Toshiba notebook powered by Pentium 4 desktop chip

Toshiba is set to become the first brand-name PC maker to launch a Pentium 4-based notebook in the United States, beating competitors to market by several weeks. But there will be a twist. The new Satellite 1905, announced Monday, uses a desktop Pentium 4 chip instead of the forthcoming mobile Pentium 4-M from Intel. The use of desktop chips to create higher-powered, lower-priced notebooks is a growing trend among PC makers, who seek to serve PC owners looking for a second or third PC that would offer portability but not necessarily the trimmest design. The move has also brought criticism from some PC makers who point out that desktop chips, though less expensive, typically consume more power and run hotter than their notebook-designed counterparts, making for something other than a true notebook. Toshiba, which bills the new notebook as more of a portable desktop, plans to begin shipping the Satellite 1905 in the middle of this month for a price of $1,999. The machine will offer a 1.6GHz Pentium 4 chip, a 15-inch display, 256MB of RAM and a 30GB hard drive, along with a combination DVD/CD-rewritable drive. --John G. Spooner, Special to ZDNet News