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Toshiba to market Skype on its laptops

Skype announced today that its application will come preloaded on select Toshiba laptops.

Michelle Thatcher Former Senior Associate Editor, Laptops
Tech expert Michelle Thatcher grew up surrounded by gadgets and sustained by Tex-Mex cuisine. Life in two major cities--first Chicago, then San Francisco--broadened her culinary horizons beyond meat and cheese, and she's since enjoyed nearly a decade of wining, dining, and cooking up and down the California coast. Though her gadget lust remains, the practicalities of her small kitchen dictate that single-function geegaws never stay around for long.
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Michelle Thatcher

Late this afternoon Skype announced a deal that puts the Internet calling software on select laptop models across Toshiba's four notebook lines (Qosmio, Tecra, Satellite, and Portege). According to the release, the Skype software will come preloaded on Toshiba laptops that include a built-in Webcam; the marketing agreement also includes a Skype logo on the laptops' display bezel and a desktop icon that links to a cobranded Skype/Toshiba landing page. The deal initially applies to four of Toshiba's notebooks: the Satellite X205, Tecra M8, Qosmio F45, and the just-announced, AMD-based Satellite A215 series.

While we find it difficult to celebrate the appearance of yet another piece of software preloaded onto our new laptops, the deal is clearly a win-win for both companies. Skype gains exposure to Toshiba customers (and the friends they recruit to sign up) as well as to shoppers who see the Skype logo on Toshiba laptops in stores, while Toshiba gives its customers a way to immediately use the Webcams that come with their laptops.