In a move to edge away from the public’s perception of it as being solely a
notebook and appliance guru, Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. (TAIS)
looked to make waves in the wireless world Monday with the roll out of a new
suite of wireless installation services.
Dubbed Wi-Fi Installation by Toshiba, the play is part of Toshiba’s new
strategy to bolster service offerings in a market where many companies have
already staked a claim.
Rolling out under the tagline, “Go Wireless. Guaranteed.”, Wi-Fi
Installation includes site assessment, installment and deployment of
products and access points. Toshiba has also promised to offer promotions
such as discounted rates on installation and Toshiba hardware purchases.
In that promotion, Toshiba will offer consumers a site survey of their
business area, installation of one Toshiba Wireless LAN Access Point and up
to eight Toshiba Tecra 8200 or Satellite Pro 4600 notebooks.
The promotion also states that if
customers are not completely satisfied with their wireless computing
experience after 30 days, they can return the hardware for a refund.
Steve Andler a vice president of marketing at Toshiba, said the move was a
milestone to extend the firm’s presence beyond hardware.
“As a leader in the mobile movement, expanding our capabilities to include
installation services is a logical step to
ensuring our customers a smooth transition into the wireless millennium,”
Andler said.
With the announcement of its Wi-Fi installation services, Toshiba joined
wireless service provider YadaYada Monday as another company looking to find
its niche in the wireless Web albeit, through different means. While Toshiba
will still focus heavily on its ubiquitous appliances, YadaYada is a
wireless pure play that has just relaunched with greater emphasis on its
wireless service provisions.
True to form, Toshiba isn’t ignoring its products either. The company also
made three new notebook lines with different focuses available to the
public.
The most basic is Toshiba’s new Satellite 1700 family, which start at $1,199
and offer DVD-ROMs and TFT displays. The 1700 series is targeted for
students.
Next, in the middle of the road, Toshiba offered its Satellite 2805 series,
the highlight of which is its mobile graphics processing unit (GPU) that
seems to be ripe for streaming media as it gives users “extreme multimedia
capabilities.”
Priced from $1,799 to $2,749, this notebook was designed for gaming fans and
graphic artists.
Lastly, Toshiba unveiled its redesigned Satellite Pro 4600 series, which
boasts the firm’s brand new Wi-Fi installation capability and was created
for small and medium-sized businesses who want to treat their employees to
wireless computing. This suite ranges from $2,149 to $2,999.
