|
Fort Ilocandia, Ilocos Norte: Riding on the wave of fashionably chic
notebook computers, Toshiba recently launched a new range of good
looking Satellite and Portégé models but kept in mind that solid
performance and dependability are key factors in maintaining
saleability.
“New lifestyle features has been added on our
notebooks” said Wu Hua Horng, distributor business manager for
Malaysia, Philippines and Brunei at Toshiba’s Computer Systems
Division.
The new notebooks include: Toshiba Portégé
M800, an ultraportable and stylish notebook PC; Toshiba Satellite
M300 and A300; and the Toshiba Satellite L310 and L300, two models
mainly for the budget-conscious consumers.
Lifetyle features with top performance
The latest Toshiba Portégé M800 is the most
stylish in the bunch. Weighing less than 2kg, the M800 is the ideal
notebook for road warriors. It comes with Toshiba’s exclusive
Fusion Finish, a super high-gloss exterior achieved through a
special manufacturing process involving the fusing of molten resin
into the mold; thus, creating a mettalic effect with high precision
positional accuracy.
Other distinctive design elements in the new
Portégé series inlcude: feathertouch multimedia buttons, flushed
touchpad with chrome mouse buttons and white LED lighted Portégé
logo.
The top-of-the-line Portégé model will be
integrated with the latest Intel Centrino Duo processor technology
with Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 (2.1GHz, 3Mb L2 cache, 800MHz FSB), plus
built-in features such as: a Web camera, FM tuner and a business
card reader for the business models.
The 13.3-inch Clear SuperView screen makes the
M800 a true ultraportable.
On the other hand, the new Toshiba Satellite
M300 and A300 models have a larger LCD screen—14.1" and 15.4
WXGA Clear SuperView screen, respectively. Nonetheless, both
machines have the Toshiba Fusion Finish as well, including a faster
Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 CPU (2.5GHz, 6MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB, plus a
dedicated ATI Mobility GPU. These two models even have REGZA-Link (HDMI-CEC)
for instant connectivity to any HDMI-CEC enabled TVs.
Value is key
Now for the budget-concious consumers who
don’t want to waste their money on an unbranded computing device,
Toshiba brings the new Satellite L310 and L300 notebook PCs.
Except for the glossy Fusion Finish, all the
specs that make Toshiba notebooks a great value are inlcuded in
these two machines. High resolution Clear SuperView TFT display, DVD
SuperMulti Doupble Layer Drive (DVD +/- RW/RAM), 5-in-1 card reader,
built-in Webcam, Bluetooth v2.1, wireless LAN (802.11g) and 10/100
Ethernet LAN come as standard in the L310 and L300.
Moreover, all the models mentioned have the
SmartFace technology that lets users log on to their system
conveniently. SmartFace technology takes a digital snapshot of the
user’s face to create a unique password by digital mapping of key
features of the user’s face. It will also recognize multiple users
and logs on to the Windows operating system without requiring users
to remember and type a single password.
“With our new line of notebooks, you can
actually do more in style,” said Melvin Seah, product marketing
assistant manager for South and Southeast Asia at Toshiba’s
Computer Systems Division. “Fashionable, but still with great
emphasis on performance, durability and dependability.”
Toshiba’s local notebook business
With so many people now shifting from being
stuck in front of a desktop computer to the convenience of portable
notebooks, the PC market has become a tough sell for many local PC
notebook distributors and resellers.
“PC business in the country is very
challenging, particularly this year,” said Edgardo Isleta, CEO and
president of Tricom, the exclusive local distributor of Toshiba
products in the Philippines. “The challenge comes from the slowing
down of the global economy; we still don’t now how much it will
affect the market, but for sure it will come.”
Nevertheless, and despite the entry of new
brands and new models from longtime PC competitors as well as those
“white notebooks” (unbranded) coming from China, Toshiba has
remained on top of its business. According to Lynette Leow,
distributor business assistant manager for Philippines and Malaysia
at Toshiba’s Computer Systems Division, IDC indicated that Toshiba
is still among the top five in terms of sales in the notebook
computer business.
As for Tricom: “We produced a solid result
last year and increased Toshiba’s presence in the Philiippines;
we’re aiming to double the sales of Toshiba notebooks this
year,” Isleta said. “We just have to work harder.”
-- Jing Garcia
|
