Toshiba's Energy-Saving E205 Laptop

For the past couple of years, retail giant Best Buy (BBY) has been putting more of its own stamp on laptops for consumers at its stores. Toshiba's recently introduced E205-S1904 Satellite laptop is one collaborative result. The verdict: It's a $999 laptop with snappy performance and the ability to beam videos to a big-screen TV, but it has too many mechanical flaws for me to recommend it wholeheartedly.

Toshiba designed the E205 as part of Best Buy's "Blue Label" program. The retailer uses the program to influence product design so computing will be easier for consumers, based on what they've said they want. Toshiba seems to have taken the name literally: The laptop's royal blue, molded-plastic case feels cheap, compared to other Toshiba models. Its glossy lid shows too many fingerprints and smudges.