Toshiba has finally launched the cheap and thin CULV notebook craze,
with two T100 series models in the most popular thin-and-light form
factors.
The T135 is a 13-incher based on the puny SU2700 or dual-core SU4100.
It should ship with up to 8GB of memory, 250GB of storage and you'll
also get an eSATA/USB combo. The rest of the spec is pretty much what
we've come to expect from a 13-inch CULV design: it weighs 1.75kg,
measures under an inch thin and has a 6-cell battery. Although it's a
bit heavier than most CULV notebooks, the 6-cell offers more than 7
hours of battery life, which is quite impressive.
We're just not sure about the design, it just looks a bit plasticky. You can check out an early review at
laptopmag.
Prices start at $599, which sounds reasonable for such a device, and it
should be competitive compared to similarly spec'd products.
The R115 is a compact 11.6-inch thin-and-light, and it will be
available in SU4100 and Celeron 743 flavours. Spec-wise it's pretty
close to the T135, offering 250GB of storage, eSATA and HDMI. It weighs
1.58kg which is quite a lot for a 11-incher, but at least you will get
a 6-cell battery. Prices start at $449, and again, this sounds like a
pretty competitive price tag.
Both models should ship in Windows 7 time, in the last week of October.
It's not clear whether they feature matte or glare screens, but we're
hoping Tosh opted for matte.