The first is the Portege R700, a follow-up to one of our favorite laptops, the Portege R500. While that 2007 model had a 12-inch display and was one of the last vestiges of the $2,000-plus ultraportable category (before Netbooks came in and provided a less expensive small-screen option toshiba laptop battery), this new version is an almost entirely different animal. It’s a 13-inch model, still light and portable, but not in the same way the R500 was (especially in its solid-state-drive version). Instead, the R700 comes in at under $1,000, weighs 3 pounds and is about one inch thick, while still including an optical drive. Unlike the latest 13-inch MacBooks, the R700 uses Intel’s newer Core i-series CPUs. The magnesium alloy casing is reinforced with a honeycomb rib design, which, when we handled a demo system recently, felt much sturdier than the old Portege R500, which suffered from some serious lid flexing. The business version of the R600 starts at $999 and includes a port replicator connection on the bottom, while the consumer version (differentiated by a blue lid toshiba battery) is $899, and includes Intel’s Wireless Display technology, which uses a sold-separately receiver to transmit video signals to your TV. The second 25th-anniversary laptop from Toshiba is a bit more of a showpiece. The Libretto W100 is a limited-run touch-screen laptop that pays homage to Toshiba’s long-running line of nearly handheld-size laptops. This new version is particularly eye-catching, as it replaces the typical keyboard/screen combo with two touch-sensitive panels, hinged in the middle. One of the two 7-inch displays acts as a normal laptop screen, while the other can display a usable keyboard (a bit like the one of the iPad/ toshiba laptop ac adapter), or one of six other navigation layouts. We tried a demo unit out recently, and while it’s probably not going to be a practical substitute for traditional laptop keyboard anytime soon, it’s an interesting look at the idea of a virtual keyboard. Helpfully, a built-in accelerometer can rotate the screens automatically as needed when viewing in portrait mode. The W100 has an Intel Pentium U5400 processor and has 2GB of RAM and a 62GB SSD. It isn’t being pitched as a mainstream device and only a limited number will be available online from Toshiba and online retailers. There’s no official price yet, but it’ll be north of $1,000.
We specialize in substitute batteries(laptop battery, Digital Camera Battery, power tool battery) and battery packs for laptops, camcorders, digital cameras, PDAs, mobile phones, and power tools, etc. as well as battery chargers!
