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    News Bits: Toshiba R500 gets 3G, Lenovo not outsourcing to Taiwan

    Discussion in 'Notebook News and Reviews' started by Charles P. Jefferies, Jan 22, 2008.

  1. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    Toshiba R500 gets 3G connectivity
    [​IMG]
    (view large image)

    Toshiba has added 3G connectivity to its R500 ultraportable PC. There will be two new configurations available this month with HSDPA: the R500-11J will have a 64GB SSD and the R500-11I will have a traditional 120GB hard drive. The SSD-equipped R500 weighs a mere 1.72 lb. Toshiba claims the R500 is the thinnest and lightest notebook in the world.

    NotebookReview.com Review of the Toshiba Portege R500
    Read More (AkihabaraNews.com)

    Lenovo not moving notebook production to Taiwan after all
    [​IMG]

    Lenovo responded to a DigiTimes article that said the firm will be moving all of its notebook production from China to Taiwan and said it is all false. Lenovo says it does not know how the story got turned around but blames translation.

    Read More (Engadget.com)

    Clevo to ship 1.3 million notebooks this year
    [​IMG]
    Clevo, a second-tier Taiwan-based notebook manufacturer, is expecting to ship 1.3 million notebooks this year compared to 2007's 1.06 million units. Clevo increased its shipments 83% in 2007 compared to 2006.

    Read More (DigiTimes.com)

    Wistron ups notebook shipment goal to 18 million this year
    Wistron has raised its notebook shipment expectations by 60% to 18 million units in 2008, a 60% on-year increase. The company expects their Q2 shipments to be a 10-15% increase over Q1.

    Read More (DigiTimes.com)


     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 7, 2015
    Charles P. Jefferies, Jan 22, 2008
    #1
  2. popextra

    popextra Notebook Consultant

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    the Toshiba is the thinnest and lightest notebook in the world??? i thought the mac-air had that title....
     
    popextra, Jan 22, 2008
    #2
  3. JabbaJabba

    JabbaJabba ThinkPad Facilitator

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    The normal R500 is already extremely light (considering its specs). In fact I'm pretty sure it is the world's lightest in its class.

    But now they have outdone themselves with the R500-11J refresh! Sure they removed the optical drive on the 11J, but 1.72 lbs on a 12.1" ultraportable is incredible. Heck, it is incredible on any type of notebook!
     
    JabbaJabba, Jan 22, 2008
    #3
  4. larson

    larson Notebook Evangelist

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    The R500 looks great!
     
    larson, Jan 22, 2008
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  5. Sahin

    Sahin ---------------

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    WOW 83% gain in one year! Seems like the only computer company to invest in.
     
    Sahin, Jan 22, 2008
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  6. ArshAvo

    ArshAvo Notebook Geek

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    I AM SHOCKED!!!!1.72 lb. for 12.1 screen notebook even with optical drive!!!
    If it is true I bet the price is 3000+!
     
    ArshAvo, Jan 23, 2008
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  7. gamemint

    gamemint Notebook Evangelist

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    I am sure the price will be sky high at first. Then it will go down
     
    gamemint, Jan 23, 2008
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  8. JabbaJabba

    JabbaJabba ThinkPad Facilitator

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    You misunderstood. It is the R500-11J version without an optical drive which weighs 1.72 lb. Still amazing though.
     
    JabbaJabba, Jan 23, 2008
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  9. esskay

    esskay Notebook Consultant

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    Yes, the fundamental R500 models have been out since last fall (including the 1.7lb version without an optical drive). The only difference here appears to be the addition of built-in WWAN.

    Now, I did notice some new R500 models on the Toshiba UK website

    Looks like main substantive differences for these are availability of:
    U7700 processor (1.33ghz) vs U7600 in US
    160GB hard drive vs 120GB in US (and also cited in the article above) ... which is interesting because the new model line up on the UK site basically has 120GB drives only available on the budget versions of the R500

    Also, 2GB RAM included with several more models.

    Anyone know anything about US availability of these upgraded models?
     
    esskay, Jan 23, 2008
    #9