Ultrabooks appear to be the new hot thing this year and everyone is joining the party. Toshiba announced the Portege Z830 Ultrabook as their entry into the super thin, super light, mostly cheap class of computers.
Ultrabooks in general are Intel's vision of a thin, light, computer priced at $999 or less. Other companies have unveiled Ultrabooks, with some systems coming in at Intel's visionary price and others not so much. The Z830 was announced at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin and will make its debut in November of this year, making it yet another system on the market just in time for the holidays. Toshiba's press release on the systems insists that they will "start at under $1000" which means there will likely be options that push the price above that magical $999 point.
So, what kind of specs is the Z830 rocking? It actually seems pretty standard as far as Ultrabook offerings go. The screen will be 13.3 inches with a resolution of 1366x768. Ram will be able to go up to 6GB, WiFi and Bluetooth will be included in the system and it will pack a 128GB SSD. As a nice added bonus, HDMI, VGA, USB, and Intel's Wireless Display technology will be supported.
A couple of other nice features include the spill resistance keyboard (if that actually works) as well as the ability to charge your phone via USB while the system is sleeping. The ability to charge an external device while the computer is sleeping is a nice bonus for those who travel or find themselves trapped in long meetings with nothing to entertain themselves with except Angry Birds.
As for the actual dimensions of the computer, Toshiba claims it will weight less than 2.5 lbs and have a thickness of 0.63 inches. If you've already got an "award-winning ultraportable Portégé R830 Series" laptop then the Z830 is about 20% lighter and 40% thinner than those machines.
The press release didn't outline the specific configuration options and pricing, nor did it give a specific release date beyond November 2011. There were some choice words about how great the device is though.
"The Portégé Z830 Series sets a new standard for thin and light systems, not just in portability, but also in affordability for such cutting-edge designs," said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. "Toshiba's engineering achievements and expert craftsmanship have resulted in a brilliant and fully thought-through innovation that exceeds expectations, perfect for both mobile business professionals and consumers."
At least the Ultrabook market won't be without competition. It seems like everyone wants in on this class of computers before the holiday season really gets under way.
