High Tech Lounge » Toshiba

USB 3.0 and Windows cloud option for Toshiba Canvio drives

adina — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 19:18:38 +0000

Toshiba recently upgraded its Canvio drives by launching its third generation. Its 2.5-inch portable drive gets a speed upgrade since the drive now supports USB 3.0, which brings it up to speed with regular disks. Windows users who receive the upgraded Canvio drives also get NTI’s BackupNow EZ for content backup locally or to the cloud, involving specific folders and files.

Anti-shock drive parking and 256-bit encryption are also coming with the new drive. The drives can be formatted to be used with Macs, although regular Canvio drives would lose NTI’s app in this process.

Capacities of 1TB, 750GB and 500GB are now available for the two lines. The prices for the Basics drives are $130, $100 and $80 respectively and a $10 premium is applied to the NTI application on the regular Canvio.

Android 3.0 tablet of Toshiba to be delayed to summer

adina — Mon, 16 May 2011 16:57:01 +0000

The forthcoming Android 3.0 tablet of Toshiba presented at CES and scheduled to be delivered for shipping in June seems to have been delayed. Ken Chan, business notebooks chief of Toshiba UK, told RegHardware that the company’s 10-inch tablet would come during the summer. Chan did not give any reasons for this delay, even if pressed. He only claimed the tablet would arrive at the end of the summer.

Recent shortages of parts supply may have caused the delay, as they also affected other tablets, such as the iPad 2, Motorola’s Xoom or Eee Pad Transformer for example. Another possible reason could be the intention of Toshiba to equip its new tablet with the next generation of the NVIDIA Tegra processor. In this case it should wait for the release of the processor.

The hardware for the new, unnamed Toshiba tablet will be very similar to what other Android 3.0-based tablets have. It includes a 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, a 1,280×800 capacitive display and two cameras, a five-megapixel one on the rear side and a 0.2-megapixel one on the front of the device. Wi-Fi, USB, HDMI and a card slot for SD memory complete the features of the new tablet.

Satellite P700, 3D-capable notebooks from Toshiba

adina — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:48:28 +0000

Toshiba Europe has unveiled four new notebooks with 3D active shutter glasses technology. The Satellite P750 3D/P755 3D as well as the Satellite P770 3D/P775 3D are included in the series. The former notebooks use high-definition 15.6-inch displays. The latter have bigger panels at a size of 17.3 inches. They all have 120Hz refresh rates for their displays and will ship with two pairs of 3D active shutter glasses from NVIDIA.

The new notebooks are powered by Intel Core i3, Core i4 and Core i7 processors and have up to 8GB of RAM as well as 750GB of storage on a hard drive. SSDs of smaller capacity are equally optional. As a standard, they have a dual-layer DVD writer. A Blu-ray drive and burner is optional.

NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 540M in its 1GB or 2GB versions powers the notebooks’ graphic processing. Other features are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and Harman Kardon speakers.

Prices have not been unveiled yet, but the four notebooks are expected to ship in Europe, as well as in the Middle East and Africa this spring. A release for North America is supposed to be announced soon.

Toshiba Europe presents HDTVs and Toshiba Places

adina — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:44:52 +0000

Toshiba has presented its new HDTVs in Europe, together with its new content platform dedicated to connected notebooks and TVs. The Internet link provides access to Video on Demand services including Viewster, Woomi, Acetrax, Hit Entertainment, Boing, Boomerang, Box Office 365, and Cartoon Network. Social networking, music, application and services areas, or gaming can be accessed and explored by users. The launch of Toshiba Places is scheduled for late April.

As a leading hardware, the 55-inch 55ZL1 HDTV is the first to be equipped with a seven-core CEVO processor for image processing and with a Pro-LED512 panel allowing 512 zones of dimming for its 3,072 LEDs. A 1,080-pixel panel is used for the 3D TV, as well as a 500GB hard drive and a built-in camera. The device sports the PVR function and Personal-TV facial recognition that can detect which member of the family is watching TV and is able to adjust settings accordingly. The 3D TV will ship in Europe in May, but prices are not available.

