CESpotlight 2015: Toshiba

Toshiba has shown off quite a few new and refreshed devices this year at CES 2015 including a new laptop-tablet hybrid targeted at competing against the Surface Pro 3, a refreshed line of tablets, a new set of portable hard drives, a new wireless data transfer adapter for iOS, and their latest WiFi-enabled SD card.

Advertisement

Portege Z20t

The company’s biggest reveal this year is the announcement of their new Portege 2-in-1 laptop-tablet hybrid called the Z20t. The new device runs on the latest Windows 8.1 and features a 12.5-inch IPS screen with a display resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It also has touch stylus support and some variants include a Wacom digitizer pen. On the inside, the tablet is powered by an Intel Core M processor, either 4GB or 8GB of RAM, a choice between 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of SSD storage, and features Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. The keyboard dock of the Z20t is equipped with two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, a VGA/RGB port, and Gigabit Ethernet port.

According to Toshiba, the Z20t has a battery life of around 9 hours when the tablet is used by itself but when docked into the keyboard the battery life jumps to a whopping 17 hours which is quite impressive and it looks like Toshiba is gearing this up to compete against Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 tablets although we’re not so sure how well and efficient the new Intel Core M processors perform.

The Portege Z20t comes in a variety of configurations with prices starting at $899 for the tablet-only variant while the complete set with the keyboard dock starts at $1,399. Additionally, the variants that include the Wacom digitizer pen start at $1,899. The complete variants (with or without the Wacom pen) will be available later this month while the tablet-only variant will be released sometime in February.

Encore 2 Tablets Refresh

Last year’s Encore 2 Windows-based tablets from Toshiba are also making a comeback this year as Toshiba has released a refreshed lineup now called the Encore 2 Write that come in either an 8-inch or 18-inch variant. The new line now features stylus support and come with Wacom digitizer pens with TruFeel technology. On the inside the specifications of the Encore 2 Write are pretty much the same as its predecessor including the Intel Atom processor, 2GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and an 8-megapixel rear camera. Toshiba claims the new Encore 2 Write’s battery will last up to 11 hours of use. Stylus support for Windows-based tablets have become sort of a norm these days so we’re not sure how Toshiba plans to position themselves differently from all the other tablets in the market. Both the 8- and 10-inch models will be available next week with prices starting at $349 for the 8-inch model and $399 for the 10-inch one.

Canvio Connect II

Toshiba has been in the storage business for decades so it isn’t a surprise that this year they’re releasing a new portable hard drive – the Canvio Connect II. The new portable drives feature support for remote access via PoGoPlug for accessing data and streaming media to mobile devices. The Canvio Connect II also comes with bundled software that enables users to set up automatic and scheduled backups. The new drives are compatible with both Mac and PC and come in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB variants that are priced at $99.99, $119.99, and $199.99, respectively, and will be available later this month. A 3TB version is also scheduled to come out later this year but the company did not mention an exact date or pricing for the larger drive.

New TransferJets for iOS, Windows, and Android

Toshiba has also finally released a TransferJet adapter for iOS devices alongside second generation adapters for Windows and Android. The adapter lets users transfer data between TransferJet-enabled devices at ultra-high speeds of up to 375Mbps, faster than even the latest Bluetooth transfer speeds. The new adapter for iOS, specifically called the TJM35420LT, will be available sometime during the spring of 2015 in Japan, followed by Europe, the Americas, and Asia, while the TJM35420AUX for Windows and TJM35420AMU for Android will be available sometime in the first quarter of 2015. Toshiba did not reveal pricing for any of the adapters yet but that information should be available closer to when the new devices’ respective launches.

FlashAir III Wireless SD Card

Lastly, Toshiba unveiled a new FlashAir III wireless SD card that’s capable of transferring/receiving data over Wi-Fi. Users will be able to access the new SD card via their PC’s web browser or through the Flash Air app that’s available on both iOS and Android. Additionally, the web browser interface also gives users access to extra features for managing and maintaining their content. While newer devices that utilize SD cards like DLSRs and other digital cameras have started to include built-in Wi-Fi connectivity for data transfer, older devices will still be able to use and maximize what the FlashAir III brings to the table. The new SD card will be available sometime in March in either 16GB or 32GB capacities for an SRP of $79.99 and $99.99, respectively.