On basically the worst day of the year to launch a new notebook, Toshiba's ultraportable Portégé R600 actually holds its own, though not quite as comely as Voodoo's Envy, but you do get a bona-fide DVD-SuperMulti drive in the world's lightest computer with two spindles. The successor to Toshiba's formerly most awesome laptop, the Portege R500, the R600 is only 1.08kg and 1.96cm thick. It feels unbelievably light, too, mostly thanks to the plastic shell, and was the most impressive laptop I saw in Toshiba's new lineup. Besides faster guts, one of the other major updates over the last generation is an LED-backlit display. But excellence isn't cheap—the R600 starts at $US2099.

If you're looking to spend less, Toshiba also has a few other new business laptops, most notably the other Tecra R10 and and Portege A600. The latter is a bit thick to be called an ultraportable, but it's only 1.45kg and starts at $US1399. The Tecra R10 is a cousin to the A10 and M10 launched back in July, so not a whole lot different there.

Toshiba Launches Newest Ultraportable Innovation with Portégé R600 Laptop

At 2.4 Pounds and 0.77-Inch Thin, Portégé R600 Laptop PC Combines Executive Mobility with Innovative Features

IRVINE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Toshiba's Digital Products Division, a leading provider of mobile computing solutions, today announced the Portégé® R600 laptop PC. At 2.4-pounds(1), 0.77-inch thin(2), this engineering marvel incorporates an integrated 7mm DVD-SuperMulti drive making the Portégé R600 Toshiba's ultimate ultraportable laptop.

As the successor to the award-winning Portégé R500 platform, the Portégé R600 offers its own unique collection of new features, such as Toshiba's fourth-generation EasyGuard® Technology(3) with PC Health Monitor, an extended life battery, an enhanced LED backlit transreflective display and a durable chassis. Prices for the ultraportable Toshiba Portégé R600 start at $2,099 (MSRP)(4).

"As Toshiba's signature laptop PC, the Portégé R600 embodies the company's rich tradition of mobile computing innovation," said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Digital Products Division, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. "The Portégé R600 builds upon Toshiba's legacy of innovation and delivers a superior mobile experience by providing performance, functionality and flexibility in an extremely lightweight form factor weighing 2.4 pounds."

Designed, engineered and manufactured by Toshiba the Portégé R600 provides users with high-quality and enhanced reliability in a laptop PC. Toshiba's Portégé R600 includes the following leading-edge technologies:

* Design Enhancements: The Portégé R600 features an enhanced LED backlit transreflective display for a better viewing angle and contrast and a durable chassis with out increasing the size or weight of the laptop. The laptop PC's touchpad has been moved to the centre and the buttons feature a tighter, firmer and more solid design. While the keyboard has been enhanced to provide a better tactile feel for touch typists.
* EasyGuard® Technology: Toshiba's Portégé R600 laptop features Toshiba's fourth-generation EasyGuard Technology with PC Health Monitor. This new feature is a preventative maintenance utility that continuously checks the performance and functionality of a laptop's critical hardware components and will alert users when the system is in need of a tune up. PC Health Monitor tracks the status of critical components, such as hard drive status, battery life and CPU temperature and system cooling warnings. In addition to PC Health Monitor, Toshiba's EasyGuard Technology is a proprietary, value-added series of hardware and software enhancements designed to better protect and secure one's laptop during everyday computing. Components include HDD Protection, a spill-resistant keyboard(5), fingerprint reader and Trusted Platform Module (TPM).
* LED Backlit Transreflective Display: The notebook features a special button to allow users to toggle between indoor/outdoor modes depending on the lighting environments. Indoors, the LED backlit transreflective display produces an image rich in saturated colour and of superb quality. Outdoors, the transreflective screen lets the sun's light pass through and reflects it out, bringing images on the display to life.
* Solid State Drive (SSD): Select Portégé R600 configurations feature a 128GB SSD(6), making it one of the world's lightest and thinnest laptops with an SSD. With no moving parts, SSD technology provides customers with an enhanced level of protection, reliability and fast data access.
* USB Sleep-and-Charge/eSATA Combo Port(7): This unique port provides convenience and speed by allowing data transfers to and from an eSATA external hard drive at rates up to five times faster than USB 2.0, and the ability to charge select USB mobile devices whether the laptop is on, off, or in sleep or hibernation mode.
* Green Attributes: The Portégé R600 is ENERGY STAR® 4.0 compliant and has achieved a Gold status through the Green Electronics Council's Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT).

Complete product specifications for the Portégé R600 models are available at http://explore.toshiba.com/laptops/portege.

The Portégé R600 is available with a three-year standard limited warranty(8), which includes carry-in support at Authorised Service Providers throughout the country such as UPS Stores and Mail Boxes Etc. locations.

As a responsible global corporate citizen, Toshiba designs all of its new laptop PCs to be RoHS compatible(9), effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances.

Toshiba is offering a new, free electronic trade-in and recycling program which includes all laptop PCs and other select electronics, regardless of manufacturer, that have no trade-in value. For more details, please visit http://explore.toshiba.com/green. No purchase is necessary to participate in the recycling program.

About Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. (TAIS)

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TAIS is comprised of four business units: Digital Products Division, Imaging Systems Division, Storage Device Division, and Telecommunication Systems Division. Together, these divisions provide mobile products and solutions, including industry leading portable computers; projectors; imaging products for the security, medical and manufacturing markets; storage products for automotive, computer and consumer electronics applications; and telephony equipment and associated applications.

TAIS provides sales, marketing and services for its wide range of information products in the United States and Latin America. TAIS is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, which is a global leader in high technology and integrated manufacturing of electrical and electronic components, products and systems, as well as major infrastructure systems. Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 740 companies, with 198,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing $76 billion. For more information on Toshiba's leading innovations, visit the company's Web site at www.toshiba.com.

[Businesswire, Businesswire, Businesswire]

Tags: computers | laptops | notebooks | portege | r600 | tecra | toshiba