bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

TOSHIBA'S new 2400 range of notebooks is likely to be available in Hong Kong next month.

  Released in Tokyo last month, the 2400 offers 50Mhz of speed on the enhanced Intel 486DX/2 CPU.

  The keyboard has been redesigned on the T2400, incorporating the Toshiba Accupoint pointing device.

   A built-in SCSI-2 port has been included to allow easy CD-ROM connection and there are two PCMCIA slots.

   There is a choice of 250 MB or 320 MB hard drives and a four MB standard memory expandable to 20 MB. The T2400CT has eight MB upgradable to 24 MB.

  It will retail for about $38,000, according to Chevalier OA, the local distributor.

  Multimedia enthusiasts should welcome the arrival of the 2400. Options include a sound card compatible with Sound Blaster Pro.

  ''The T2400 notebooks will enable small home/ office users and travelling professionals to use sound as an integral part of their dynamic presentation or multimedia applications,'' said Hisatsugu Nonaka, senior manager for the North America, Asia and Oceania department of Toshiba's PC division.

  The 2400CT model has an 8.4-inch screen displaying up to 65,536 colours at a time.

  Early next month, Toshiba is slashing the price of its T3400CT subnotebook model to $21,800 from $32,000, according to Francis Fong, sales manager at Chevalier OA.

  The T3400 series was the first from Toshiba to incorporate an integrated pointing device. It is a 486 running at 33 Mhz and has four MB of RAM standard, expandable to 20.

   There is 120 MB on the hard disk and the CT has a 7.8-inch screen and BitBLT graphics accelerator.

  The colour model has an average battery life of about three hours in normal mode, according to the manufacturer. Lithium ion batteries have been used to extend usage.

  It weighs 2.1 kg, including the battery pack.

  In June, Toshiba unveiled the T3600CT, an ultra-portable with a i486DX2 CPU running at 50 Mhz and 250 MB hard disk and 8.4-inch screen.

  According to Toshiba, the new CPU offers 70 per cent more processing speed than the 33 Mhz i486SX. It includes an integrated co-processor and eight KB internal cache, yet runs on 3.3 volts, thus conserving battery power.

  ''We have developed the T3600CT as the second generation of ultra-portable computers,'' Mr Nonaka said.

   ''Customers indicated that they, essentially, want to take the performance of their desktop computer to a two-kilogram system. Toshiba has successfully integrated a faster CPU, larger Thin Film Transistor colour screen and a larger hard disk drive without adding any extra weight.''   The CT's active matrix LCD screen can display more than 64,000 colours simultaneously. An enhanced video controller, using BitBLT graphics acceleration and local bus video, ''improves typical Windows functions by an average of 300 per cent'', according to Toshiba.

  The group's lower-end models available in Hong Kong are the T1910 and T1910CS, with the colour version retailing for about $24,000. They have 9.5-inch screens and weigh about 3.2 kg with battery pack.

  The CPU is a SL enhanced Intel 486 running at 33 Mhz and there is a choice of 120 MB or 200 MB on the hard disk.

  As with most other notebooks, DOS and Windows come as standard.

  Battery life is listed at 2.4 hours for the CS model in normal mode.

  One noticeable aspect of these Toshiba models is the mouse - Toshiba offers an externally-mounted ball point.

  The upper range T1950 series is available for about $25,999 from Notebook Collection.

  The T1950CS runs a 486 at 40 Mhz and has 200 MB on hard disk. It has a 9.5-inch screen and weighs 3.2 kg, including battery pack.

  The T1960 series, two models with ''all the award-winning features of the T1950 series, but with a 20 per cent increase in CPU speed'', will also be available soon.

  The two - the T1960CT with an 8.4-inch Thin Film Transistor LCD screen and the T1960CS with a 9.5-inch dual-scan colour screen - use 50 Mhz i486DX2 3.3-volt CPUs and are aimed at the consumer, small business and corporate markets.

  The CT version has a local bus controller supporting 256 colours at the same time, accelerated by Windows' graphics.

   The CS has 200 MB on its hard disk, while the CT offers a choice of 200 or 320 MB. Other standard features include a ballpoint mouse 2.0 with Quickport connection and front-loading 3.5-inch 1.44 MB floppy disk drive.



CD-ROM port in T2400 series