Another device, the edge-lit LED VL863 HDTV, may be available this spring and would have two versions, a 47-inch model and a 42-inch one. Each of them ships with four pairs of passive 3D glasses for their FPR panels. They are Wi-Fi devices.

The UL863 series will arrive in four versions, 46-, 42-, 37- and 32-inch sizes and will sport Wi-Fi and Personal TV. They are expected to come in the spring too.

The SL863 series is supposed to come in the same sizes as the UL863 and is scheduled for May. Wi-Fi ready and DLNA-certified, they are LED-backlit 1,080-pixel panels.

Whether these TVs will arrive in the United States is not yet certain, but they usually have rough equivalents in the United States.

Sales under expectations for Toshiba’s glasses-free 3D TVs

adina — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 20:28:52 +0000

The president of Toshiba’s Visual Products Company, Masaaki Osumi, said a few days ago that Toshiba had sold only about half of what was expected to of the glasses-free 3D TVs in Japan. It has only sold 500 of the 20-inch TVs with prices of $2,490 in the first month and less than that of the 12-inch model which is less expensive. The company was expecting sales around 1,000 units of each model during this first month.

Osumi also said that Toshiba needs to propose larger sizes of the TV sets in order to be able to boost sales. There are certain technical challenges to be overcome before the company could offer larger TVs in the second half of 2011.

Toshiba uses a sheet in the TV screen to create the glasses-free 3D effect, which can angle images towards the eyes of the users. When sitting off to one side of the screen, mainly when this is a larger one, significantly diminishes the effect. Other glasses-free 3D displays, like the Nintendo 3DS, also have the same problem but have not received so many complaints because of the smaller size.

The Qosmio T750 from Toshiba with chameleonic lid color

adina — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 18:49:48 +0000

Toshiba claims a technology breakthrough with its first notebook that has a color-changing shell. The Qosmio T750 benefits from a technique developed by Touré Meihan, aka Picasus, capable of shifting the color, depending on the viewing angle, from blue to purple. It is similar to the effect produced by chameleon paint on cars but does not rely on metal and uses several polyester laminate layers instead, each of them having thousands of nano-sized layers in order to create a metallic and shimmering look.

Theoretically, the design is more eco-friendly as it does not use metal at all, but Toshiba did not say how recyclable the polyester will be. The glossy surface will be kept free of fingerprint marks thanks to an anti-smudge coating which is borrowed from other notebooks made by Toshiba.

The notebook is a mid-range computer with a 2.66GHz Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, a large 750GB disk drive, Sandy-Bridge-era integrated graphics from Intel and a 15.6-inch screen. There is a PlayStation 3-based SpursEngine built in which provides advanced video decoding and upscaling. It is meant to take the load off of the central processor.

The new Qosmio T750, like many Japanese electronics, does not have a fixed price. The notebook can be bought only by Japanese so far, although many Toshiba notebooks reach the United States relatively soon after their shipment in Japan.

New notebooks from Toshiba: Satellite and Qosmio

adina — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 21:15:47 +0000

Toshiba has presented a series of new notebooks added to its Qosmio and Satellite groups. One of the new notebooks based on the second-generation Core i5 processor from Intel, the Satellite E305 has a 14-inch display and a chiclet keyboard, which both integrate LED backlighting. The rear of the screen is protected by a cover in aluminum.

The notebook also has a USB 3.0 port, a WiMAX modem, wireless display technology from Intel, and a hybrid drive, which consists of a 500 GB disc and 4GB flash memory. Connecting an MP3 player is also possible for the users who want to listen the content through the notebook, even in the case it is powered down.

The Satellite series also include the A660, L650, and M640 notebooks. The A660 is a 15.6-inch device which combines NVIDIA discrete graphics with i3 or i5 processors. The L650 has a 15.6-inch display, 4GB of RAM, 640GB hard drive as well as a whole variety of colors. The M640 has a 14-inch display and a Core i5 processor.

Apart these midrange notebooks, the company has presented its Qosmio X505 dedicated to gaming and entertainment. It is built using the latest Core i5 and i7 processors as well as NVIDIA discrete graphics with 1.5GB of memory. It also has an 18.4-inch display which can show 3D content.

