Toshiba Officially Announces New Tecra A2 Series Notebook

Toshiba today announced the availability of its newTecra A2 notebook for the U.S. market. The Tecra A2 is a new value notebook designed for small to medium sized businesses. With extended battery life, high performance processing power and new integrated multimedia drives, the Tecra A2 offers the latest technology at exceptional value of around $1600.

Toshiba Tecra A2

The Tecra A2, follows closely on the heals of the new Tecra M2 range, and is also one of the first Toshiba notebooks with a DVD SuperMulti CD-RW/DVD combination drive or DVD burner. It allows DVDs and CDs to be copied and viewed anywhere, making it the most versatile optical disk drive technology available. It reads CD-ROM, CD-R/-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/-RW, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-RAM, and writes CD-R/-RW, DVD-R/-RW, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-RAM. The inclusion of the DVD SuperMulti unit offers users a hassle-free solution and more flexibility in their recording and viewing choices. With the Tecra A2, peopler can create their own DVD recordings that are compatible with virtually every standard DVD player currently in the market.

The inclusion of an ultra-sharp XGA screen at 14.1 or 15 inches, Intel® GM graphics and Toshiba Bass Enhanced Sound further optimises the multimedia experience. Featuring the latest Mobile Intel® Pentium® M or Intel® Celeron® M processor and with a standard battery life of up to 4.2 hours, all four models in the series deliver high levels of performance and reliability. Also helping to maximise productivity is the full range of expansion and connectivity features including a PC Card slot, four USB 2.0 ports, an international V.90 modem and a 10/100 Mbit Ethernet LAN port. The docking capability of the Tecra A2 adds to the notebook’s SMB credentials.

With Intel 802.11g offered on selected Tecra A2 models, the new line signals the mainstream introduction of wireless to this space. Toshiba’s unique ConfigFree™ software comes pre-installed with the Tecra A2 to simplify automatic connection to multiple wired and wireless network profiles for users who move between various work locations.

Tecra A2’s combination of features and price makes it a compelling product for value-conscious buyers. The stylish metallic silver notebook also comes with Toshiba’s high-level service and warranty cover as standard, providing peace-of-mind for SMB buyers. It is bundled with software including Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional and Microsoft Office OneNote® providing purchasers with a business-ready machine from the shop floor.

FEATURES: Tecra A2-S336
-- Intel(R) Centrino(TM) Mobile Technology
-- Intel Pentium(R) M Processor 715
-- 2MB L2 cache
-- 400MHz front side bus
-- 1.5GHz processor speed
-- Intel 855GME chipset
-- Intel PRO/Wireless 802.11b/g Network Connection
-- 60GB(2) hard disk drive
-- 512MB of RAM
-- 15.0-inch diagonal XGA display
-- DVD/CD-RW drive
-- Integrated modem and Ethernet
-- Two USB 2.0 ports
-- Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Professional
-- Microsoft Office OneNote(TM)
-- Three-Year Limited Warranty; One-Year Battery
Warranty
-- ESUP: $1,599(3)

Pricing and Availability:

The Toshiba A2 is available now from U.S. merchants and in Canada

 

integrated video is a nono

 

WOW! They just announced this in the US? I think this has been on the Toshiba Canada website for a little while. I noticed it a week ago when a user asked about the A2's. Maybe they just quietly updated the Canadian website a bit before the release.

-Vb-

 

I am also kind of wondering why they design powerful notebooks with integrated graphics chips? It would be just $50-100 on top of the price to get ATI 9200 video card in there. For me it sounds the same as high-end graphics notebook with 1GB RAM, DVD burners, 80GB HD and 100 MHz Celeron processor. [ ] Why?