Toshiba Qosmio G55-Q802

Instead, the $1,549 Qosmio G55 adds a handful of genuinely unique extras, which run from gimmicky to useful under certain, limited circumstances. The 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 is joined by a second Cell processor (just like the chip powering the PlayStation 3). Toshiba calls this combo "Quad Core HD," and uses the extra horsepower to power both a Webcam based gesture control system and accelerated video encoding (as long as you're using the prescribed software).

Neither addition is going to be of much use to casual consumers, but we can see limited circumstances where specific tasks encoding lots of HD video to DVD would make the G55 worth a look, and note that the non Blu-ray versions of Acer's and HP's 18 inch laptops cost around the same, even without the extra processing power.

Specification

• Price as reviewed / Starting price $1,549
• Processor 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 (plus 1.5GHz Cell processor)
• Memory 4GB, 800MHz DDR2
• Hard drive 250GB 5,400rpm (x2)
• Chipset Mobile Intel P45 Express Chipset
• Graphics 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT
• Operating system Windows Vista Premium (64 bit)
• Dimensions (WDH) 17.8x12.2x1.9 inches
• Screen size (diagonal) 18.4 inches
• System weight or Weight with AC adapter 10.7/12.1 pounds
• Category Desktop replacement
  

Easily the biggest and bulkiest of the current crop of 18 inch laptops at nearly 2 inches thick and almost 11 pounds, the G55 dwarfs the (relatively) smaller HP HDX18 and Sony Vaio AW170.

The system's glossy (and fingerprint prone), pinstriped design resembles the recently revamped Satellite line, but the chassis itself has the same clamshell look, with the edges of the lid curling in slightly, as on the 17 inch Qosmio X305-Q701.

It's not for those without ample desktop space, but the G55 also feels solid as a rock. The full keyboard and separate number pad are typical for Toshiba which is to say very glossy.

The keys themselves are comfortable and easy to use, but there's a bit too much flex around the middle of the keyboard. A row of standard touch sensitive media control buttons sit above the keyboard, but we're much more excited about the small volume control jogwheel that's on the lower left side of the keyboard tray. We always find jogwheels easier to use and more responsive than volume up and down buttons, or touch sensitive volume sliders (which never respond fast enough for our tastes).

The 18.4 inch wide screen LCD display offers a 1,680x945 pixel native resolution, which is a bit of a mystery. Every other 18 inch laptop we've seen has a 1,920x1080 pixel resolution, which is a natural match with the 16:9 aspect ratio and 1080p HD content. The G55 also lacks the Blu-ray drive that the other 18 inch laptops we've reviewed all carry as standard equipment. However, since Toshiba laptops were saddled with HD DVD drives for long past that format's useful life, we can call this progress, of a sort.

Other Features

• Video VGA out, HDMI VGA out, S-Video, HDMI
• Audio Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks, S/PDIF jack Stereo speakers with subwoofer, headphone/microphone jacks.
• Data 4 USB 2.0, mini FireWire, multiformat memory card reader, eSATA 4 USB 2.0, mini FireWire, SD card reader
• Expansion ExpressCard/54 ExpressCard/54
• Networking modem, Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth modem, Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth
• Optical drive DVD burner DVD burner or Blu-Ray
  

The G55's two most interesting features are its gesture controls and its extra processing power for video editing and encoding. Both features make use of what Toshiba calls "Quad Core HD," which means the standard Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 working with a second processing chip. That chip, essentially the same Cell processor found in the PlayStation 3 (and originally co-developed by IBM, Sony, and Toshiba), has a clock frequency of 1.5GHz.