The Toshiba Qosmio G40 is one of the first Santa Rosa-based notebooks by the Japanese maker. Unlike its Satellite, Tecra and Portege series, the Qosmio range focuses on delivering a complete mobile entertainment platform with features like dual TV tuners, next-generation optical format, 5.1-channel audio output, etc. The downside is that in order to fit in all these components, the 5.5kg, 17-inch Qosmio G40 can hardly be deemed portable. Unlike Sony's AR series, this Qosmio went with the HD DVD format, an important consideration if you already have a collection of Blu-ray discs. The Qosmio G40 may be exceptionally costly -- it nudges AU$5,000 -- and there are other cheaper entertainment models like the Dell Inspiron 1720 and HP Pavilion dv9500. But, to be fair, the latter models are certainly not as feature-rich. The equally capable Blu-ray-equipped Sony VAIO VGN-AR38G is even more costly at AU$5,499.
Design
The Toshiba Qosmio G40 represents a marked departure from the previous Qosmio G series laptops. Instead of the white LCD cover and black keyboard, the new model flips the colour scheme though it maintains the same glossy coat. Granted it makes the unit look very attractive in the showroom, but fingerprints and dust show up too clearly for comfort. It also does away with the slot-in optical drive, going with a conventional tray system instead. Though the former does add aesthetic appeal, the switch will be appreciated by those with 8cm discs that can be used only with a tray.
The Qosmio AV controller provides shortcuts to multimedia functions.
Like most vendors which intend to retail in the Europe market, Toshiba's Qosmio G40 is RoHS compliant. This means it conforms to the European standard that restricts the use of hazardous substances in a portable. We, however, use the term portable very loosely. With a weight of 5.5kg and dimensions of 440 by 299.4 by 45.3mm, it may be slightly slimmer than the older Qosmio G30 but still not a machine you'd want to commute with.
Like any proper multimedia desktop replacement, the Qosmio offers two sets of multimedia controls for different occasions. If you prefer to view movies on its 17-inch screen, there is a volume control wheel on the left of the keyboard, a row of touch-sensitive multimedia buttons on the top and a Qosmio AV controller/multifunction dial on the right. The latter's circumference is lit by a blue LED light so you don't have to grope for the controls in the dark. But if you want to link the G40 to a large-screen display, a full-sized remote control saves you the bother of having to walk to the machine everytime you want to skip a chapter.
Features
So what's so special about the Qosmio G40? Analog/digital TV tuner? Built-in subwoofer? HD DVD drive? A slew of video output sources? We've already seen that on the previous iteration. So besides being based on the latest Centrino Santa Rosa chipset, what else does the G40 bring to the table?
For one, it takes advantage of the new platform to offer 1GB of Intel Turbo Memory (for an explanation, see our break-out box). One of the USB ports differs from the rest in that it is able to charge your USB device even if the Qosmio is turned off. Last but not least, the Toshiba G40 is one of the few machines in the market with a high-definition 1080p-ready display.
Hardware engineers were faced with a conundrum, how best to boost OS and application load times without adversely affecting battery life. Knowing that hard-disks are slow and power hungry, while RAM is super fast but loses its contents once the power is turned off, they'd hit a dead-end. Step into the breech: flash memory. This is the stuff you'll find on memory cards and USB sticks; it sits between a hard-disk and RAM for speed, retains its data even without power and uses less juice than a hard-disk.
With Windows Vista and the right hardware, you can slot in your flash memory to cache the most frequently accessed OS, applications and files, thereby cutting start-up times yet also conserving battery life. -- Derek Fung
As mentioned, the 17-inch display is 1080p-compatible, which means it can display full-HD video without having to link to an external display. The 1,920 x 1,200-pixel LCD has dual lamps which produce up to 300nits of brightness, more than sufficient for most environments. But behind the pixels is an engine powered by the high-end Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics card with 512MB of dedicated video memory (VRAM). The VRAM can be boosted to 1,279MB during periods of heavy load by sharing with the system RAM. If 17 inches of high-definition display is not enough, you can hook up an even larger screen using the S-video, VGA-out, HDMI and component-video out jacks. There are two integrated TV tuners and both can handle conventional analog and digital signals for times when you get bored with your movie collection. Having two tuners also allows you to, say, watch TV and record at the same time.
