All Toshiba’s new consumer laptops will be equipped with a Cortana button and will be equipped with dual microphones to “get the most from Cortana” when they ship in July, it emerged today.
Only one of the pre-production demo units at the launch event I attended was adorned with the new key, and Cortana wasn’t yet active on the machines. I was told, however, that pressing down and holding the “Quick access” button (the F1 key with a search icon on it), would launch Microsoft’s digital assistant, ready for action.
The revelation came during the unveiling of Toshiba’s new Satellite laptops, which will initially come with Windows 8.1 preinstalled, but will be upgradable to Windows 10 for free when Microsoft’s new operating system is launched.
The pick of the new models is a 15in Windows hybrid: the Toshiba Satellite Radius 15. The Radius – whose lid and keyboard surround is clad in brushed aluminium – has a 360-degree hinge that allows the laptop to be used in a number of different configurations.
The Radius is also equipped with an IPS touchscreen with Full HD resolution, and the most powerful models will have fifth-generation Intel Core i5 processors, 16GB of RAM and a 2TB or 256GB SSD. Prices for the Radius 15 will start at £599 inc VAT.
Satellite C, L and P Series also refreshed
Aside from the Radius, Toshiba unveiled 12 laptops across three other ranges. The low-end 15in and 17in Satellite C portables, which will be the first C Series machines to have SSDs as an option, will be powered by Intel Broadwell CPUs up to Core i5, while some will feature the new AMD Carrizo processors.
The three new 15in and 17in L Series laptops will also have fifth-generation Intel processors (up to Core i7) or AMD Carrizo A10s, up to 16GB of RAM and a 2TB hard disk or 256GB SSD, plus screens with a resolution of up to 1,920 x 1,080.
Those who enjoy the odd game will be pleased to see that the Satellite L comes with Onkyo speakers which have been “tuned by Skullcandy”, and will have the option of being specified with a separate GPU – up to an Nvidia GeForce 930M with 2GB of dedicated VRAM.
The Satellite P Series also catches the eye, in particular the P50t-C. Toshiba’s premium Satellite model will have a high-DPI 3,840 x 2,160 IGZO touchscreen that’s factory-calibrated. It will be available with up to fifth-generation Intel Core i7 processors, Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M graphics and Harman Kardon-branded speakers.
The top-end P50t-C will cost around £1,100 and, as with all of Toshiba’s new laptops, will be available from July.
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