Toshiba Qosmio G55 Quad Core HD ‘Cell Processor’ Laptop Officially Announced

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Whilst Toshiba’s new G55 has been known about for some time its worth noting that, at last, Toshiba have now made the already much hyped Qosmio G55 official courtesy of a press release made available today in which Toshiba understandably go to great lengths to underpin not only the G55’s multimedia capabilities but also its advanced gesture control made possible by the G55’s integration of the PS3’s cell processor technology.

Developed by Toshiba, Sony and IBM, the Toshiba Quad Core HD Processor used in both the PS3 and the Qosmio G55 combined with an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7350 certainly makes the G55 somewhat of a powerhouse in the multimedia department thanks, in no small part, to the cell processer offering the following proprietary features:

• Upconvert/Upconversion – Through “Upconvert/Upconversion,” standard-definition video files, such as home videos and DVDs, are upscaled in real time to 720p high-definition. Combined with the use of the Qosmio’s HDMI-CEC port, users can output today’s standard DVDs in stunning clarity up to 1080i on an HDTV.
• Transcoding – The included Ulead(R) DVD MovieFactory(R) 5 for TOSHIBA has been optimized to take advantage of the Toshiba Quad Core HD Processor to dramatically reduce the time needed in high-definition video editing. Transcoding video between high-definition formats or converting high-definition video into standard definition for burning to DVD can be completed up to 10 times(3) faster on the Qosmio(R) G55-Q802 laptop PC.
• Video Indexing – “Video Indexing” provides the power to catalog video clips based on an individual’s face in a scene. This unique technology enables quick and easy scene access by eliminating the need to manually search through hours of video content.
• Gesture Control – Using a remote to control DVDs, CDs and PowerPoint is a thing of the past. Through the use of “Gesture Control” and the Qosmio’s Webcam, physical motions, such as extending an arm and simple hand gestures, users can control the play, pause, rewind and fast-forward functions of their movies, music and slides.

‘In terms of the Qosmio laptop brand, innovation is the key ingredient,’ said Jeff Barney, vice president and general manager, Digital Products Division, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., who introduced Toshiba’s new G55. ‘The addition of the TOSHIBA Quad Core HD Processor marks a watershed moment in the multimedia and HD segments. Qosmio G55-Q802 laptop PC users now have the power and ability to control and manipulate their personal content with unmatched precision and speed while also enjoying their full DVD collections at resolutions up to 1080i.’

Toshiba’s Qosmio G55 will be made available with the following two configurations:

Qosmio G55-Q801

• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7350 2.0 GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB
• 4096MB PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz SDRAM memory
• 320GB (5400 RPM) Serial ATA hard disk drive
• DVD SuperMulti (+/- double layer) drive with Labelflash supporting 11 formats
• Nvidia GeForce 9200M GS with 256MB GDDR2 discrete graphics memory
• Atheros 802.11 b/g/n wireless-LAN

Qosmio G55-Q802

• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7350 2.0 GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB
• Toshiba Quad Core HD Processor
• 4096MB PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz SDRAM memory
• 500GB using two 5400 RPM Serial ATA hard disk drives
• DVD SuperMulti (+/- double layer) drive with Labelflash supporting 11 formats
• Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT with 512MB GDDR2 discrete graphics memory,
• Atheros 802.11 b/g/n wireless-LAN

Toshiba’s G55-Q801 and G55-Q802, both or which offer the user the option of booting either the 32-bit or the 64-bit version of Windows Vista depending on requirements, retail for around $1300 and $1550 with availability being imminent.