New Toshiba Laptops add 802.11n
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The Satellite A205
(Credit: Toshiba)The push towards increasing everyone's wireless speed to the newish 802.11n draft spec (as opposed to all those slowpokes with b/g Wi-Fi) got another shot in the arm this morning with Toshiba's new Satellite A205 series. These are the first laptops from Toshiba to have the faster 802.11n technology. The 15.4-inch wide-screen A205 starts at around $1,000 and is available starting today.
Also joining the A205 today is the imaginatively named P205 --a 17-inch desktop replacement starting at just $999, a relatively low price for a big-screen laptop. Add about $200 and you can get the 802.11n Wi-Fi option as well.
Almost more interesting than faster Wi-Fi speeds is the inclusion of something called Labelflash in both the A205 and P205. That's Toshiba's name for DVD burners that can etch text and images directly onto your optical media. Hewlett-Packard for year has offered something similar called LightScribe, and even though they require special (read: more expensive) blank media, you can turn out some really professional-looking results that put your sharpie-labeled discs to shame.
New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan.
