Toshiba weighs in with new notebooks 18 June
Toshiba Corporation, the world's original notebook computer manufacturer, has announced a new series of notebook computers from entry-level models to top-of-the-range machines featuring the latest in mobile computing technology. The new computer range also simplifies Toshiba's global sales with the marketing of all computers worldwide.

The five new computers will carry the same branding worldwide. Toshiba has four main brandings for its notebooks, including "Satellite," aimed at the low price market, "Satellite Pro," aimed at mid-range users, "Tecra," which are top-of-the-range models, and "Portege," which are new sub-notebooks. In Japan, the computers will carry the same names but pre-fixed with "DynaBook," a name the company has used on all notebooks since pioneering the computers in 1989.

The Satellite 110 is based around a 100 megahertz (MHz) Pentium processor and features an 11.3-inch color LCD (liquid crystal display) with SVGA resolution available in either DSTN or TFT (thin film transistor) versions. An 810 megabyte (MB) hard disk drive and 8MB of memory are standard with memory expansion up to 40MB an option. Two PC card slots allow use of two type-II cards or one type-III. Toshiba installs both Windows 95 and Windows 3.1 for a one-time user selection.

Prices for the two versions in Japan will be 288,000 yen ($2,642) and 348,000 yen ($3,192), with Toshiba estimating US street prices from $2,499.

The Satellite Pro 420 features a 100MHz Pentium processor, 11.3-inch SVGA LCD in either TFT or DSTN versions, and 810MB hard disk drive. Eight or 16 megabytes of memory are standard, depending on the exact model, with expansions to 40MB available. A Zoomed Video (ZV) port on the machine allows direct input of video and audio without burdening the central processor, says Toshiba, and video at 30 frames-per-second, the same as TV, is available via this port.

Multimedia is supported further with an internal SoundBlaster Pro compatible sound card, a six-speed CD-ROM drive, and two PC card slots allow use of two type-II cards or one type-III. Pre installed software includes a choice of Windows 95 or Windows 3.1 on the low-end model and just Windows 95 on the high end models. Other software includes Windows 95 versions of Word and Excel.

The Satellite Pro 420 will retail for between 378,000 yen ($3,468) and 438,000 yen ($4,018) in Japan with US street prices starting from $2,999.

Toshiba's Tecra 500 offers a faster processor than the preceding two models, a 120MHz Pentium, with standard configuration of 16MB of RAM and 256 kilobytes (KB) of secondary cache memory. Internal architecture is based around Toshiba's Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) interface which provides a 32-bit wide data bus between the CPU (central processing unit) and peripherals, including the two PC Card slots.

The screen is a larger 12.1-inch TFT LCD, and other features include a desk docking station that interfaces directly with the PCI bus and supports "hot-docking," the ability to dock the machine while it is switched on and running.

Users will also find a 1.3 gigabyte (GB) hard disk drive, Zoomed Video port, 6 times speed CD-ROM drive, 28,800 bits-per-second (bps) modem and a four megabits-per-second (Mbps) infra-red port that allows communications with any device that supports the standard IrDA 1.1 protocol. A SoundBlaster Pro compatible sound card is also internal.

The Tecra 500, available in one version, will sell for 588,000 yen ($5,395) in Japan and has an estimated US street price of $3,999.

The company's new sub-notebook Portege 650 is the first such machine to incorporate a 133MHz Pentium chip and also includes 16MB of memory, expandable to 80MB with a 256KB secondary cache memory. The model includes the same PCI bus found in the Tecra machine and an 11.3inch TFT LCD capable of SVGA resolution and 16 million colors. A 1.3GB hard disk is standard, plus a SoundBlaster Pro compatible sound card, internal 28,800 bps modem, and users will get to select between Windows 95 and Windows 3.1.

An additional model, the Protege 620 was also announced for the Japanese market, and is similar to the 650 model, but with a 100MHz Pentium processor and 10.4-inch TFT LCD.

The Portege 650 carries a price tag of 558,000 yen ($5,119) in Japan and an estimated US street price of $4,999. The Japan only Portege 620 will cost 328,000 yen ($3,009).

(Martyn Williams/19960618/Press contact: Toshiba Corporation, tel +81-3-3457-2105, fax +81-3-3456-4776/TOSH960618/PHOTO)


From the NEWSBYTES news service, 18 June