Toshiba announces touchscreen notebooks, netbooks for Windows 7 launch

Toshiba's just announced a couple new lappies -- and a whole host of refreshes -- in anticipation of the Windows 7 launch later this month. The big news here is definitely the touchscreen models: The Satellite U505 (due out November 1) is a 13.3-inch, 5 lb device with an MSRP of $1,049.99, while the Satellite M505 (street date October 22) has 14.4-inches of real estate and an MSRP of $949.99. Both come with the touch-ready LifeSpace software package that includes Bulletin Board (some sort of organizer with to-do lists, calendars and the like), and ReelTime, which apparently "helps you find files based on when they were opened using a visual history." Tosh is promising to ship Windows 7 devices with minimal software running in the background -- which is important if you want to retain performance increases that the new OS might provide over Vista.

Also included in this batch of lappies are new Satellite A500s (optional Blu-ray, Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Turion II Ultra CPU, discrete graphics options, a 16-inch HD Edge-to-Edge display on select models, starts at $589.99), Satellite L500 Series (displays ranging from 14 to 17.3-inch, Turion II and Athlon II CPU, hard drives up to 500GB, starting prices range from $504.99 to $579.99), Satellite P500 Series (18.4-inch HD TruBrite display, Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Turion II processors, Blu-ray in some models, starting at $799.99), Satellite L500 Series (up to 17.3-inch display, up to 500GB HDD, and various processor options, starting at $504.99), the Qosmio X505 with an 18.4-inch display and optional 64GB SSD / 320GB HDD dual-drive configuration priced at $1,899.99, and finally the mini NB205, a 10.1-inch netbook with a nine hour battery life, up to 250GB HDD, and five fabulous finishes including Sable Brown, Frost White, Indigo Blue, Posh Pink and Onyx Black (starting at $399.99). PR after the break.

[Via Hot Hardware]

Read - The new Satellite U500 Series
Read - The new Satellite M500 Series
Read - The new Satellite A500 Series
Read - The new Satellite P500 Series
Read - The new Satellite L500 Series
Read - The new Qosmio X500 Series
Read - The new mini NB200 Series

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Toshiba Maximizes Windows 7 Features, Delivering Windows Touch, Fast Sleep-and-Resume on New Satellite Laptops

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today unveiled several enhancements to its line of Satellite® laptops that take advantage of new capabilities in Windows® 7.

Two new Satellite laptops will feature touch screens, the Satellite U505 Touch and Satellite M505 Touch models. In addition, the recently announced ultrathin Satellite T100 laptop takes Windows 7 performance a step further, with Fast Sleep-and-Resume functionality so it's ready when needed – up and running in seconds.

"The performance and functionality in Windows 7 has enabled us to deliver the features that consumers want, such as touch and Fast Sleep-and-Resume, in affordable mainstream laptops," said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. "We are applying our expertise in tablet PCs to bring an intuitive touch experience to laptops built for mobility – so customers can easily interact with their media on the go."

New Ways to Interact

Users now will have a new choice in ways to interact with their laptop, whether flicking through photos, shuffling files, browsing online or playing games, utilizing Windows Touch-enabled functionality. The new Satellite M505 Touch and Satellite U505 Touch laptops let users tap, drag-and-drop and scroll through files, Web pages and images.

To bring the new Windows Touch feature to life, Toshiba is also introducing new, innovative touch-ready software pre-installed exclusively on the new touch-enabled laptops, called Toshiba LifeSpace™. LifeSpace consists of two applications designed to increase personal productivity in a unique and fun way:

* Bulletin Board – Gives users fast access to day-to-day activities, tasks and projects in a simple, visual and fun way. Get creative when organizing projects with the ability to drag and drop photos, videos, links, documents and applications into one place. Personalize and organize the board by moving, rotating and resizing using gestures to fit personalized style. Bulletin Board also includes several built in gadgets such as labels, calendars, a clock and a to-do list.
* ReelTime™ – Helps users easily find files based on when they were opened with a simple, fun visual history. With the flick of a finger, quickly scroll through automatically generated previews of documents, photos, videos and more, filter by file type or use the calendar to go back weeks or months.

Simplified Desktop, Faster Boot

Toshiba will also deliver a simplified, clean desktop on all new Windows 7 laptops. Out of the box, customers will simply have the Recycle Bin on their desktop and minimal software running in the background like anti-virus on startup. As a result, startup, shutdown and Fast Sleep-and-Resume performance will be improved. Customers will also experience longer battery life, as a result of several power conservation improvements in Windows 7, such as a reduction in background activities, which enable the laptop's processor to remain idle more often and intelligent screen brightness optimization.

Features available on the Toshiba Satellite M505 Touch (M505-S4990-T) laptop include:

* 14.0-inch diagonal widescreen HD TruBrite® LED Backlit TFT LCD Touch-screen display
* Windows® 7 Home Premium
* Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T6600 (2.2GHz)1
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
* 4GB DDR2 800MHz RAM, upgradable to 8GB2
* 500GB HDD3
* Slot-loading DVD SuperMulti drive with Labelflash® supporting 11 formats
* Webcam and microphone
* Fusion Finish in Sonic Black
* 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN4 and 10/100 Ethernet
* 5-in-1 Memory Card Reader
* HDMI-CEC
* S/P DIF output port
* 6-cell Lithium Ion battery
* 1 eSATA/USB combo port with USB Sleep-and-Charge5 and 2 USB 2.0 ports
* Toshiba PC Health Monitor
* Toshiba eco utility™
* One-year international limited warranty and award-winning Toshiba service and support

Features available on the new Toshiba Satellite U505 Touch (U505-S2980-T) laptop include:

* 13.3-inch diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD Touch-screen display
* Windows 7 Home Premium
* Intel Core 2 Duo processor T6600 (2.2GHz)1
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
* 4GB DDR2 800MHz RAM, upgradable to 8GB2
* 500GB HDD3
* Slot-loading DVD SuperMulti drive with Labelflash supporting 11 formats
* Webcam and microphone
* Textured Finish in Luxe Brown
* 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN4 and 10/100 Ethernet
* 5-in-1 Memory Card Reader
* HDMI-CEC
* S/P DIF output port
* 6-cell Lithium Ion battery
* 1 eSATA/USB combo port with USB Sleep-and-Charge5 and 2 USB 2.0 ports
* Toshiba PC Health Monitor
* Toshiba eco utility
* One-year international limited warranty and award-winning Toshiba service and support

Pricing and Availability

The Satellite M505 Touch laptop ($949.99 MSRP6) will be available on October 22 and Satellite U505 Touch laptop ($1,049.99 MSRP6) will be available on November 1 at select retailers, as well as direct from Toshiba on toshibadirect.com.

More information and detailed specifications about the Satellite M505 Touch laptop can be found at laptops.toshiba.com/laptops/Satellite/M505.

More information and detailed specifications about the Satellite U505 Touch laptop can be found at laptops.toshiba.com/laptops/Satellite/U505.