14 DAY TRIAL // The first Quad Core HD processor notebook has been unveiled by Toshiba America Information Systems' Digital Products Division. The new mobile PC features a Cell-based chip said to be able to offer a "revolutionary high-definition, multimedia user experience". The name of the notebook is Qosmio G55-Q802, and it comes with an 18.4-inch TFT widescreen featuring a 1680x945 pixels native resolution.
The Qosmio G55-Q802 is equipped with a Quad Core HD co-processor with 4 SPEs (Synergistic Processor Elements) and 128MB of XDR memory. The Cell processor has been developed through a team work engaging Toshiba, Sony and IBM, and it is already featured by PLAYSTATION 3. The Quad Core HD co-processor offers features such as:
- Upconvert/Upconversion - upscaling standard-definition video files to 720p high-definition in real time. - Transcoding - up to ten times faster ranscoding video between high-definition formats or converting high-definition video into standard definition for burning to DVD - Video Indexing - video clips are categorized based on an individual's face that appears in a scene. Scenes can be easily accessed through this feature, without having to cycle through the entire mass of videos again. - Gesture Control - this feature, coupled with the use of Qosmio's Webcam, the physical motions of a user, like hand gestures, can be used to control the play, pause, rewind or fast-forward functions of a movie, music player or of a slide show.
"In terms of the Qosmio laptop brand, innovation is the key ingredient," said Jeff Barney, vice president and general manager, Digital Products Division, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. "The addition of the Toshiba Quad Core HD Processor marks a watershed moment in the multimedia and HD segments. Qosmio G55-Q802 laptop PC users now have the power and ability to control and manipulate their personal content with unmatched precision and speed while also enjoying their full DVD collections at resolutions up to 1080i."
The starting price of the G55-Q802 is set at $1,549.99. The notebook will ship with Windows Vista Home Premium pre-installed. The featured components are a 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo T7350 CPU, 4GB of DDR2 memory, a GeForce 9600M GT graphics card with 512MB of dedicated memory, 500GB worth of storage space via two 250GB SATA hard drives and a DVD SuperMulti drive.