Toshiba Portege R500 Gets 128GB Solid State Drive Upgrade [128GB SSD Portégé R500-S5007V]

In line with expectations, and in an especially convoluted press release, Toshiba have now officially confirmed that their highly acclaimed Portege R500 (specifically the R500-S5007V) – an ultra portable that has already succeeded in claiming no less than seven world firsts in terms of both its deign and technology – will now be made available with a new, higher capacity 128GB capacity solid state drive as well as being the world’s first laptop to be made available with a 7mm DVD SuperMulti drive.

For those looking for the low-down on Toshiba’s 128GB SSD Portégé R500-S5007V we thought we’d offer the full official press release not least because its so densely packed with details that to have distilled it would have proven somewhat pointless and, as you’ll see from the release below, Toshiba have rather a lot to boast about.

Toshiba’s Digital Products Division, today announced the addition of a 128GB solid state drive (SSD) into the innovative Portégé laptop series. Toshiba’s 2.4 pound Portégé R500-S5007V is the world’s lightest laptop with a 128GB SSD and DVD SuperMulti drive and one of the world’s thinnest with a SSD and DVD SuperMulti drive.

“With seven world’s first technologies the Portégé R500 series has served as a technology launching pad and redefined the ultraportable marketplace with its world’s first technologies and ‘green’ attributes, such as a transreflective LED backlit indoor/outdoor viewing display, the industry’s highest rated EPEAT Gold laptop and Energy Star 4.0 compliance,” said Jeff Barney, general manager and vice president, Digital Products Division, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. “First to incorporate a 128GB solid state drive is another major accomplishment for Toshiba and illustrates how the company is committed to delivering solutions that meet the needs of our customers.”

Utilizing the industry’s largest solid state drive capacity of 128GB, Toshiba’s Portégé R500-S5007V provides ample storage space for carrying critical company data and sensitive personal data while traveling. With no moving parts, SSD technology provides customers with an enhanced level of reliability, durability and system responsiveness.

To provide added convenience and on-the-go productivity, the Portégé R500 series was the world’s first laptop to ship with a 7mm DVD SuperMulti drive. The built-in optical drive reduces the Portégé R500-S5007V’s travel weight by providing users with an all-in-one solution, eliminating the bulk and inconvenience of carrying additional drives and cables.

For enhanced outdoor viewing, the Portégé R500 series incorporates the world’s first widescreen 12.1-inch transreflective LED backlit display, a feature that embraces the variety of lighting scenarios in which laptop computers are used including direct sunlight. Indoors, the LED backlit display produces an image rich in color saturation and superb quality. Outdoors, the transreflective screen lets the sun’s light pass through and reflects it out to bring the images on the display to life so users can switch off the LED backlighting off while outdoors and decrease overall battery consumption. This feature also makes the Toshiba Portégé R500 series an ideal choice for environmentally conscious users. This innovative display technology also enables users to expand their mobile computing boundaries beyond the traditional four walls of their office, home or local coffee shop to include locations with direct sunlight.

Measuring as thin as 0.77-inches, the Portégé R500 series uses Toshiba’s proprietary High Density Mounting Technology process to enable dual-sided motherboard component mounting. This innovative technology produces a motherboard that is one-third the size of a mainstream 15.4-inch notebook’s motherboard, while still providing users the same functionality.

The more than eight hours of battery life of the Portégé R500-S5007V gives users a full work day of normal computing on a single charge. To achieve this extended computing life, Toshiba subjected key system components to meticulous energy efficiency evaluation. Key Portégé R500-S5007V components use low power consumption technology including both the 128GB SSD and an ultra low voltage processor.

For executive durability and security, the Portégé R500-S5007V incorporates Toshiba’s EasyGuard Technology including advanced encryption, multiple level passwords and a fingerprint reader. These innovative features help prevent theft, and protect against unauthorized access to the users system, helping keep confidential information secure. In terms of data protection, the elimination of all mechanical moving parts from the hard drive Toshiba has designed a machine that further enhances the level of reliability and durability.

Toshiba