Toshiba America launched yesterday an avalanche of notebooks, which target 8 different segments, the Qosmio multimedia line being la "piece de resistance".

The Qosmio system is available in two versions, the low-end one being priced at $1,999, and the high-end one with a price tag a little bit harder to swallow: $2,999. With Qosmio, Toshiba wants to penetrate the market of multimedia mobile market.

Both Qosmio models are fitted with supports for improved stability and a volume button placed on the lid. Users will be able to watch TV shows, movies and play CDs without having to initialize Windows XP.

Still, Qosmio is having some trouble understanding the word mobility, the high-end model weighing 5Kg and the low-end model 4Kg.

The $3,000 Qosmio includes a Pentium M 760 processor, 1GB of DDR2 memory, a 120GB hard-disk and a multi-format DVD-writer. For the video part, the producer has employed GeForce6 Go 6600 card and a 17 inch LCD. The $2,000 version includes a less powerful Pentium M processor, a hard disk with a smaller capacity and a 15.4 display.