Toshiba Portege 3500 Tablet PCs to hit market by year end

NEW DELHI

Toshiba is launching the Portégé 3500 Series Tablet PC in India by year-end, informed Shiv Kumar, country product head, computer systems division, Toshiba India. The model has already been launched by Toshiba in Singapore as part of its global launch. Nitin Agarwal of Trifin, a distributor of Toshiba products in India, informed CNS that Microsoft has arranged a demonstration and a briefing in the last week of December to familiarize the channel with the product.

The exact price of the Tablet PC is yet to be decided upon, but Kumar informed that keeping with the trend of Toshiba products priced higher than the other versions available in the market and offering more advanced and quality products in the bargain, (he cites the example of the Portege 2000 laptop which comes with a price tag of Rs 1.7 lakh to Rs 1.8 lakh), the Toshiba Tablet PC is estimated to be in the range of Rs two lakh.

The Portege 3500 Series comes with integrated Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b), Bluetooth wireless connectivity options and 10/100 networking, enabling users to share information and access Internet connections in more locations, such as hotels, airports, at home or in the field. Government Wi-Fi licensing has not been a barrier to the launch of the Tablet PC, Kumar informed. He however added that de-licensing would definitely increase user adaptability.

The Portégé 3500 Series features a large 12.1” diagonal display for easy viewing. When in Tablet mode, it gives users the same experience as if they were holding an almost A4- sized traditional notepad. Users can write directly on the screen with a digital pen to create drawings, write handwritten notes, annotate documents and send e-mail -? all in their own handwriting. The handwritten messages can be saved as it is or converted to typed text. Weighing 1.85 kg with a magnesium alloy case, the design holds like a book and the dual-action swivel hinge easily guides the transformation from notebook to Tablet PC mode.

(CNS)