An Inside Look at How Toshiba’s KIRAbook Raises the Bar for Ultrabook Systems

Toshiba Kirabook i7 Touchscreen $2,000.00(Lowest Price) The Kirabook looks the part of a luxury laptop, and it’s the first Ultrabook to compete with Apple’s Retina lineup. But Toshiba made some disappointing decisions on the way to a $2000 price tag.

 



All Intel inspired Ultrabook™ systems offer slim designs, lightweight builds, productivity-boosting battery life, and so on. But with so much in common, some models end up getting lost in the crowd.  Toshiba engineered its KIRAbook to stand out. It’s slim and lightweight, yes, but goes beyond the Ultrabook basics by integrating state-of-the-art features in exciting new ways.

 

“KIRAbook is not about being first-to-market with new technologies,” says Carl Pinto, vice president of marketing, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. “Instead, it focuses on implementing these advanced technologies into the form factor in the best way possible.”



The KIRAbook features an Intel Core processor powering a damage-resistant Corning Concore Glass display with a 10-point multi-touch surface. Unlike many 13.3-inch Ultrabook systems, which keep screen resolution low and limit gesture capabilities to the touchpad, the KIRAbook employs a PixelPure touchscreen with a native 2,560 x 1,440-pixel resolution. With a pixel density of 221 pixels per inch, the razor-sharp screen excels at games, movies, photos, and other image-oriented activities. Indeed, for photo editing in particular, PixelPure allows for the kind of fine-detail work that would normally require a high-end desktop monitor.

 

“We color-calibrated each unit’s screen at the factory for optimal picture quality and a broad range of true-to-life colors, something no one else in the industry does,” notes Pinto. To help highlight the KIRAbook’s photo and video acumen, Toshiba bundles full versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 and Premiere Elements 11.



The KIRAbook incorporates several industry-leading design elements, including a magnesium-alloy lid and chassis, DTS Studio Sound-enhanced Harman Kardon speakers, and a roomy touchpad that supports all Windows 8 gestures, just like the screen.

 

The entire system weighs only 2.6 pounds, with a profile that’s a mere 0.7 inches. Despite these svelte specs, the KIRAbook packs a full-size HDMI output, three USB 3.0 ports (most Ultrabook systems have just two), and a backlit keyboard for easier typing in low-light environments. Intel® Wireless Display is on hand to allow wireless screen sharing with compatible TVs and projectors, and a 256GB solid-state drive allows for lightning-fast booting, shutdown, and overall performance.

 

Pinto sums it up thusly: “KIRAbook was designed to be the perfect union of elegant design, meticulous craftsmanship, and unparalleled performance—it is ultimately equipped with all the features and capabilities a user could ever need.”

Twitter: @sajilpl