Toshiba is targeting businesses and schools with its new Portege M780 convertible tablet computer, offering a 12.1-inch display but packing some serious power under the hood with a choice of Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 processors, along with a hard drive impact sensor, LCD display protection, and a spill-resistant keyboard designed to make the system popular (and long-lived) in the workplace.
“Today, touch enables business and education professionals to create a more interactive and intimate experience for their core audience, and Toshiba’s new laptops help deliver on that promise,” said Toshiba America’s VP of product development Carl Pinto, in a statement. “In addition, our new Tablets provide today’s IT professionals with the ability to easily deploy laptops and manage operating systems locally or remotely to ensure content users can access and present data in any environment.”
The Portege M780s come in a variety of configurations, ranging from Intel Core i3 to i5 to i7 processors, 3 to 4 GB of RAM, 250 to 320 GB of hard drive storage, and a wide range of Windows options (including 32- and 64-bit systems, and downgrades to Windows XP Tablet PC Edition)—although all sport Intel HD graphics. All models feature LED backlit displays and are available with fingerprint readers; optional Bluetooth and DVD Super Multi drives, and feature USB Sleep and Charge to juice up peripherals like phones via USB even when the computer is asleep. Prices start at $1,279 for a Core i3-powered M780 without Bluetooth, all the way up to $1,799 for a system packing a 2.66 Ghz Core i7 CPU and 4 GB of RAM.
Toshiba has also announced an update to its Satellite Pro U500 adding a multitouch display and Windows 7 Professional; select models also offer HDMI output, a slot-loading CD/DVD drive, and LED backlit keyboards. Pricing starts at $949 with for a unit with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor; boosting the CPU and adding extras takes the price tag to $1,099.
