Talk To Toshiba: Are They Your Go-To OEM?

Toshiba has been in the Tablet PC space from the very beginning, coming to market with the Portege 3500 in November 2002, quickly updating it to the M200 / M205. Since that time, they have introduced various configurations and form factors, targeted at the consumer and the business person. Their current Tablet PC offering is the M700, introduced late last year, and the R400, introduced in January 2007.

In my opinion, because Toshiba was a major player in the space from the very beginning, they have been well positioned to tablet-enable their entire line of laptops, but have chosen not to. Instead of taking Tablet broad, they have chosen to keep it as a single option amongst their entire line. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why their ultra-light R500 has never been converted into a Tablet PC – it begs for it.

I used to be a very happy Toshiba customer and seriously considered the M700 when it was announced. It is a powerhouse of a unit and would make any power-hungry user happy. For the money, the M700 is also one of the better buys out there compared to their competition. However, the bulk and weight of the unit ultimately turned me off, opting instead of thin and light.

What specific things is Toshiba doing right? If you used to be a Toshiba customer, but have since switched, what were the tipping points? What could Toshiba do to make their solutions more mobile friendly? If you had the opportunity to sit down with their product designers, what would you want to talk with them about? What have been your experiences with their customer service and warranty departments?