All I can say is that it's a good thing AI2 is over or I might never have finished this column. For the past couple of weeks, I've been testing a new notebook PC from Sony that, along with a model from Toshiba, is one of the first to also let you watch and record TV à la TiVo. And I just can't get a thing done with all this TV to watch.

Ultimately the software will make or break a DVR notebook.

If these things ever catch on and digital video recorders (DVRs) become standard equipment on laptops, whatever productivity gains we've realized from technology will be wiped out in a single fall TV season. But don't rush off to call your broker just yet. Both the preproduction Sony VAIO PCG-GRT190 that I tested and the Toshiba Satellite 5205-S705 seem like fairly promising pilots, but neither is really ready for prime time.

Made for TV
On paper, these two hefty desktop replacements seem nearly identical. They use similar processors--the GRT190's 2.8GHz Pentium 4 is a little faster, but the Satellite 5205-S705's 2.4GHz Pentium 4-M should deliver better battery life. Both come equipped with 512MB of memory, 60GB hard drives, multiformat DVD burners, and integrated wireless. And both are among the first to use Nvidia's newest chip (the GeForce FX Go5600) with 64MB of memory to drive big displays with dueling brightness technologies--Sony calls it Xbrite and Toshiba dubs it CASV for Clear Advanced Super View.

But they also have significant differences. The Satellite 5205-S705 uses the same Microsoft Media Center Edition found on desktops from Alienware, Gateway, HP, ViewSonic, and others. (An overdue Media Center notebook from Alienware, better known for its lime-green gaming desktops, must have vanished in Roswell.) The GRT190, by contrast, uses Sony's home-brewed Giga Pocket software, which is already found on desktops such as the VAIO PCV-RZ Series. Both systems include remote controls and integrated TV tuners, but Toshiba slipped the tuner in a second, swappable drive bay.

	Sony's GRT190 is made for TV with a superbright, 16-inch display.

It's the software, stupid
The GRT190 delivers a little more bang for the buck. It has a larger display (16 inches) and a faster processor, and at $2,500, it costs about $200 less. Ultimately, however, the software will make or break a DVR notebook, and having tested several Media Center OS desktops, I think the Toshiba Satellite 5205-S705 has the edge here.

In typical Sony fashion, the GRT190 is loaded with various video applets: Giga Pocket for TV viewing, Zap2it's online TV listings for scheduling recordings, and Giga Pocket Explorer for managing recorded programs. The Media Center, by contrast, unites everything--or at least almost everything--you need under a single, simple interface. It also includes an IR blaster so that you can change the channels on a set-top box like the one required by my digital cable service--a major omission in the GRT190.

TiVo's still tops
Don't get me wrong; I still think Microsoft has plenty to do with the Media Center OS, too, especially in the area of DVD burning. A new version expected in the fall should address some of these issues. That is why I wouldn't recommend either of these over a standalone DVR such as the TiVo Series2 or ReplayTV 5040. But if you are already in the market for a desktop replacement, purchasing one with a built-in TV tuner and DVR is an enticing option. Just don't expect to get any work done.