With the buzz around slates and the upcoming Apple iPad showing more people are getting comfortable with touch computing, Toshiba of Canada Ltd. has launched two new business-class Portégé M780 tablet laptop PCs for target SMB markets.
The two Portégé M780 models are similar, the primary difference being that one comes with a 128GB solid state drive (SDD), while the other model features a 320GB hard disk drive (HDD).
Steve Wong, product manager for Portégé with Toshiba of Canada, said the primary difference in the M780 over the last generation model is support for the new Intel Core i5 processors, as well as version 6.0 of Intel Active Management Technology, which makes it easier to remotely configure, diagnose, isolate and repair PCs.
The M780 is a convertible tablet PC with a 12.1” LED swivel screen. It’s powered by an Intel Core i5-520M processor 2.40GHz/2.93GHz processor and 4GB of DDR3 RAM. It also boasts a standard modem, integrated Web cam, Bluetooth, 802.11agb wireless, and a fingerprint reader.
The machines are also equipped with Intel Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading technology to boost performance, as well as Intel’s Virtualization Technology.
Wong said while the M780 does come with a pen, with is stored in a slot in the front of the tablet, more and more people are choosing to use their fingers.
“More people are starting to use their fingers a little more, and Windows 7 foes have improved touch features and multi-touch that (Vista and XP) didn’t have,” said Wong. “So if the customer does choose to use their fingers, they can use them more freely.”
The tablets come with Windows 7 Professional, but Wong said a Windows XP downgrade disk is also included as this is a business-class machine, as many businesses are still using Windows XP.
Classed as a business productivity machine, Wong said the M780 is aimed primarily at the SMB market, including certain niche vertical areas such as education and health care. At around 4lbs. and 12”, it’s still pretty portable.
“Most of the people that buy these are architects, health care practitioners, and in the education market, (university) teachers, as well as other niches like engineers,” said Wong.
It’s a specialized market, said Wong, that Toshiba has been servicing since it launched its first Portégé in 2002. It’s also a space he said Toshiba leads in over competitors such as Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo.
“More and more people are asking for touch panels, and with the Apple iPhones and other products they’ve gotten used to multi-touch,” said Wong.
The SSD model retails for $2549, and the HDD model retails for $2349. Both are available now through the Toshiba of Canada channel.
