Toshiba closes price gap for notebooks, desktop PCs
The price difference between desktop and notebook computers has shrunk to a few hundred dollars in the latest models from Toshiba America Information Systems Inc.
The price difference between desktop and notebook computers has shrunk to a few hundred dollars in the latest models from Toshiba America Information Systems Inc.A small-footprint Equium 7300 desktop PC system costs $797 on General Services Administration Information Technology Schedule without a monitor, marketing director Mike Wagner said. The 7300S has a 400-MHz Intel Celeron processor, 64M of RAM, a 6G hard drive and Microsoft Windows 98.About $43 more buys an Equium 7300D with a 433-MHz Celeron, 10G drive, 40X CD-ROM drive and 10/100-Mbps network interface. The top-of-the-line 7300D, priced at $1,116 GSA, has a 500-MHz Celeron, 128M of RAM, a 17G drive and Windows NT 4.0.All the 7300 models come with Intel LANDesk Client Manager, Desktop Management Interface 2.0, Advanced Configuration and Power Interface, Wake-on-LAN and instant-on software. Toshiba's included Configuration Builder CD-ROM can mirror a custom software image to multiple machines, something Wagner said is popular with agencies that have their own standardized software licensing agreements.He said Defense Department agencies are ordering Toshiba systems with NT 4.0 close to 100 percent of the time, and civilian agencies order NT about 70 percent of the time. To keep installations uniform, some agencies still specify Windows 95, which Toshiba will install on request, he said.'We have seen few adopt Windows 98,' he said, and most appear to be waiting for Windows 2000.As for monitors, Wagner said, 60 percent of Toshiba's government orders are for the 15-inch form factor, priced at $171 GSA for the TekBright 510V. The 17-inch TekBright 710V is $285 GSA. Flat-panel LCDs are not yet a big trend among Toshiba customers, he said. The earlier Equium models' Instant Access door has been popular at sites such as the Navy, Army, Census Bureau, and Housing and Urban Development Department, Wagner said, because users are 'always thinking about adding RAM. The next big round of RAM will be for Windows 2000.'As for notebooks, Toshiba portable marketing group manager Chris Pollitt said the 6-pound Satellite 1555CDS has fallen to $1,199.The low-end notebook has a 380-MHz AMD K6-2 processor, 32M of RAM, a 12.1-inch display, a 4.3G hard drive, a 24X CD-ROM drive, an integrated 56-Kbps modem, a Universal Serial Bus port, a Type II/III PC Card slot, a lithium-ion battery, Win98, Lotus SmartSuite Millennium Edition and a choice of one other software program. The 18 choices include mapping, graphics and voice recognition programs.Other Satellites, with 400-MHz K6-2 processors and active-matrix displays, range in price up to $1,699.The high-end $2,399 Satellite 2655XDVD model has a 466-MHz mobile Celeron processor, 64M of RAM, a 14.1-inch active-matrix display, a 6G drive, a DVD-ROM drive, 3-D audio, a television-out connection, SmartSuite and two other software choices.
Popular in DOD
Contact Toshiba at 800-477-1616.
By Susan M. Menke
GCN Staff
 | Toshiba's $2,399 Satellite 2655 XDVD has a 466-MHz processor and can drive presentations via a TV display. |
Popular in DOD
Contact Toshiba at 800-477-1616.
NEXT STORY: Legato revamps lines and adds offsite backup