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Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/16/toshiba_intros_satellite_a660_c650_l650_l670/

Toshiba intros consumer desktop replacements

15, 16 and 17in beasts announced

By Tony Smith

Posted in Laptops, 16th April 2010 09:49 GMT

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Toshiba has introduced a quartet of new Satellite laptops if hopes will tempt with their big screens and extended keyboards.

Top of the list is the A660, which sports a 16in, 1366 x 768 display, a choice of Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors, up to 8GB of memory and up to 640GB of hard drive storage. It has Harman Kardon speakers [1] and an as-yet-unnamed Nvidia [2] graphics chip.

Toshiba touted the laptop's inclusion of its Resolution+ upscaling technology, but here it's implemented in software rather than the hardware used in the DVD players and TVs that are stamped with the brand. Side-by-side with another laptop and you can see a slight difference, but not enough to disappoint anyone who doesn't buy the A660.

Toshiba Satellite A660

Toshiba's Satellite A660: lacks symmetry

The A660 is accompanied by the C650, L650 and L670. The first two are 15.6in models, the L670 a 17.3in laptop. All three lines feature models based on Core i3 CPUs and, at the bottom end, AMD chips. The C650 range will also include Pentium-based models, while the L650 and L670 have Core i5 options.

The 15.6in screens have 1366 x 768 resolutions, while the 17.3in panels run to 1600 x 900. Some are driven by integrated graphics, others but ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5145 [3] GPUs with 512MB of video memory.

Expect them to be loaded with up to 4GB of 1067MHz DDR 3, 500GB of hard drive storage, 802.11n Wi-Fi and DVD drives. The A660 has a Blu-ray option, by the way.

All four laptop lines will feature keyboard with numeric pads. The reason, Toshiba [4] admitted, was cosmetic: consumers don't need them, but 16:9 screens make the laptops' bodies so wide the keyboard looks too small without the numeric extension to - literally - pad it out.

The C650, L650 and L670 are set to ship toward the end of May, with the A660 following in June. Toshiba did not announce pricing. ®

Toshiba Laptop Reviews
Satellite T130 [5]
Satellite U500 Ducati Edition [6]
Satellite T110 [7]