18. Using The Qosmio G35-AV600

Watching TV and DVDs on the Qosmio remains an unalloyed pleasure. The display produces the purest blacks of any of the units in this roundup, yet still does a good job with bright colors and brightly lit scenes. Though the screen has a glossy bright surface and shows reflections from local light sources, they're not as noticeable as on the Sony. Moving images show only a few occasional artifacts, but again nothing that bothers the eye too much. As a personal DVD player, the Qosmio worked best for us overall.

Listening to music or TV/DVD soundtracks, we quickly realized that this is the only notebook in the bunch that can crank out sufficient volume to produce uncomfortably loud volume levels. While we could easily stay in front of all the other units indefinitely with the speakers cranked to top volume (25 on the Toshiba), we had to turn the Qosmio down to 16 or 17 for most of our CDs and music files. It might be that the vented port design of the speakers permits more sound to emanate from the notebook case, but we suspect that Toshiba also endowed this unit with a more powerful amplifier. It was the only unit from which the trademarked THX sound blast sounded anything like a home theater. Unlike all the other notebooks in this roundup, the Qosmio offers true depth of stereo sound that deserves the old-fashioned but apt designation "high fidelity audio."

The Qosmio includes a black, boxy remote control with a keypad layout just like the Microsoft MCE remote, sans its sexy curves. Like the one bundled with the Acer notebook, the Qosmio's IR receiver features a USB type B connector on the box so the cable can be completely disconnected at both ends. As with most other notebooks reviewed here, the remote worked properly as soon as the receiver was plugged into a USB port, and the obligatory pair of IR blasters appears here as well.

Interesting special features on the Qosmio include a fingerprint scanner below the keyboard to the right. Nearby, a large silver volume knob provides ready control over the Qosmio's sound output. The Qosmio's special function buttons and indicator lights are all clearly labeled and easy to use. The VCR-like controls on the top edge of the keyboard deck are especially handy and familiar. Toshiba also includes a component video out cable that offers a "best of breed" link-up to a high-definition TV set - it worked very well with the Syntax Olevia LCD and Samsung plasma HDTVs we tried.

We also give Toshiba brownie points for its compact, readable, profusely illustrated Quick Start guide. It's spiral bound to stay open at any page, and even includes a built-in stand for use next to the keyboard. Finally, the Qosmio is the only notebook in this review that ships with a storage sleeve. While it's not a carrying case, at least it provides some protection from fingerprints and smudges when it's not in use!