Toshiba Releases World's First Laptop With A 512gb Solid State Drive

Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the world's first laptop¹ configured with a eSATA second generation 512GB² Solid State Drive (SSD) with the Portégé® R600-ST4203. Toshiba's newest development shows its dedication to pushing innovation as the company has increased SSD capacities on laptops from 32GB to 512GB in just two years. At just 2.4 pounds³ and 0.77 inches thin, the Portégé R600 with SSD provides customers with an enhanced level of protection, portability, reliability and fast data access.

Toshiba Portege R600-ST4203

"Toshiba invests more in research and development than any other laptop company. Its heritage of developing first to market advanced technologies that keep mobile professionals ahead of the curve is a unique asset to Toshiba's business," said Carl Pinto, vice president product development, Digital Products Division, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. "We recognize that the market for SSD technology is growing, and to meet that market need, we produced a high performance laptop with the largest solid state storage capacity available today."

Toshiba's own second-generation SSD uses Multi Level Cell (MLC) NAND flash memory technology which increases the density of the SSD thus allowing more storage space. The adoption of this solid state technology in Toshiba's ultraportable laptops enables the user to enjoy faster boot, application loading and up to 3.0 faster access times⁴ compared to a 128GB solid state drive (SSD). Additionally, the lack of moving parts reduces noise and the risk of mechanical failure which makes it a reliable solution. Moreover, the SSD is lightweight, tough and impact resistant, designed to withstand higher impacts than a conventional HDD.

The newest laptop in the Portégé R600 ultraportable series continues the tradition of offering a more durable chassis, a shock absorbing design and an enhanced LED backlit Indoor/Outdoor Transreflective 12.1-inch diagonal widescreen display. It features Genuine Window Vista® Business, Intel® Ultra Low Voltage Core™ 2 Duo SU9400 processor⁵, an eSATA/USB Combo Sleep and Charge port⁶, among other preferred features.

As with all of Toshiba's business laptops, the Portégé R600-ST4203 also includes Toshiba's EasyGuard® Technology⁷ with PC Health Monitor. These enhancements can help protect your laptop from theft, spills and jolts as well as continuously check the performance and functionality of a system's critical hardware components and alert users when the system is in need of a tune-up. The Portégé R600-ST4203 also comes with Toshiba's Standard Three-Year International Limited Warranty8.

While providing mobile professionals with industry leading technologies, Toshiba has also focused on green procurement in all aspects of the Portégé series' development. By implementing SSD into the Portégé R600, Toshiba was able to significantly reduce power consumption by up to 50 percent in idle mode⁴. In recognition of this effort, the Portégé R600 was named the greenest notebook in Greenpeace's second annual "Green Electronics: The Search Continues" survey, stating that, "Toshiba is ahead of everyone else when it comes to the elimination of toxic chemicals." The Portégé R600 is ENERGY STAR® 4.0 compliant, designed to be RoHS compatible, and has earned one of the highest scores and a rating in the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Gold category.

The Portégé R600-ST4203 will be available in early June exclusively on www.toshibadirect.com at $3,499.99 MSRP⁹.

About Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. (TAIS)

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TAIS is comprised of four business units: Digital Products Division, Imaging Systems Division, Storage Device Division, and Telecommunication Systems Division. Together, these divisions provide mobile products and solutions, including industry leading portable computers; projectors; imaging products for the security, medical and manufacturing markets; storage products for automotive, computer and consumer electronics applications; and telephony equipment and associated applications. TAIS provides sales, marketing and services for its wide range of information products in the United States and Latin America. TAIS is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation. Toshiba Corporation is a world leader and innovator in high technology, a diversified manufacturer and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products. These products span from information & communications systems; digital consumer products; electronic devices and components; as well as power systems including nuclear energy; industrial and social infrastructure systems; and home appliances. Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 730 companies, with 199,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing US$67 billion. For more information on Toshiba visit explore.toshiba.com.

1. In the category of notebook PC, as of April 2009. (Surveyed by Toshiba)

2. Storage Drive Capacity. Solid State Drive (SSD) Capacity. Computer (Internal) SSD Capacity. One Gigabyte (GB) means 109 = 1,000,000,000 bytes using powers of 10.

3. Weight. Weight may vary.

4. Based on measurement result using a benchmark software "PCMark05"

5. Processor. CPU performance may vary. See Processor Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com.

6. USB Sleep & Charge. The "USB Sleep & Charge function" may not work with certain external devices even if they are compliant with the USB specification. In those cases, turn the power of the computer ON to charge the device.

7. EasyGuard Technology. EasyGuard technology comprises a number of features some of which may or may not be available on a particular Toshiba notebook depending on the model selected. See www.easyguard.toshiba.com for detailed information.

8. Warranty. The terms and conditions of Toshiba's standard limited warranty, and extended warranty and service upgrade plans are available at www.warranty.toshiba.com.

9. Price. Reseller prices may vary. MSRP means "Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price."