New York — Toshiba introduced Tuesday a new crop of value-centric tablets, a Satellite Radius convertible notebook, Satellite Click 2 two-in-ones, and said both Encore and Excite Go tablet lines will hit retail shelves this summer.
Aesthetically, Tong Choi, Toshiba digital products division product manager, said the company was looking to improve its tablet-based product designs with thinner form factors, lighter weight, TruTouch keyboards and IPS LCD screens.
Toshiba’s new Satellite Click 2 two-in-one notebook/tablets are offered in two feature configurations called the Click 2 and the Click 2 Pro. Both include interlocking click-together screens and keyboards.
Both include detachable 13.3-inch IPS LCD touchscreens, built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity and Windows 8.1 OS. The base level includes onboard 500GB HDD storage.
The Satellite Click 2 is also one of Toshiba’s first devices to feature an onboard sound system tuned by Skullcandy and DTS.
Featuring a fanless design, the Satellite Click 2 runs quietly and offers a 0.9-inch profile. Toshiba’s Hard Drive Impact Sensor technology safeguards content stored on the internal hard drive, while USB Sleep & Charge technology allows charging a connected smartphone from the device even when the Click 2 is powered off.
The screen offers 1,366 by 768p HD resolution.
The Click 2 is powered by an Intel Core i5 processor, while the Click 2 Pro steps up to a Core i7.
Both models will be available in late June from Best Buy, with the Click 2 starting at a $586 suggested retail while the Satellite Click 2 Pro is priced starting at $1,028.
The Click 2 Pro steps up to a FullHD screen and features a 0.78-inch thin design.
The Click 2 Pro includes a built-in MicroSD slot, MicroHDMI and MicroUSB 2.0 ports, and wireless display support and Intel WiDi for screen sharing to big screen TVs.
Buyers of a special premium edition will also have the option of 128GB of solid-state storage in the screen, a 500GB hard drive, and backup battery in the full-size illuminated keypad.
In tablets, Toshiba continued with its two-pronged OS strategy, offering Windows and Android-based units, and introduced a new Satin Gold color in its Windows-based Encore 2 line.
The Encore 2 tablets run Windows 8.1 and include 8- and 10-inch touchscreens, quad-core Intel Atom processors, and front- and rear-facing cameras (5 megapixels in the back).
Both tablets can be configured with up to 64GB of onboard storage and also feature a MicroSD card slot supporting MicroSDXC cards up to 128GB, as well as a MicroUSB 2.0 port. In addition, Encore 2 tablets provide video chat with an HD webcam and 5-megapixel rear camera with autofocus.
Encore 2 tablets also include a one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal with access to full versions of Word, Excel, Power Point, OneNote and Outlook. They have the ability to work online and offline and sync between devices when connected to OneDrive.
Both tablets connect to the Internet with 802.11n onboard Wi-Fi.
The 8-inch Encore 2 models, shipping to select retailers in late June, will be offered in several price points: $199 for 1GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, $249 for 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, and $279 for 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
The 10-inch Encore 2 models, shipping in early July, will be offered at $269 for 1GB RAM and 32GB storage, $299 with Bluetooth keyboard and cover accessory, and $329 stepping up to 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
The new Android 4.4-based Excite Go models feature a 7-inch screen at a $109 suggested retail, and include Office Suite Pro. It ships to dealers in mid-July.
Excite Go models include a quad-core Intel Atom processor, and access to Google Drive and other Cloud storage services.
Wireless display support allows streaming content from the tablets directly onto a TV screen. A dual-camera version includes Toshiba’s exclusive TruCapture app that improves the readability of images from whiteboards and books by automatically removing borders, straightening distortion, reducing glare and brightening contrast, said to be ideal for classrooms and offices.
The Excite Go stays powered for up to eight hours per charge for general use and 6.5 hours of video playback.
Additionally, the Excite Go comes equipped with up to 16GB of internal storage, a MicroUSB port and a MicroSD slot capable of supporting 128GB SDXC cards.
For heavier usage needs, Toshiba introduced new 15.6-inch Satellite Radius convertible notebook/tablets, featuring a 360-degree hinged screen that folds all the way behind the screen for tablet configuration. They also have the Sleeping Charge USB port.
The Satellite Radius features premium speakers from Harman Kardon with audio processing by DTS Sound. Also included is 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Intel WiDi wireless display support technologies, and HDMI port supporting up to 4K output to compatible HDTVs.
The laptop also includes an HD webcam and dual-array microphones with beam-forming technology that provide clear, crisp audio for video chatting.
Dragon Assistant voice control technology is also included to accept spoken commands.
The Satellite Radius will start shipping to Best Buy stores in July and will include versions with Core i5 ($925) and Core i7 ($1,048) processors.
