The good: Bright, crisp display; complete set of A/V controls, ports and connections; built-in TV tuner and high-end audio features; Core Duo CPU delivers powerful performance; slot-loading, double-layer DVD burner.

The bad: Subpar gaming performance; display resolution could be higher; small touch pad and mouse buttons; no separate number pad; no touch pad on/off button; bulky and heavy, even for a desktop replacement.

The bottom line: With the Qosmio G30, Toshiba delivers a best-in-class multimedia experience that's built on a state-of-the-art set of components and includes virtually every feature under the sun.

Read full review of the Toshiba Qosmio G30 »

By Justin Jaffe
Mar 13, 2006

Since its debut in August 2004, Toshiba's Qosmio line has been at the forefront of laptop technology. With the third-generation model, the Qosmio G30, Toshiba again delivers a best-in-class multimedia experience that's built on a state-of-the-art set of components, including Intel's new Core Duo chipset, and includes virtually every feature under the sun. As with past models, the G30 offers one of the best 17-inch wide-screen displays around, a double-layer DVD drive, and an integrated TV tuner, as well as a full complement of ports and connections, a rocking set of stereo speakers, and an unparalleled set of multimedia controls. You can certainly get many of these features, albeit in scaled-down form, in other entertainment-themed notebooks, such as the Fujitsu LifeBook N series. The one thing that's missing from the latest generation Qosmio, however, is strong gaming performance. Unlike past models, the G30 features a rather low-end GPU and its gaming performance suffers as a result. Still, if you're looking for a full-featured digital-entertainment system that's portable enough to move from room to room, the Qosmio G30 is hands-down the best of the lot.

With great features come great size and weight.

Design
The Qosmio G30 is a very big laptop, even for a desktop replacement. Slightly heavier than the previous model, it measures 406.4 x 294.6 x 53.3mm and weighs 4.46kg, or 5.22kg with its big AC adapter.

The keyboard has large, firm keys, though there is no separate number pad as found on the Pavilion dv8000 and the LifeBook N6210. Above the keyboard resides the most complete set of system and A/V controls we've seen on a laptop. Highlights include dedicated controls for display brightness (a rarity on laptops), video signal in and out, and Dolby Home Theater sound. The Qosmio G30's touch pad is another unique touch; embedded in it are a number of configurable quick-launch buttons as well as a volume control. We found it a bit finicky to use but appreciated the ingenuity. Still, we wish there was a touchpad on/off button--one of our favorite features for a desktop replacement.

Features
Otherwise, the Qosmio G30 offers a complete array of multimedia features and connections for audio (an external volume control wheel, headphone and microphone jacks, S/PDIF jack, and HDMI output), video (S-Video input and output, VGA out, coaxial input for connecting to a TV signal cable), and data (four USB 2.0 ports, one four-pin FireWire port). Networking connections include 10/100/1000 Ethernet, an Intel 802.11a/b/g wireless, Bluetooth, and a V.92 modem. Finally, you get one slot for a PC Card and another for an ExpressCard; a 5-in-1 card reader and a cool, slot-loading double-layer DVD drive. Our one beef is that the port labels are small and virtually invisible, blending in with the black plastic of the laptop's edge.

	There is enough space on this machine for its multitude of ports.

The Qosmio G30 is no joke when it comes to audio performance. The triple threat of a 1-bit digital amplifier, Dolby Home Theater, and Harman Kardon stereo speakers delivers extremely loud, crisp, and full sound. Still, the speakers' positioning, below the display, makes for muffled sound when the lid is shut.

This notebook has one of the brightest wide-aspect 17-inch displays we've seen on a laptop--on a par with high-end models from Sony and Fujitsu and significantly brighter than Dell's and HP's. That said, the Qosmio G35-AV600's 1,440 x 900 native resolution isn't as fine as we'd like and affords less screen real estate than the Dell and HP models, which feature a superfine 1,920 x 1,200 native resolution.

The Qosmio G30's remote control provides a full complement of multimedia controls and the built-in IR window means that you don't need an external receiver--an improvement over the previous model. We also received a very long USB 2.0 cable, a coaxial cable dongle, a set of composite cables, and a set of optical audio cables.

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