In addition, the Satellite was packed with enough power and features that I figured it could serve as a suitable desktop replacement for the old Presario. These included a Pentium4 2.2GHz chip, a 40GB hard drive, 512MB of main memory (expandable to 1024MB), a DVD-ROM/CDRW drive, and the usual gaggle of Ethernet, Firewire, and USB ports, along with an infrared and TV out port. It also has built-in stereo speakers (which need augmenting with an external set if you want really loud sound) and even a 3.5-inch floppy. Installed software includes Windows XP Home Edition and Lotus Smart Suite Millenium Edition, along with Quicken Basic 2001, Adobe Acrobat Reader, and Norton AntiVirus 2002. The model 1955-S802 comes with Windows XP Professional and costs a few dollars more. My S801 clocked in at $2499 with a $100 instant rebate, meaning no coupon to send in.

Not that all this fire power doesn’t have its drawbacks. At 9.6 lbs, this Satellite isn’t something you want to tote around all the time. And the brick type AC power adapter adds another pound to the machine’s total carry weight. But it is light enough to move from room to room around the house, which suits my routine just fine, having long ago hung up my Road Warrior hat, if I ever had one. 

Almost lost in the features list were two I hadn’t been specifically shopping for: Toshiba’s new wireless detachable keyboard and wireless mouse. As it turns out, though, I’ve come to appreciate both almost as much as the requisite ERE.

Full time typing on a fixed laptop keyboard is hardly anyone’s idea of unadulterated fun. The usual solution would be to attach a full size keyboard for lengthy stints, but this adds to clutter and the wireless movement is all about decluttering the desktop.

The 7 x 11.75-inch keyboard worked well out of the box. There’s an On/Off switch in the upper left corner and the detached unit even has two little legs underneath to give it a slight slant – or you can rest it at any angle in your lap. It has its own battery which recharges itself when attached to the laptop.

The unwired mouse gave me a little more trouble. After following the instructions, printed and onscreen, I couldn’t get it to work as directed. Either there was a software driver that I wasn’t aware of, I thought, or maybe the mouse itself was defective. I went back to the retail store where I purchased it, but the salespeople weren’t much help. But when I tried it there, my mouse was immediately recognized by the Satellite on display. Back home, it still wouldn’t work with the machine I’d just bought.

Time for a call to Toshiba Tech Support, which didn’t exactly engender enthusiasm, given the state of most corporate phone support these days. To my amazement, I was talking to a real person in less than a minute (Sergio, I love you, man!). In another minute I had my solution and was off the phone in under three. Will wonders never cease?

Turns out there’s a mouse activation button on the front left of the computer and a reset button on the bottom of the mouse itself. I’d tried both of these repeatedly without success. The key is that they need to be poked simultaneously. That done, I was wirelessly keyboarding and mousing. In fact, this column is being written without any visible wires. Yee-haw!

The mouse probably won’t win any design elegance awards, but it’s an optical, two-button plus scroll wheel type that runs on two double A batteries. Depressing the scroll wheel and reset button at the same time puts it to sleep.

So far I’m camping happy with my Toshiba Satellite. Two wires have been deleted from my life and I’m looking to cut more. The next step is wireless Internet surfing. I just had a cable modem installed which managed to reinsert an electronic snake or two into the equation, but they’ll be on their way out just as soon as I figure out this wireless base station stuff, which will hopefully be the subject of my next column. Fortunately, the Satellite came hardwired for that eventuality, too. Soon we’ll see how many radio signals can peacefully coexist with each other.