We focus primarily on consumer laptops at CNET Reviews, but this week I looked at two well-designed models that target small businesses: the 13-inch Toshiba Satellite Pro U400 and the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad SL400.
Each configuration clocks in at just north of $1,000, stripping out some enterprise features that a small-business owner buying one laptop or even a handful probably doesn't need and definitely doesn't want to pay for. The Toshiba offers an interesting configuration, one that I feel cries out for more memory, which is an easy add. And the Lenovo includes a couple features not seen previously on ThinkPads.
Read the full review of the Toshiba Satellite Pro U400.
Read the full review of the Lenovo ThinkPad SL400.
On Monday, Toshiba celebrated the release of Centrino 2 by announcing three new business laptops built on the new platform: the Tecra M10, Tecra A10, and Satellite Pro S300.
Designed for large businesses, the 14-inch Tecra M10 and 15-inch Tecra A10 incorporate Centrino 2 components and vPro technology for remote management, plus a common motherboard and image that the company claims will make service and support easier for IT departments. Both Tecra systems also offer the option of a 64GB or 128GB solid-state drive, and they incorporate Toshiba's EasyGuard technologies, which include hard drive protection, spill-resistant keyboards, fingerprint readers and Trusted Platform Modules.
The small-business-oriented Satellite Pro S300 also incorporates the EasyGuard technologies--a first for the Satellite Pro line. In another first for the Satellite Pro line, the S300 has built-in support for Toshiba's express port replicator.
All three laptops include an eSATA port for high-speed data transer, and Toshiba's "Sleep-and-Charge" USB ports, which let you charge USB devices (cell phone, MP3 player) even if the laptop is in sleep or hibernate mode, or is powered off, as long as it's plugged into an outlet. Another new addition: a tweak to the integrated Webcam that lets you scan and store business cards.
All three systems will be available starting in early August.
(Credit:
Toshiba)
Apparently, small business is big business. Merely a week after Dell announced that it was refreshing its Vostro line of laptops for very small businesses, Toshiba has unveiled its expanded range of Satellite Pro laptops.
Granted, the Satellite Pros are pitched toward students and government as well as small businesses, but many of the features are the same: starting prices below $1,100, processor options that include AMD, and crapware-free out of the box. These characteristics help distinguish the Satellite Pro from the company's consumer Satellite line. (Meanwhile large businesses can still look to Toshiba's Tecra line for longer product life cycles and more robust security features.)
Today's announcement includes four new Satellite Pro models, most of which share model numbers with their consumer counterparts. The 13.3-inch Satellite Pro U400 starts at $1,049; the 14.1-inch Satellite Pro M300 starts at $999; the 15.4-inch L300 and L300D (the latter incorporates an AMD processor) starts at $699; and the 17-inch Satellite Pro L350 starts at $1,099.
All the additions to the line incorporate dual-core processors, a 1.3-megapixel Webcam, and the company's TruBrite displays; the U400 adds a Bluetooth radio, fingerprint reader, and hard drive accelerometer. The new models are available immediately at resellers and through Toshiba Direct; more information and full spec lists can be found at the company's Satellite Pro page.
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