Toshiba announces Windows 7 touchscreen laptops, netbooks

Gearing up for the Windows 7 launch, Toshiba on Wednesday has announced its new notebook and netbook lineup, including new touchscreen models.

Touchscreen capability comes on the new 13.3-in. Satellite U505 (pictured, above), which weighs 5 lbs., retails for $1,049 and will arrive on Nov. 1. Similiarly, the 14.4-in. Satellite M505 carries a price tag of $949 and a date of Oct. 22.

Both are loaded with the LifeSpace software package that includes Bulletin Board, an organizational tool, and ReelTime, a visual search aid.

Also announced were the following, with quick summaries and links:

• Satellite A500: 16-inch HD Edge-to-Edge display on select models, Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Turion II Ultra processor, discrete graphics options, optional Blu-ray, starts $589.99.
• Satellite L500: 14" to 17.3" displays, AMD Turion II and Athlon II processor, up to 500GB HDD, starting from $504.99 to $579.99.
• Satellite P500: 18.4-in. HD TruBrite display, Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Turion II processors, Blu-ray in some models, starts $799.99.
• Qosmio X505: 18.4-in. display, optional 64GB SSD/320GB HDD dual-drive configuration, $1,899.99.
• mini NB205: 10.1-in. netbook, nine-hour battery life, up to 250GB HDD, five colors (brown, white, blue, pink, black), starts $399.99.

Finally, Toshiba also announced sleep-and-resume functionality for the recently announced Satellite T100 ultrathin laptop.