Toshiba Unveils Multimedia Notebooks

Toshiba is hoping you'll ditch your desktop in favor of a portable PC. On Tuesday, the company announced the new Satellite A45 series of notebooks aimed at budget-conscious consumers, students, and small businesses.

The series includes three models and is designed to appeal to "small or medium-sized businesses that are looking for notebooks to replace their desktops," says Craig Marking, senior product marketing manager for Toshiba America Information Systems.

"This allows us to hit low price points and make mobile computing available to a wider segment of users," Marking says.

With this series, Toshiba hopes to provide a powerful notebook PC with advanced multimedia features, as more consumers continue to select notebooks over desktops.

"We see the market moving toward a true convergence of all types of digital media," Marking says.

Shopping Options

All Satellite A45 versions come with SRS TruSurround XT sound technology and a DVD-ROM/CD-RW multi-function drive. Each model comes with a 15-inch display and weighs 7.7 pounds. The notebooks also contain Microsoft's OneNote application.

At the low end of the new series is the Satellite A45-120. The $1049 notebook includes an Intel Celeron processor and 256MB of RAM.

For $1399, the Satellite A45-150 features a Mobile Intel Pentium 4 Processor and more memory--512MB of RAM. It also includes a TV-out port, allowing the user to create an enlarged viewing area by plugging the notebook into any size TV. Toshiba offers complete wireless use with the A45-150 through integrated WiFi (802.11g) wireless connectivity.

Loaded Up

As the most loaded notebook in the series, the Satellite A45-250 highlights a DVD+-R/+-RW drive. By using both the + and - formats, Toshiba provides compatibility with all DVD sources. The Satellite A45-250 is the first notebook Toshiba has brought to the market with dual compatibility, and Marking says he does not know of any other notebook products that have been released with this feature.

"You can burn pictures, back up information, create music CDs, etc. with the combo drive. That right there gives tremendous flexibility," Marking says.

The inclusion of i.Link (IEEE 1394) and a built-in Secure Digital slot allow the user to easily transfer files from a range of electronic products, such as digital cameras and Pocket PCs. The A45-250 also comes with a Mobile Intel Pentium 4 Processor, 512MB of RAM, WiFi wireless connectivity, and a TV-out port, for a price of $1649.

Marking also notes the "more eye-catching design" of the Satellite A45 series, which sports an electric blue chassis.

The notebooks are currently available through the Toshiba Web site and at retail stores.