Toshiba updates its range to take aim at Apple

JAPANESE COMPUTER MAKER Toshiba has released some machines including all-in-one desktop units and major updates to its laptop range.

According to market share figures published last week, Toshiba has been enjoying something of a revival of late and the latest models look pretty tasty. Not only has the outfit decided to go after Apple's Imac with its Qosmio D710 desktop all-in-one but the Dynabook N510 thin-and-light really catches the eye.

Toshiba seems to be placing the Dynabook somewhere between a netbook and a consumer thin-and-light device. The 11.6-inch screen has 1366x768 resolution making it just larger than most netbooks. Underneath it's a mixture of netbook-grade and laptop hardware powered by Intel's Pentium U5600 1.33GHz chip with 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. Toshiba claims the battery in the Dynabook N510 is good for 6.1 hours.

As Toshiba is pitching the device at consumers, the Dynabook N510 comes in white, brown or black. Although its weight of 1.48kg is low, considering its size and hardware specifications it is a shame that Toshiba was unable to get that closer to the kilo mark.

By the time Toshiba ships the Dynabook N510 over to the UK expect it to carry the Satellite Txx moniker, replacing the Satellite T110 and T130.

Toshiba's Qosmio D710 and Dynabook N510 go up against Apple's Imac and Macbook Air, respectively. If Toshiba can price the models competitively - that is, significantly less - than its fruit themed rival, then it has a good chance of climbing the sales charts further.

Toshiba has not yet announced when these machines will tip up in the UK or their prices. µ