Toshiba launches new Signature and Premier series

Darius Chang | Jun 09, 2009

From left to right: Portege M900, Satellite M500 and Satellite L510.
(Image credit: Toshiba)

Toshiba today launched three new laptops, with the focus clearly on looks. To celebrate its new designs, the Japanese company announced two new lines: The Signature series for the portable Portege range; and the Premier series for the consumer Satellite models.

The Satellite M500 is the pioneer for the new Premier lineup and comes with a glossy black chassis. Like Apple MacBooks, the 14-inch, 1,366 x 768-pixel screen, which has LED backlights, and is of the edge-to-edge variety. The keyboard sports new style flat keys. This unit comes with a Core 2 Duo processor and ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 graphics card.

The Satellite M500 is also the first Toshiba portable to come with a hybrid storage system: An SSD on the 1.8-inch primary bay and an HDD on the 2.5-inch secondary slot. This provides a "best of both worlds" situation, as frequently accessed operating system and applications files can be installed on the costly SSD, while multimedia files can be located on the cheaper and larger magnetic harddisk. The latter also comes with a 3D motion sensor that detects shocks and protects the magnetic platters from damage. Other features include a remote control, HDMI CEC (High-Definition Multimedia Interface Consumer Electronics Control) output, multitouch trackpad and an eSATA/USB combo port that also supports sleep-and-charge for USB devices.

The new Portege M900 is the first model in the Signature series and comes in a range of four shades: Brown, white, red and pink. Otherwise, this machine is equipped with most of the standard features for a business portable, from fingerprint sensor/TPM security chip combo to 3D motion sensor for harddisk protection. The unit is also equipped with HDMI output as well as an eSATA/USB combo port that supports sleep-and-charge. A unique feature is the integrated Webcam which, like Lenovo IdeaPads, comes with facial recognition software for quick logins. This 13.3-inch laptop is powered by a Core 2 Duo processor with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 video card.

Last, but not least, the entry-level Satellite L series has a new member: The Satellite L510. This unit now comes with the same Toshiba In-Mould Rolling scratch-resistant chassis as its more expensive siblings. Unusual for a budget portable, this machine sports a high-resolution 14-inch LED-backlit display that supports 1,366 x 768 resolution. Though the Japanese maker did not skimp on wireless connectivity, offering Bluetooth and 802.11n radios, users who depend on wired networks will be disappointed to find only a 10/100 Ethernet port on this laptop. The integrated Webcam also comes with facial recognition software for quick logins. This laptop is available in a range of configurations which include Pentium Dual-Core to Core 2 Duo processors as well as integrated and discrete graphics solutions.

The units will be available in July across Asia, though at press time prices were not available.

Filed under: Notebooks
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