Hands-on: Toshiba Satellite E305 Coming to Best Buy with 2nd-Gen Core Processor, WiDi 2.0

Hooking up for the third time, Toshiba and Best Buy have overhauled their exclusive 14-inch Blue Label laptop to include Intel’s new Sandy Bridge goodness and an all-new design. The Satellite E305 is decked out with a champagne aluminum finish that’s less fingerprint prone than the glossy blue E205 we reviewed last year yet weighs less (4.9 vs 5.2 pounds). A second-generation Core i5-2410M processor with Turbo Boost 2.0 technology runs the show, which integrates Intel’s beefed up integrated graphics.

It gets better. Get more details and some hands-on photos of the slick-looking chassis below.

The E305 boasts WiDi 2.0, which means you’ll be able wirelessly stream 1080p videos to your TV, including Blu-ray movies (with a required software update). Even with all this content creating power, Toshiba promises up to 7 hours of battery life, which would be nearly 2 hours better than this laptop’s predecessor. A 500GB hard rive, WiMax support, USB 3.0, and Dolby-powered speakers round out the specs. Although we like the backlit keyboard, the touchpad with integrated buttons gives us pause. We’ll need to play with it some more to see how well it works.

The E305 will go on sale this spring for a relatively steep MSRP of $1,089. We can’t wait to see if it’s worth the premium.