Join Jørgen Sundgot as he feasts his eyes on Toshiba's newest multimedia powerhouse at the CeBIT showfloor: the Qosmio G20 is simply elite.
Brittle-boned? Then read no further, as this article will give you a quick sneak peek at a desktop replacement laptop that's so heavy it classified as every spinal surgeon's wet dream. Weighing in at a back-deforming 4.4 KG, this behemoth is only suited for gamers and those in need of a high-tech toast iron. Still, you might just as well admit it: you want it, even though it'll have your wallet bleeding and spinal fluids leaking.
Equipped with a 17" WXGA display so bright it'll have your eyes watering in mere minutes, the Qosmio G20 - like its little brother, the G10 - is styled towards personal entertainment with instant-on functions for playing back DVDs or watching TV. That's right, the G20 has an integrated TV tuner, and runs on Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, which is powered by a choice of Intel Pentium M 750/760 processors running at respectively 1.86 GHz and 2 GHz.
 | | Toshiba Qosmio G20 |
Powered by a Nvidia GeForce Go 6600 graphics chip with 128 MB of dedicated DDR VRAM, there's enough power in the Qosmio G20 to comfortably splatter ones way around, say, Doom III - but there are more powerful desktop replacement laptops on the market. Delivered with 1 GB of RAM and expandable up to 2 GB, there's also enough memory to run the most demanding applications, games and high-definition video files.
A couple of things set the G20 apart from its competitors, however, such as it being delivered with two out-of-this-world hard drive configurations; either dual 60 GB or dual 80 GB drives - and there's even software support for RAID configuration. For further storage, owners will be able to make use of the Dual Layer DVD±RW/RAM drive, and if there's a further need to communicate with the rest of the world, connectivity options are aplenty.
 | | Toshiba Qosmio G20 |
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g support is integrated, along with Bluetooth and a battery of cabled solutions such as 10/100 Ethernet; a 56k V.90 modem; four USB ports; an IEEE 1394 jack; S/P DIF audio; a PCMCIA Type II slot; CardExpress; and a multi-format memory card reader which accepts SD/MMC Cards, SmartMedia, Memory Stick cards and even xD Picture Cards.
Then there's the dual Harman Kardon speakers with SRS TruSurround XT; to tell you the truth, I couldn't make much out of the so-called surround, but then again a noisy showfloor might be the very best place to carry out delicate audio tests. What I was enable to determine, though, was that the audio quality was overall impressive; loudness and detail were both good, despite the previously mentioned showfloor.
Speaking of the showfloor, one little yet nagging detail quickly became obvious: with a high gloss finish surrounding the keyboard and exterior of the Q20, you're essentially buying the laptop equivalent of a fancy car. You'll be the envy of everyone, but you'll also need to bring a polishing kit wherever you go as only the lightest of touches will leave a visible mark on your new beauty (just be glad it's not as likely to be keyed as a car). Speaking of cars, make sure you've paid yours in full before going on a Qosmio shopping frenzy: prices kick off at 3100 EUR.
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