends

LIBRETTO W100
(Toshiba)
Dual-screen ultra-portable notebook
PROCESSOR: Intel Pentium U5400 Duo Core (1.2GHz)
MEMORY: 2GB DDR3 RAM
DISPLAY: Two 7in WSVGA LED multitouch displays (1,024 x 600-pixels resolution)
GRAPHICS: Intel HD graphics
STORAGE: 62GB solid state drive
CONNECTIVITY: WiFi 802.11n, 10/100 Ethernet port, Bluetooth 2.1
PORTS/SLOTS: One USB2.0 port, microSD card, mono microphone, mono speaker, earphone jack
BATTERY: 4-cell (Two hours battery life maximum)
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 7 Home Premium
OTHER FEATURES: Accelerometer, 1.3-megapixel webcam and six choices of virtual multimode keyboards (with haptic feedback to simulate normal keypresses)
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 202 x 123 x 30.7mm
WEIGHT: 776g (with battery)

Review of Toshiba Libretto W100

THE first thought that popped into my head when I opened the box and took out the Libretto W100 notebook was "Oh man, this looks like an oversized Nintendo DS."

Unlike a typical notebook, this laptop does not have a physical keyboard. Instead, there is a 7in WSVGA LED multitouch screen in the space where the keyboard would be.

The dual screens - and the black metallic finish of the device - makes it look like a cousin to Nintendo's handheld game console.

Librettos are Toshiba's subnotebook computers that have made a name for themselves by packing a lot of firepower into a small form factor.

In conjunction with the company's 25th anniversary this year, Toshiba took the Libretto range further - the result is the W100 ultraportable, a concept model that was the world's first dual-screen laptop.

Acer has just released a similar product, the Iconia.

I have to admit that it was not love at first sight when I laid eyes on the W100. It looked weird without a keyboard. Also, the lid with its airvent and speaker grill on top, looked odd.

Then there's the sticker on the lid that cautions users about the heat that the notebook produces when in use. Gosh, how hot does this thing get?, I wondered.

The need for the airvent soon became obvious. It's above the processor and the air around the opening gets really toasty, even after operating the notebook for a short while. The rear of the device is mostly taken up by the battery.

Toshiba has made this Libretto really light. It tips the scale at a mere 776g. It's small too; only slightly bigger than our palm, so it's real easy to carry the device around.

But due to the small form factor, the laptop is only able to offer limited connectivity options - a single USB2.0 port, a microSD card reader, and a headphone jack.

For wireless connections, there are Bluetooth and WiFi options.

Fast boot

Preinstalled with Windows 7 Home Premium, the machine booted up in about 20 seconds. That's quite fast if you have to ask.

Processing power is supplied by an entry-level 1.2GHz Intel Pentium U5400 chip, while there is an integrated Intel HD graphics card chip.

FAST ACCESS: The Bulletin Board provides fast access to daily activities, tasks and projects, plus the ability to drag and drop photos, videos, links, documents and application shortcuts into one place.

The W100 aced our tests when it came to multitasking and standard tasks such as wordprocessing and surfing the Web. It also played all the high-definition movies that I threw at it, without so much as a hiccup.

Also, its 62GB solid-state drive is more than enough to hold most users' files, photos, music and videos.

My only real complaint is the audio, which was too soft even at the highest setting. To add salt to the wound, the device's exhaust fan made whirring sounds that were loud enough to drown out the audio. I fixed this by hooking up a pair of headphones or external speakers.

Built-in accelerometer allows the dual screens to automatically orientate themselves to landscape or portrait view, depending on how the laptop is held. In portrait mode, the W100 looks like a digital book.

I flipped the laptop into several positions and noticed that the screens took a few seconds to reorientate. That's slow, in our book, but not a deal breaker.

I love the dual-screen setup. I could work on a Word document on one screen, while surfing the Internet on the other. This makes it really easy to research an article while writing the piece. And no need to be flipping between the two.

To make it easier to navigate around the screens, Toshiba has added its own tool next to the "Close" icon on each window pane. With it users can shift the desktop window to the bottom and back, or maximise it across both displays.

Also the notebook comes with the personalised Toshiba Bulletin Board app that provides fast access to daily activities, tasks and projects, plus the ability to drag and drop photos, videos, links, documents and application shortcuts into one place.

Incidentally, the bottom screen dims when idle to conserve battery power.

Virtual keyboards

Yes, you read that right. Keyboards. Plural. The W100 offers up to six virtual keyboards to suit users' preferences.

At the press of a button, you can choose from a full Qwerty layout, simplified Qwerty keyboard, a 10-key numeric pad, split keyboard for thumb-typing, and so on. Each has haptic feedback to simulate keypresses.

BEST FOR ME: The split thumb-typing keyboard worked the best as I was able to hold and type while lying down.

And, a virtual trackpad is also available.

I enjoyed trying out all the virtual keyboards but the user experience was hampered by the small size of the screens at first; I'm used to regular-sized keyboards. But given more time, I may have gotten used to typing on the W100.

The split keyboard worked best for me and because the W100 is really light, I could hold it in both hands while I used my thumbs to type, without it becoming cumbersome.

