Toshiba ups solid state drive laptop ante for a price

Toshiba U.S. unit said that it has loaded a Portege laptop with a second-generation 512GB solid state drive (SSD) in what it claims is a first in the notebook market. However, it'll cost you. 

The Portege R600-ST4203 carries the 512GB solid state drive. In the last two years, Toshiba has increased solid state drive capacity from 32 GB to 512 GB. Toshiba announced the R600-ST4203 and two  laptops for the Japanese market.

Solid-state drives are appealing because they boot faster, run applications quicker and reduce noise and power consumption. 

But there's a catch. Toshiba said its Portege R600-ST4203 will be available in June and only sold direct. And the real kicker: The laptop will run you $3,499.99. Innovation has its price, but given the rise of the netbook the Portege R600-ST4203 isn't likely to find a lot of buyers.