Toshiba has announced it is now taking pre-orders for its lineup of Windows 8-based PCs and, much like Samsung announced earlier this week, people who buy PCs from Toshiba will be able to get a program that will serve as an alternative to the Start screen for the "Modern" user interface.
Unlike Samsung, which will provide its S Launcher software as an optional download for its Windows 8 products, Toshiba says it will pre-install what it calls the Toshiba Desktop Assist program on all of its Windows 8 products. Toshiba says it is " ... a utility designed to give users easy access to their programs, control panel, as well as files and folders, similar to the Start Menu in previous versions of Windows."
Toshiba also announced its Windows 8 PCs will have three other Windows 8 based apps installed on their new PCs. The company said of the apps.
Toshiba Central provides easy access to the user guide, support information, how-to videos and more. Toshiba Book Place is an e-book reader and marketplace with access to millions of titles. Toshiba News Place provides an easily accessible and graphical news aggregator.
The company has a boatload of Windows 8 PCs already available for pre-order, including all-in-one PCs, many laptops and the Toshiba Satellite U925T notebook-tablet hybrid, shown above. All of them are available for shipment on the Windows 8 launch date of October 26th.
Source: Toshiba press release | Image via Toshiba