Also, I liked that the virtual keyboards are all lit, so I could type in a darkened room easily.

The W100 proved to be quite an interesting piece of hardware and despite a few shortcomings, such as weak audio and cramped virtual keyboards, it is both useful and fun. It turns heads too, especially when the dual screens are obvious.

It's really portable and carrying it around won't cause you to develop over-muscular arms or a hernia. And too bad you can't play Mario Bros on it. Also regrettable is that it retails at RM3,999, which makes it out of reach for a number of people.

Pros: Dual-screen setup is neat; lightweight and small; boots-up fast; easy to use; enjoyable.

Cons: Screen orientation is slow; barely audible audio; only one USB port; runs hot; pricey.ends

LIBRETTO W100
(Toshiba)
Dual-screen ultra-portable notebook
PROCESSOR: Intel Pentium U5400 Duo Core (1.2GHz)
MEMORY: 2GB DDR3 RAM
DISPLAY: Two 7in WSVGA LED multitouch displays (1,024 x 600-pixels resolution)
GRAPHICS: Intel HD graphics
STORAGE: 62GB solid state drive
CONNECTIVITY: WiFi 802.11n, 10/100 Ethernet port, Bluetooth 2.1
PORTS/SLOTS: One USB2.0 port, microSD card, mono microphone, mono speaker, earphone jack
BATTERY: 4-cell (Two hours battery life maximum)
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 7 Home Premium
OTHER FEATURES: Accelerometer, 1.3-megapixel webcam and six choices of virtual multimode keyboards (with haptic feedback to simulate normal keypresses)
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 202 x 123 x 30.7mm
WEIGHT: 776g (with battery)

Toshiba outsources chip production to Samsung

Toshiba is set to significantly restructure its silicon chip manufacturing operations in 2011, outsourcing some production to Samsung and selling a manufacturing plant to Sony.

Toshiba Corp plans to reduces its non-memory chip exposure in an effort to claw back revenue, following an operating loss of $3.4 billion in its 2008 financial year, in the midst of the global financial crisis.

System chip design
Outsourcing to Samsung and others is part of the plan to cut capital investment outlays in the next financial year starting in April 2011.

"Thanks to this tie-up Toshiba will gain a stronger position," said Yumi Nishimura, a senior market analyst at Daiwa Securities Capital Markets.

"In a situation when bigger capacity is required, the burden of capital investment can be too big for one company, so the accord is a positive factor for Toshiba."

Toshiba has also announced that it will sell its system chip production line in Nagasaki to Sony. That line produces chips for Sony PlayStation 3s – and is located in a factory already owned by Sony.

Source: Reuters

Toshiba outsources chip production to Samsung

Toshiba is set to significantly restructure its silicon chip manufacturing operations in 2011, outsourcing some production to Samsung and selling a manufacturing plant to Sony.

Toshiba Corp plans to reduces its non-memory chip exposure in an effort to claw back revenue, following an operating loss of $3.4 billion in its 2008 financial year, in the midst of the global financial crisis.

System chip design
Outsourcing to Samsung and others is part of the plan to cut capital investment outlays in the next financial year starting in April 2011.

"Thanks to this tie-up Toshiba will gain a stronger position," said Yumi Nishimura, a senior market analyst at Daiwa Securities Capital Markets.

"In a situation when bigger capacity is required, the burden of capital investment can be too big for one company, so the accord is a positive factor for Toshiba."

Toshiba has also announced that it will sell its system chip production line in Nagasaki to Sony. That line produces chips for Sony PlayStation 3s – and is located in a factory already owned by Sony.

Source: Reuters

Toshiba outsources chip production to Samsung

Toshiba is set to significantly restructure its silicon chip manufacturing operations in 2011, outsourcing some production to Samsung and selling a manufacturing plant to Sony.

Toshiba Corp plans to reduces its non-memory chip exposure in an effort to claw back revenue, following an operating loss of $3.4 billion in its 2008 financial year, in the midst of the global financial crisis.

System chip design
Outsourcing to Samsung and others is part of the plan to cut capital investment outlays in the next financial year starting in April 2011.

"Thanks to this tie-up Toshiba will gain a stronger position," said Yumi Nishimura, a senior market analyst at Daiwa Securities Capital Markets.

"In a situation when bigger capacity is required, the burden of capital investment can be too big for one company, so the accord is a positive factor for Toshiba."

Toshiba has also announced that it will sell its system chip production line in Nagasaki to Sony. That line produces chips for Sony PlayStation 3s – and is located in a factory already owned by Sony.

Source: Reuters

Portable 3D gaming rig

Stereoscopic gaming goes mobile with the Toshiba Satellite A665.

With 3D hitting the market in a big way this year, it was inevitable that a 3D gaming laptop would eventually make an appearance and now it has.

The laptop in question is the Toshiba Satellite A665, the first laptop to arrive at our desks fully 3D-ready.

It has all the prerequisites for a proper 3D gaming experience - an nVidia graphics chip, a pair of 3D LCD shutter glasses and a 15.6in LED-backlit LCD display with the required 120Hz refresh rate.

Is this the ultimate 3D gaming rig? Well, that's what I'm here to find out.

