Toshiba Unveils $119 Encore Mini, A Tablet That Runs Windows 8.1

Television maker Toshiba Corporation (OTC:TYO) pushed further into the tablet and affordable laptop industry this week with several new products priced to give the competition headaches.

The Encore Mini, a 7-inch tablet with a consumer-friendly price tag of $119, comes equipped with Windows 8.1, a high-end display and a gigabyte of memory. And a new Chromebook, the Satellite Radius 11, boasts a noticeably slimmer size and a resemblance to the MacBook Air.

The Toshiba Chromebook 2 comes in two versions, a basic model with a retail price of $249 with a 1366 x 768 display, 2GB of RAM, and a dual-core Celeron N2840 CPU, the company said. The upgraded model comes with a 1080 IPS display, 4GB of RAM and a much quicker Celeron N2840 CPU with an advertised speed of 2.16 GHz. Battery life ranges from nine hours to 11.5 hours.

The basic Chromebook 2 is priced at $249 and the higher-end model at $329. Both iterations go on sale on Oct. 5, with color options including Aqua, Charcoal and Rose.

Toshiba is touting the built-in Skull Candy speakers as one of the Chromebook 2’s most exciting features. Yet the price is meant to tempt customers who would otherwise buy Samsung Electronics Co.’s (KRX:005930) Chromebook 2, currently priced at $399.

The Encore Mini has been touted for delivering many features for a low price -- it comes with a 1024 x 600 display, 1 GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The ship date has been estimated at Sept. 17.

“Our hardware design is evolving alongside Chrome OS. The Toshiba Chromebook 2 has the right mix of features and performance to make it a standout device in the category,” said Philip Osako, a senior director of product marketing for Toshiba American Information Systems, as quoted by the technology site Beta News. “We designed our new Chromebooks for both the consumer and education markets, focusing on key experience-driving features that cross boundaries – a great screen, awesome audio and a stylish, thin and light design for greater possibility.”