Toshiba Showcases New Ultrabooks, Tablets

• By Kanoe Namahoe
• 06/28/12

Toshiba showcased new models and features of its Ultrabooks, tablets, and laptops at this week's ISTE 2012 conference in San Diego. The recent releases include the Satellite U845W, Satellite U845, and Portege Ultrabooks, the upgraded Tecra laptops, and the Excite series of Android tablets.

Toshiba's Satellite U845W, designed for entertainment, comes with a 14.4-inch diagonal ultrawide-HD display with 1792x768 resolution and 21:9 aspect ratio. The lightweight notebook—with an .82-inch profile—features third-generation Intel Core processor technology, LED backlit keyboard, Harman/Kardon stereo speakers, and up to 8GB DDR memory. The Satellite U845 offers a 500GB hard drive, with 32GB and 256GB SSD options, three USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI port, one Ethernet port, and a single memory card slot.

The Satellite U845 also features a slim profile—a mere .79-inches—and weighs less than four pounds. The notebook includes a 14-inch diagonal HD display with 1366 x 768 resolution, a 500GB hard drive, and up to 6GB DDR memory. Like the U845W model, the U845 comes with third-generation Intel Core processors, one HDMI port, a single Ethernet port, and one memory card slot.

The Portege Z930 and Z935 each weigh in at just 2.5 pounds and feature magnesium alloy casing with a Honeycomb Rib design for enhanced durability. The ultra-slim notebooks include solid state drive, fingerprint reader, and a battery life of eight hours, according to a prepared statement. The Z930 supports third-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors while the Z935 supports Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 processors.

Weighing in at three pounds with a one-inch profile is the Portege R930, with integrated DVD drive. Outfitted with third-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, the R930 includes two USB 3.0 ports, Bluetooth 3.0, and can be configured with a standard hard drive or solid state drive.

The Tecra R940 and R950 are equipped, respectively, with 14- and 15.6-inch diagonal LED-backlit widescreen HD displays. The notebooks, each with a one-inch profile and weighing less than 4.5 pounds, feature fiberglass reinforced chassis with honeycomb rib structure, Pillar technology for improved typing, and third-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. Tecra series laptops also include spill-resistant keyboards, fingerprint reader, Toshiba USB Sleep-and-Charge technology, and 2-megapixel HD webcam.

The new models in Toshiba's Excite tablet series include the Excite 10 (with 10.1-inch display), Excite 13 (with 13.3-inch display) and Excite 7.7 (with 7.7-inch display). All versions run on Android 4.0 and come with aluminum chassis, scratch-resistant display, and Nvidia Tegra 3 processors. The tablets include a 5-megapixel camera on the back, 2-megapixel front-facing shooter, stereo speakers, and WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities.

Starting prices for the Satellite U845 and Satellite U845W are $749.99 and $999.99, respectively. The Portege Z935 starts at $899.99, the Portege Z930 at $1,249.00, and Portege R930 at $1,399.00. The Tecra series—the R940 and R950—begin at $1,199.00 and $1,179.00, respectively. Toshiba's Excite tablets range in price from $449.99 for the Excite 10 (16GB model) to $579.99 for the Excite 7.7 (32GB model) to $749.99 for the Excite 13 (64GB model).