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October 15, 2008 5:04 PM PDT

Toshiba refreshes Tecra business laptops

by Michelle Thatcher
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This week is a busy one for Toshiba; along with a trio of Porteges and a boatload of Satellites, the company also introduced two new Tecras. (Can a partridge in a pear tree be far behind?)

Toshiba Tecra M10

The 14.1-inch Tecra M10 and 15.4-inch Tecra A10 are a refresh of the company's M9 and A9 models. The new systems add Centrino 2 components with vPro as well as 7,200rpm hard drives. They also rely on Nvidia's business-oriented discrete graphics, the Quadro NVS 150M (one step down from the card in the Dell Latitude E6400).

The Tecra M10 and A10 both include facial recognition software that lets you log onto the computer without a password; the built-in 1.3-megapixel Webcam also doubles as a business card reader. As with the Portege line, Tecras come with Toshiba's EasyGuard technology, a marketing term that encompasses security measures both hard (hard-drive protection, fingerprint reader, Trusted Platform Module) and soft (a program that tracks the status of components). The Tecra lineup also incorporates sleep-and-charge USB ports that let you charge your cell phone or iPod when the laptop is powered down (but connected to an outlet) or in sleep mode.

Of interest to businesses looking to deploy a fleet of different-size Tecras, the M10 and A10 use a common motherboard and image. They're also backed by a three-year warranty, which is becoming increasingly rare, even for corporate laptops.

Starting price for the Tecra M10 is $1,299, while the Tecra A10 starts at $1,499. Both are available at ToshibaDirect.com and at resellers.

July 14, 2008 9:01 PM PDT

Toshiba's Centrino 2 offering: 3 biz laptops

by Michelle Thatcher
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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.

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