An important part of the new products will arrive on the market next month. However, the Satellite E305 will only come later this spring. A basic Satellite notebook starts at $685, but the X505 series is only available in packages which are priced at $1,299.

Toshiba presents its 32-inch Power TV with two-hour battery

adina — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 09:00:30 +0000

Toshiba has unveiled its PowerTV series, which are the first LED TVs incorporating an integrated battery that lasts for two hours of watching. According to the Japanese company, the device has been designed for developing countries where a reliable and uninterrupted power supply may be missing. Two models are available, the 24- and 32-inch devices.

In poor reception zones, signal coverage is strengthened by means of an auto signal booster which optimizes the quality of the image. Battery power is conserved thanks to an ambient light sensor which adjusts brightness when this is needed.

The 55ZL800, a 55-inch 3D LED range-topper was also announced. It has a multiprocessor CEVO Engine. Two new WL700 series of the ultra-thin LED TVs, including 46- and 55-inch versions are also expected soon.

First glasses-free 3D TV in the world launched by Toshiba

adina — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:35:23 +0000

Toshiba has said it would be the first company in the world to launch a glasses-free 3D TV. The event is scheduled for late December in Japan only. There will be two initial versions, the 12-inch 12LG1 and 20-inch 20LG1, both of them based on the parallax barrier effect found in the Nintendo 3DS. This approach requires viewers to sit in “sweet spots” but becomes more comfortable when talking about long periods and is also cheaper in the case of multiple viewers.

The 20LG1 is powered by a custom Cell processor which is similar to that of Sony’s PS3, co-developed by Toshiba, Sony and IBM. The 20-inch, 720-pixel, LED backlit display can also play 2D images. In order to get maximum effect, viewers have to sit back at 2.95 feet away from the display at least. A range of ports including HDMI, USB, CEC-capable and Ethernet is included.

The 12LG1 model is not powered by a Cell processor, since its lower resolution (466×350) does not need a similar level of processing power to get the same effect. For optimal viewing, users have to sit back at a distance of minimum 2.13 feet. The device is also equipped with LED backlighting and has similar ports. It can double as a photo frame and accepts SD cards with JPEG images loaded. The TV can tune in 1Seg over-the-air TV in Japan and the SD card can play AVCHD files too.

Pricing for the two models is set at the equivalent of $1,450 for the 12LG1 and $2,900 for the 20LG1. International availability and pricing has not been yet announced.

Toshiba to enter the tablet area with Folio 100

adina — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:18:30 +0000

After teasing the mobile tablet space for several months, Toshiba has confirmed the intention of launching its Folio 100. The tablet will have a ten-inch size and will run a significantly modified version of Android 2.2. It will also be one of its major devices equipped with NVIDIA’s Tegra 2, which is a powerful enough chip to process 1,080-pixel video over a mini HDMI output and at the same time provide the tablet with seven hours of battery life.

There are some changes compared to the default Android version, which mainly consist of DLNA media sharing as well as using Opera Mobile as its primary browser. Toshiba also follows other firms in bundling Flash 10.1. The device is rather behaving like a notebook with a full-size SD card slot to complete the 16GB of storage and a USB 2.0 port. Toshiba has adopted the same solution with a proprietary dock as did Apple for its iPad. In this case, it mainly supplies a cradle for video playing.

The tablet has normally 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 for wireless connection, but a Mobile Broadband edition would tote 3G. The Folio 100 will have Fring pre-installed, in order to make video chat available, and will sport a 1.3-megapixel webcam as a standard.

The Folio 100 will be available for British residents next month, at a price of £329 (equivalent of $506) after tax. Toshiba did not say if it would make the tablet available in the United States or when would this happen.

Being once one of the more devoted partners of Microsoft in the mobile space and still selling mainly Windows Mobile-based phones, Toshiba has recently broken away with Android plans and this happened particularly after the Windows tablet sales has been eclipsed by the iPad and, consequently, its Portege tablet sales have been minimized overnight. There could be some problems on the production side for Toshiba, as there are claims mentioning low shipping figures that could prevent the company to get the necessary reach.