Toshiba refreshes its Portege and Tecra lines, prices start at $1,179

We've been hearing a ton about budget- and student-friendly Ivy Bridge laptops, but business notebooks are most definitely getting a refresh too. Today Toshiba unveiled its latest systems from the Portege and Tecra lines, all of which feature Intel's third-gen processors along with security features like a fingerprint reader and Toshiba Smart Client Manager for remotely keeping track of laptops on a network.

On the Portege side of things, we have the Z930 Ultrabook and the R930 (read more about the Ultrabook here). The R930 sports a 13.3-inch screen and weighs 3 pounds, which is substantial enough to allow for an optical drive. Toshiba will offer the notebook with Core i5 and Core i7 Ivy Bridge CPUs, and the extended battery is rated for up to 14 hours. The base configuration of this Portege will go for $1,399, and it's available as of today.

Toshiba's new Tecra systems are slightly larger, which the company says is preferred in the corporate world. The $1,199 Tecra R940 has a 14-inch display and a 2MP webcam, and it also offers discrete graphics. The notebook ships with either a Core i5 or Core i7 Ivy Bridge processor. The $1,179 Tecra R50 is quite similar in specs, the main difference being a larger 15-inch screen and a full 10-key keypad. Along with the Portege R930, these two laptops are on the market starting today.

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NEW TOSHIBA BUSINESS-CLASS LAPTOPS TAKE POWER AND PATCH MANAGMENT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

New Portégé and Tecra Business-class Laptops Feature Toshiba Smart Client Manager Powered by Tivoli from IBM for Security, Patch and Power Management

IRVINE, Calif. - June 5, 2012 - Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced its enhanced business laptops product line with 3rd generation Intel® CoreTM processors and new technology developed with IBM that enables IT professionals to better control the security and power management across enterprise deployments. The new models include the Portégé® Z930 UltrabookTM and the Portégé R930 ultraportable, as well as upgrades to its Tecra® line of laptops, business workhorses with enhanced durability, security and reliability.

"Today's IT professionals must be more agile and ingenious than ever, deploying smart, reliable and secure enterprise-level technology to power an increasingly mobile workforce," said Carl Pinto, vice president of marketing, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. "By teaming with renowned technology leader IBM, we have created more secure and energy efficient laptops that also take advantage of the latest processing technology from Intel."

Toshiba Smart Client Manager Powered by Tivoli from IBM

Toshiba's new business laptops now come standard equipped with Toshiba Smart Client Manager, which helps IT professionals reduce expense and complexity, and more easily manage the laptops on a network. Toshiba Power Management grants IT the ability to distribute and optimize power management settings down to each deployed PC, including settings for peak hours of power consumption. The ability to monitor consumption and adjust accordingly results in better energy efficiency gains. Toshiba Patch Management provides a streamlined solution for patch compliance that reduces business risks and complexity. From a single management console, a system administrator can easily provide up-to-date patch visibility, control the deployment of patches and resolve problems from previously applied patches. And finally, Toshiba Security allows system administrators to control access by preventing a PC from starting up, logging on and being unlocked unless the PC is authenticated by the management server. Enhanced security features also allow administrators to restrict access to a number of external and network devices.

Portégé Z930 Ultrabook: The World's Lightest 13-Inch Ultrabook

The next generation of Toshiba's business Ultrabook now supports new 3rd generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors with vPro and AMT technology. With a slim 0.63-inch (15.9 mm) profile and weighing less than 2.5 pounds, the Portégé Z930 was designed specifically for doing business on the go. The Portégé Z930 includes a full complement of ports for easy connectivity to other devices, along with a battery life rating of more than eight hours. Equipped with a solid state drive, the Portégé Z930 delivers an extremely responsive experience. To further protect the user's sensitive information, the Portégé Z930 comes equipped with a fingerprint reader and is built with a durable magnesium alloy casing reinforced with a Honeycomb Rib design that provides shock absorption and increased rigidity.

The Portégé Z930 will be available for purchase on June 5, 2012 starting at $1,249.00 MSRP.

Portégé R930: Ultrathin and Ultrafast 13-inch Laptop with a DVD Drive

The Portégé R930 continues to be the world's lightest 13.3-inch full-performance ultraportable business laptop with an integrated DVD drive. With a starting weight of just three pounds and just one inch thin, the Portégé R930 now comes equipped with 3rd generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 full-voltage processors, making the award-winning ultraportable even more attractive. The Portégé R930 laptops also are equipped with two USB 3.0 ports and Bluetooth® 3.0 and can be configured with a standard hard drive or solid state drive. The business models of the Portégé R930 will be available for purchase on June 5, 2012 starting at $1,399.00 MSRP.

Tecra R940 and R950: Thin, Light and Powerful

Weighing less than 4.5 pounds, measuring just one inch thin and available with 14.0- and 15.6-inch diagonal LED-backlit widescreen HD displays respectively, the Tecra R940 and Tecra R950 are the ultimate in full-featured business laptops for users who want durability and mobility at an affordable price. Available with 3rd generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors, the Tecra R940 and R950 now come equipped with more memory and improved graphics, along with a new 2.0MP HD webcam, making virtual business meetings crisper than ever before. The Tecra laptops also come equipped with a spill resistant keyboard, a fingerprint reader, Toshiba's USB Sleep & Charge technology, and a thin-and- light design, making them some of the most reliable and portable business laptops on the market. Both the Tecra R940 andTecra R950 will be available for purchase on June 5, 2012 with prices starting at $1,199.00 MSRP and $1,179.00 MSRP, respectively.

Toshiba's new Portégé and Tecra business laptops will be available through select Toshiba Preferred Partner Program resellers, e-tailers and directly at toshibadirect.com.