The Qosmio G40 can even behave like a recorder by using its video composite input jacks. There are two hard-disk slots in the G40 and in Aussie-spec both are taken up by 200GB drives, giving a total of 400GB storage. When that runs out, multimedia files can be archived onto HD DVD discs. Unlike the first-generation HD DVD drives, which could only read but not write, this Qosmio stores up to 15GB on a single-layer HD DVD and 30GB on dual-layer discs. As HD DVD platters are still rather expensive and not commonly available, the optical drive also allows the use of almost any flavour of DVD and CD to backup smaller files.
Most notebook sound systems feel like gratuitous additions with their tinny outputs and lack of bass. This Qosmio, on the other hand, offers a 5.1-channel experience with four Harman Kardon speakers and built-in subwoofer. Sound quality is head and shoulders above most notebooks, with the exception of machines like the Sony VAIO VGN-AR38G. Nevertheless, the audio quality cannot be compared with a dedicated entertainment setup. If you desire bass that shakes the foundation of your house and superior audio clarity, an S/PDIF connection is available to stream to a full surround-sound setup.
Connectivity-wise, the Qosmio does not skimp. A generous five USB 2.0 ports (one of which is Plug-and-Charge-compatible), mini-FireWire, an ExpressCard/54 and a Type II PC Card slot are available. A 5-in-1 memory card reader handles SD, MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro and xD-PictureCard formats. We were a little surprised to see a biometric fingerprint scanner sitting between the touchpad buttons as this is not a business machine. Though it offers stronger security than easy-to-crack passwords, without the TPM security chip this feature is more suited for easy login than data protection. A 2-megapixel Webcam sits above the display for times when you need to do a little video conferencing or for a quick snapshot.
Network connectivity is bang up-to-date, with 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi radio, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet and modem all ready and waiting.
As expected for a 17-inch desktop replacement, the keyboard is full-sized and comfortable to use for extended bouts of typing. A touchpad located below allows for cursor control and provides reasonable tactile feedback. However, we found that the numeric keypad -- like on the HP Pavilion dv9500 -- was conspicuous by its absence. Granted, this is an entertainment machine and the space is used by the volume and multifunction dial. However, even couch potatoes have occasionally been known to do some serious data entry.
Performance
When it comes to performance, the Qosmio G40 is certainly no slouch. The AU$4,999 G40 comes equipped with a Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2GHz processor, 2GB RAM, 400GB of storage space and runs on Windows Vista Home Premium Edition. As MobileMark has yet to be Vista-certified, we could not do comparisons with previous reviews. Instead, we could run commonly used applications like Office and Photoshop with no issues.
As expected of a desktop replacement, battery life is not one of its stellar qualities. We ran the Incredibles DVD at half-maximum brightness and with the volume turned up. Although, since we didn't wish to be arrested for noise pollution, we plugged in a set of earphones. The Qosmio G40 shut down after just under 2 hours, barely enough for most full-length movies. So it's best to keep the G40 plugged in.
Service and Support
Toshiba offers a one-year international carry-in warranty for this machine, with options to upgrade the coverage period at the point of purchase. For greater convenience, you can register the warranty online instead of mailing it in. Prompt assistance is available through a toll-free number for over-the-phone support and troubleshooting. An online support database called IRIS (Instant Response Information Service) features a search engine for solutions to commonly encountered problems. If the issue still cannot be resolved, the unit will have to be brought down to a Toshiba service centre for repair. A list of service centres can be obtained from Toshiba's Web site, which also hosts updated drivers and utilities.
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