Toshiba’s latest Satellite U500 13.3” Satellite laptop brings ultra-portability and full performance to the masses

Neuss, Germany, 9th June 2009 - Toshiba Computer Systems Division today unveiled its new 13.3’’ laptop, the Satellite U500, adding ultra-portability to its refreshed range of Satellite laptops. The compact, thin and light Satellite U500 establishes another design benchmark in Toshiba’s laptop product range with its eye-catching stylish 3D textured design in Luxe Brown. The Satellite U500 will be available during summer 2009 throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa.

"We have created a stand out design that gives a personal feel to the ultra-portable Satellite U500 and we know, that our customers value that," says Thomas Teckentrup, General Manager, Toshiba Computer Systems Division Europe. "With the Satellite U500 we offer consumers a fully featured yet ultra-portable laptop at a very attractive price point."



Another Toshiba design statement

The Satellite U500 has everything it takes to make a big impression: it comes in a stylish Luxe Brown, offering a truly tactile experience with a textured finish not only on the chassis, but also continuing on the inside. To offer more choice to consumers, two design variations will be available for the Satellite U500: one features elegant chrome rim details, plus a keyboard that can optionally be illuminated. The other version offers a more affordable design with silver painted rims and without the illuminated keyboard.

Satellite U500 – full performance, yet ultra portable

Despite being a fully featured, high-performance laptop, from its characterful design to the compact and light-weight form factor, every aspect of the Satellite U500 has been crafted with portability in mind. With a weight that starts at 2.15 kg, basic measurements of 317 mm x 230.6 mm and a height of 29.5 mm at the front and 38.2 mm at the back, the Satellite U500 ensures high mobility. Battery life of up to 215 minutes lets consumers enjoy freedom from AC power outlets while they work and play. To protect data in case of a drop or shocks, the Satellite U500 has a 3D impact sensor integrated which removes the writing head within a fraction of a second.



No compromise with usability

Though the Satellite U500 comes in a very compact form factor, Toshiba has not compromised on usability. The Touch Pad with Multi-Touch Control1 facilitates scrolling and other often used operational functions. Toshiba ConfigFree™ simplifies network configuration and online access while the PC Health Monitor gives a quick overview of the essential components of the laptop’s health, like temperature and battery status. The software also alerts the user with pre-failure conditions via a specific graphical user interface. Eight feather touch buttons give direct access to audio/video functions and also to Toshiba’s Eco utility, which makes the reduction of power consumption easy and visible.

The right power for the job

The 13.3" WXGA Toshiba TruBrite® display has an aspect ratio of 16:10, a resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels and a luminance of 250 cd/m². The Satellite U500 is powered by Intel CPUs up to Core 2 Duo and provides up to 8 GB DDR memory. The hard disk drive offers a capacity up to 500 GB. On top of all that the Satellite U500 features an ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4570 GPU with up to 512MB DDR3 VRAM for advanced graphics performance.

To connect with other devices the laptop provides various interfaces: Bluetooth® 2.1 with EDR, a 5-in-1 Bridge Media slot, HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface), two USB 2.0 ports and an additional eSATA/USB combo port which supports Sleep-and-Charge to charge devices via USB even while the laptop is switched off. A DVD Super Multi (Dual Layer) drive including a stylish slot load option is also incorporated. The Satellite U500 offers a HD web camera and supports Toshiba’s Face Recognition software to speed up logging-in to password protected applications. For online access the Satellite U500 has wireless LAN and Gigabit LAN onboard.

As a responsible global corporate citizen, Toshiba ensures that all laptops are RoHS-compliant, effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances. Additionally the Toshiba Eco utility2 and PC Health Monitor help to reduce power consumption. The new Toshiba Satellite U500 is ENERGY STAR® 5.0 ready (certification in process).



About Toshiba

Toshiba is a world leader and innovator in pioneering high technology, a diversified manufacturer and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products spanning information & communications systems; digital consumer products; electronic devices and components; power systems, including nuclear energy; industrial and social infrastructure systems; and home appliances.

Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 730 companies, with 199,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing US$67 billion. Visit Toshiba’s web site at www.toshiba/europe.com

1 - The Touch Pad with gesture support (multi-touch) provides an innovative alternative to conventional scrolling and buttons. It features pinch gesture to zoom in or out, Circular Scrolling for smooth scrolling, inertial motion for smooth, fast, trackball-like cursor motion.
2 - The Eco utility allows the user to work in the Eco Power Plan in a simple and easy way. When the Eco mode is on, the system works according to Eco mode parameter and when the Eco mode is off, the system works according to the power plan. By opening the Eco utility Graphical User Interface (GUI), the user can see the real time system power consumption and experiences the difference of power consumption between the Eco Power Plan and the previous Power Plan.
3 - Configuration depending on local specification.