Toshiba joins Intel CULV camp

SINGAPORE--The fashion world may be trying to fatten up its size zero models, but in the laptop world slim is still hot and Toshiba does not intend to miss this party. At a press event in Singapore, the Japanese maker showcased the 11.6-inch Portege T110 and 13.3-inch Portege T130, which are the first Toshiba machines to sport Intel CULV processors.

But hold the elevator. Didn't Toshiba US recently launch the Satellite T115 and T135, which look shockingly similar and also runs on Intel CULV chips? That's right. Turns out the new Portege laptops have the same design and features as the Satellite T series in the US, save for the different configurations (a.k.a. SKUs) in Asia.

According to the Japanese company, the decision to shift the T series from the consumer Satellite range to the business ultraportable Portege line is not a reflection of a different market strategy. It is simply that Toshiba US and Toshiba Asia each have their own way of classifying their machines.

Portege T110
This portable is Toshiba's first 11.6-inch model, though 1.58kg heft means it is significantly heavier than other similarly sized machines and almost equal in weight to the Acer Aspire Timeline 3810T despite the latter's larger 13.3-inch display. This is due to the extra heft of the Fusion Finish coating as well as the harddisk bracket for the 3D accelerometer.

Fortunately, the T110 has a few features to make up for the load. The Webcam is equipped with SmartFace technology which allows the machine to login based on your facial contours. To underscore its business focus, the harddisk is shock-mounted and protected with a 3D accelerometer. A sleep-and-charge USB port is available to juice up your devices even when the notebook is switched off and the full-sized trackpad multitouch-enabled.

Portege T130
This laptop is essentially a larger version of the T110, with the same design and feature set as the latter. The main differences are a more generous 13.3-inch display and an option for a larger 500GB harddisk. This model comes with dual-core processors, while its smaller sibling runs on only a single-core chip.

Before we forget, excellent battery life is one of the perks of the T series, with the T110 laying claim to an 11-hour uptime on the standard six-cell pack. The Portege T series will be available in November, with prices to be disclosed at a later date.

New products

Model name	In a nutshell
Toshiba Portege T110 (Click for more info)	Wow factor: The first 11.6-inch portable in Toshiba's stable, this portable claims an impressive 11-hour battery life. Notable features: Intel Pentium ULV SU2700 1.3GHz processor (single core) 1GB RAM 11.6-inch (1,366 x 768) display 250GB HDD Windows 7 Home Premium 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Ethernet connectivity Three USB ports, VGA-out, HDMI and 5-in-1 memory card reader 1.58kg Availability: November 2009 Price: S$1,199 (US$882.77)
Toshiba Portege T130 (Click for more info)	Wow factor: A larger variant of the T110, this model has a 13.3-inch HD-ready display with dual-core performance. Notable features: Intel Pentium Dual-Core ULV SU4100/Core 2 Duo ULV SU7300/Core 2 Duo ULV SU9400 processor 2GB RAM 13.3-inch (1,366 x 768) display 250GB/500GB HDD Windows 7 Home Premium 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Ethernet connectivity Three USB ports, VGA-out, HDMI and 5-in-1 memory card reader 1.76kg Availability: November 2009 Price: Starts from S$1,699 (US$1,250.89)