October 3, 2004: NOTEBOOK computers have moved into a new dimension of versatility with the launch of Toshiba's Qosmio series of digitally-converged products C that combine exceptional computing power with advanced home entertainment capabilities in a unique ?four-in-one experience. The Qosmio range is the first of its kind in the Middle East and will debut at the GITEX 2004 show in Dubai this week, in the wake of international acclaim by IT experts as a landmark in computer evolution. The newcomers merge high-quality audio-visual performance with cutting-edge notebook technology to provide the most advanced personal home entertainment experience available.
Both are based on Intel's latest Pentium M Processor (previously code-named Dothan) that features superior and highly enhanced performance over previous generations of the same processor, while Toshiba's competitors still use the previous generation in most of their products.
Qosmio notebooks have 15.4-inch wide-screen (F10 model) and 17-inch wide-screen (G10) and give users a unique ?4-in-1 multimedia experience with integrated audio, DVD player, HDD storage and PC functionality.
The Qosmio series is based on Intel Centrino Mobile Technology, using the Pentium M processor with speeds of up to 2.0GHz, Intel PRO wireless network connection 802.11b/g, and the Intel 855PM chipset family.
All models carry Toshiba's unconditional three-year international warranty.?The launch of Qosmio represents a milestone in Toshiba's move into home digital convergence, said Ahmed Khalil, general manager for Middle East and Africa.
?Qosmio leverages the company's heritage in computing and consumer electronics to meet the rising consumer demand for simple, personal entertainment solutions, by combining high-quality audio/visual capabilities with powerful PC functionality, wireless networking capabilities and sleek design.
By simplifying the home entertainment experience, Toshiba is enabling users to better enjoy and handle digital content.
Toshiba has firmly set its stake in the digital convergence ground, and the new series raises the bar for intelligently integrated and truly compelling digital converged products that simplify the personal entertainment experience. Advanced consumer electronics functionality is now packaged within a notebook PC in a way that's never been seen before.
QosmioPlayer enables DVD and CD content to be played after just a few seconds with the simple touch of a button without booting the operating system, while Toshiba's TruBrite display technology and the QosmioEngine C a high quality video engine C deliver crisp images, brighter colours, higher contrast and smoother entertainment than many of today's high-definition TV sets.
Featuring one of the largest, most powerful set of speakers to be integrated into a notebook PC, the Qosmio's Harman Kardon speakers, combined with industry leading SRS technology, ensure a real-life entertainment experience when watching DVD films, playing games, or enjoying music.
Handling digital content is equally easy. With dual hard disk drive support, the Qosmio G10 provides users with up to 200GB of optional storage capacity. The Qosmio F10 has up to 100GB of hard disk drive capacity, leaving ample room for interacting with and creating digital music, film, video and photography.
Both models will be available in Middle East countries by end of October and will retail for US$2,700 and $1,700 respectively.
"The Qosmio series represents a significant strategic move by Toshiba into a huge potential market of digitally converged products for home and personal entertainment," said Khalil.
"Converged notebooks such as the Qosmio series will be critical in supporting a trend towards more personalised and mobile consumption of digital content by consumers in the next few years, and are an unprecedented breakthrough in notebook multi-media performance.
This launch demonstrates the company's commitment to retaining its status as being the leader in technology and market innovation, while bringing customers an unparalleled notebook computing experience.
I am already on record as saying that Toshiba Middle East will concentrate on providing the best marketplace offering by excelling in mobile product leadership and I am confident that the introduction of the Qosmio series bears this out.
The launch of the new Qosmio series coincides with another Toshiba milestone - 10 million personal computers sold in the Europe, Middle East and African (EMEA) region.
This remarkable achievement comes less than five years since Toshiba hit the 5M sales mark, which had taken some 15 years to reach.
?With the mobile computer segment forecasted to grow at 15-20% until 2008, twice as fast as the whole PC market, we anticipate it will only be a few years before achieving the 20M milestone, said Oscar Koenders, Toshiba's general manager C EMEA Marketing.
The EMEA region has no doubt been a driving force behind the development of the portable PC market.
-Ends-
For further information:
Marwan Abu-Ghanem,
Euro RSCG Bain
Tel 971 4 3903030,
fax 971 4 3918486
E-mail: Marwan.abughanem@eurorscgbain.com
© Press Release 2004
