Toshiba Portégé R500 gets another wireless option

There is a steady stream of new, Windows-based, ultra-portable notebooks making the rounds these days. Fujitsu launched its 2.2 pound LifeBook P1620 on Friday and Lenovo's 13.3", 2.5 pound X300 was also leaked to the web.

Toshiba is now throwing its weight behind the idea of lightweight notebooks with a 3G update to its Portégé R500 notebook. Toshiba also claims that its R500 is the thinnest and lightest notebook on the market: it is just 25.5mm thick and weighs only 1.7 pounds.

The addition of HSDPA support makes the R500 a worthwhile companion to any mobile warrior. The notebook is available in two versions: The R500-11J and the R500-11I.

Both notebooks feature a 1.2Ghz Intel ULV Core 2 Duo U7600 processor, Intel 945GMS Express chipset, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, 12.1" (1280x800) LED-backlit display, 2GB of DDR2 memory, GbE, 802.11a/g/n, and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR.

The two differ in storage options and weight. The 1.7 pound R500-11J comes equipped with a 64GB solid-state disk (SSD) and no optical drive. The 2.2 pound R500-11I uses a traditional 120GB, 5400 RPM HDD and an ultra-slim Super-Multi DVD burner.

Those willing to take a look at the Portégé R500 Series will have to fork over some big bucks if they decide to take the plunge. The R500-11I will retail for an estimated $3,000 USD. Stepping up to the R500-11J with the 64GB SSD will boost the price to $3,658 USD.

Source from DailyTech