Larger than life

The Satellite A665 is definitely in the desktop replacement class because it's a hefty beast with specifications that will put some desktop gaming PCs to shame.

Just chew on the specs - the machine comes with an Intel Core i7 Q740 quad-core processor running at 1.73GHz, 6GB RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 350M graphics chip and a Blu-ray drive thrown in for good measure.

LET THERE BE LIGHT: The backlit keys on the A665 should please gamers who like to play in dimly-lit rooms.

The keyboard itself is a full-sized affair with a number pad and, like most new keyboards these days, has chiclet-style keys.

It's also backlit, which should please gamers and people who like to work in the dark.

The Satellite A665 is also supplied with a pair of rechargeable nVidia 3D Vision shutter glasses and an emitter which plugs in to the laptop's USB port.

The emitter wirelessly syncs up the shutter glasses with the laptop's display so you get the correct left/right images in the corresponding eye.

Getting warmer

As a desktop replacement, the Satellite A665 does the job very well - not only is it powerful enough and has a large screen, but the speakers that come built-in actually sound very good.

I was surprised at how good the speakers were. The bass and volume were so good that I often forgot that they were coming from the laptop.

With so much power under the hood, it's not a surprise that the A665 runs very hot, especially when gaming. After an hour or so, the tabletop right next to the vent was not just warm, but downright hot to touch.

On the upside, though, if you're a professional gamer with sweaty hands, you could always utilise the nice warm air from the vent to dry your hands :-)

Battery life isn't all that great though - on a single charge you probably won't be able to play games for much more than an hour or two before the machine will run out of juice, so this is ­definitely a machine you want to leave plugged in most of the time.

When not gaming, you can probably manage about three hours, but not much more than that.

In your face

So we come to the crux of the matter - just how does 3D perform on the Satellite A665?

Well, first off, you need to connect the nVidia 3D transmitter to a spare USB port on the A665, and if you have the appropriate nVidia 3D drivers installed, just enable 3D on the laptop.

Obviously, you won't see any difference with the Windows desktop, but once you start a game or play a 3D movie using the supplied nVidia software, the laptop will automatically render it in proper 3D.

The transmitter itself can be used to adjust how pronounced the 3D effect is - just like the upcoming Nintendo 3DS, you can dial up the effect or down all the way till it's essentially 2D.

I found the highest settings a bit tough on the eyes and settled on a middle setting to get the best effect that didn't give me a headache.

3D: The A665 comes bundled with nVidia's 3D LCD shutter glasses and transmitter for synchronising the glasses with the display.

The shutter glasses are rechargeable (via a mini USB port) and are possibly the most uncomfortable 3D glasses ever made. Unlike the other 3D glasses I've tried, these nVidia ones are comfortable enough if you don't already wear glasses.

If you do have prescription glasses on already, the nVidia shutter glasses do not fit properly on your face at all.

Generally, the 3D works with almost any existing 3D-modelled game - this includes games not specifically made to be displayed in 3D.

I tested games such as Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Devil May Cry 4 and Just Cause 2 and all of them worked fine in 3D mode, although with a few minor hiccups in display (such as the aiming reticle in Tomb Raider not positioned right spatially).

There is a major hit to performance in 3D mode compared with 2D mode however - in our tests, there's about a 40% performance penalty in 3D mode.

For example, in an older game like Devil May Cry 4, I could get about 70fps to 100fps in 2D mode, but once I turned on 3D, framerates fell to about 30fps to 60fps.

Of course, for Devil May Cry 4, those framerates are more than satisfactory, but for a newer game like Just Cause 2 for example, framerates would fall from an average of 27.47fps to just 14.5fps with 3D turned on.

The implication is clear - if you have a graphics intensive game, you might want to just revert to plain old 2D mode to get a better experience.

Conclusion

The Toshiba Satellite A665 is a nice machine no doubt - even if you discount the 3D as a gimmick, you can't fault the raw performance you can get from the machine.

As a desktop replacement, it will seriously give a lot of desktop PCs a run for their money and you also get the added advantage of 3D.

Of course, expect to pay a premium for it - at RM6,999 it certainly isn't cheap.

Pros: 3D; great peformance for a laptop.

Cons: Relatively short battery life; 3D glasses uncomfortable for spectacle wearers.

Satellite A665

(Toshiba)

Desktop replacement laptop

Processor: Intel Core i7 Q740 quad-core processor (1.73GHz)

Memory: 6GB DDR3 RAM

Display: 15.6in LED backlit, 120Hz

Graphics: nVidia GeForce GTS 350M with 1GB DDR3 SDRAM

Storage: 500GB

Connectivity: WiFi 802.11n, gigabit Ethernet port, Bluetooth 2.1

Optical drive: Blu-ray/DVD burner

Ports/slots: One eSATA/USB combo port, 3 USB 2.0 ports; HDMI out 5-in-1 memory card reader, headphone port, microphone jack.

Battery: Six-cell lithium ion

Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Other features: Backlit keyboard, harman/kardon stereo speakers

Dimensions (w x d x h): 38 x 25.4 x 3.75cm

Weight: 2.63kg