Toshiba has expanded its line of small hard drives with several 1.8-inch offerings featuring capacities up to 320GB. The MKxx33GSG series is available in 160GB, 250GB, and 320GB sizes, each based on dual-platter configuration. The drives feature a 16MB cache buffer, 5,400RPM spindle speed and transfer rates of up to 830Mb/s.
Toshiba released updated Satellite Pro, Tecra and Portégé business notebooks on Tuesday to get its work PCs onboard with Windows 7. The Satellite Pro line features new screen sizes, including traditional 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch displays as well as a 13.3-inch touchscreen. Most of these business-oriented notebooks will ship with Windows XP Professional and Windows 7 Professional on separate DVDs so businesses can upgrade whenever they are ready. The new Satellite Pro U500 Touch has a multi-touch display and ships with Toshiba's touch-ready productivity software, LifeSpace.
The specifications for Acer's upcoming Liquid smarpthone have been revealed at a conference in France, Revioo reported on Monday. Despite an earlier report, the phone's Qualcomm SnapDragon processor will not be rated at its full, 1GHz clock speed but instead be limited to 768MHz.
A series of tests have revealed that even newer Windows 7 PCs are being bogged down by unnecessary software that makes them run much more slowly than Macs. Comparing factory versions of several notebooks versus clean models, PC Pro finds that Acer and Sony systems take about two whole minutes more to boot because of the "crapware," or third-party utilities and trial apps, preloaded out of the box. They also consume roughly 1GB more extra active RAM and also rob the system of as much as 2.4GB of space in Acer's case.
The Windows PCs at Microsoft's first retail stores are deliberately purged of the third-party apps they would normally carry, employees and eyewitnesses have confirmed. Product Advisor Jared Marino explains these systems, regardless of the brand, are considered Signature PCs and won't include any unnecessary third-party software. In exchange, they come preloaded with the normally optional Windows Live Essentials pack as well as extras like Bing 3D Maps, Security Essentials and the Zune client.
Hitachi and Toshiba's optical drive divisions have also been implicated in a US Department of Justice investigation regarding possible antitrust abuse, according to another Monday WSJ report. As with Sony, not many other details were revealed, and executives at both Hitachi and Toshiba say they will fully cooperate with the investigations. Hitachi's optical drive business is a joint venture with LG, with Hitachi owning 51 percent of the operation, while Toshiba has the same split with Samsung.
Of a recent wave of computer builders entering the smartphone space, only Apple is likely to have more than a small stake the market, Gartner research estimates today. The analyst group believes that "all" major PC firms will have signaled their intentions to build smartphones by the end of 2009 but that none of these will have more than two percent outside of the iPhone maker, even by 2012. Instead, most of the non-Apple growth will be left to traditional phone designers.
Toshiba UK on Friday launched four new business notebooks in its Satellite Pro series, all preloaded with Windows 7 Professional. The additions include the 13.3-inch U500, the 15.6-inch L500, the 17.3-inch L550, 15.6-inch L450 and the same-sized L450D. Each includes Toshiba's LifeSpace application suite just for Windows 7-powered Toshiba notebooks, which helps users to organize their appointments and help them find up to 5,000 recently accessed files visually.
Toshiba on Thursday introduced the first portable fuel cell meant to recharge portable electronics devices using methanol. The Dynaro Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) allows users to recharge nearly any portable device, and uses ambient oxygen and the methanol from cartridges to produce electricity from a chemical reaction between the two. The generated electricity then travels to connected devices through a USB cable.
Dell's computer shipments have continued a steep decline, as competitors including Acer, Toshiba and Apple have gained market share. The latest data from research firm Gartner appears to corroborate many points from an earlier report issued from IDC.
Apple has successfully recaptured its fourth place spot in US computer market share, according to early estimates from IDC. The Mac creator had slipped in spring but should now have bounced back to claim 9.4 percent of shipments, or about 1.64 million Macs. The number is a rapid 35.2 percent growth in what it had shipped one season earlier and is a rare example of a sharp year-over-year growth in the current climate, as it represents an 11.8 percent boost over Apple's share a year ago, in summer 2008.
Toshiba on Wednesday updated its notebooks with Windows 7 and a rare promise among Windows PC makers. The company promises that all of its systems running the new OS, including its touchscreen models, will go without any icons on the desktop except for the default Recycle Bin. System performance should get a boost as the PCs will run as little software in the background as possible, in many cases only running anti-virus tools.
Toshiba this morning refreshed its notebook line for Windows 7 but centered its attention on its first two touchscreen models. The Satellite M505 Touch and U505 Touch both have multi-touch displays both to use Windows 7's more touch-aware interface as well as Toshiba's own custom touch apps. A bulletin board app provides a space for calendars, notes and photos, and a ReelTime app provides a visual file search that uses a thumbnail timeline to find content by when it was created or changed.
Intel today says it recorded one of the best fiscal quarters in its history and owed it almost exclusively to notebooks. The chip maker generated $9.4 billion in revenue during the summer, an eight percent drop from a year earlier but a sharp 17.5 percent jump from this spring. The surge is the best the company has seen in the past 30 years, Intel says.
Toshiba is showing off what appear to be nearly production-ready versions of its future touchscreen smartphones at the CEATEC show in Japan, according to a recent WMPowerUSer report. The company first talked about the devices earlier this year, but this is the first time production ready devices were spotted, suggesting they are nearing release, as promised.
Toshiba took the lead at Japan's CEATEC show by unveiling its most advanced TV to date. The Cell Regza 55X1 uses a variant of the same Cell processor found in the PlayStation 3 and can handle tasks that were previously difficult or impossible in regular sets: it can record up to eight simultaneous digital over-the-air TV shows at once using a special DVR box and will even display those images simultaneously. Image correction also moves up with self-congruency adjustment at the edge of the display, better color balance and sharper upscaling for DVDs and other sub-HD video.
Adobe at its MAX show launched Flash 10.1, a major update to its plugin that promises video on devices that normally haven't been capable. The release adds hardware graphics acceleration on computers and should make HD Flash video possible on netbooks and ultraportables and standard definition possible on smartphones. NVIDIA already promises that its GeForce, Ion and Tegra chipsets will speed up the Flash update when available.
Korea-based C-motech has shown off a new mobile Internet device (MID), the Mangrove. Unlike conventional MIDs, the 7-inch device uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and Windows Mobile 6.5. The Mangrove should be quick as it centers on Qualcomm's Snapdragon CPU, which also powers smartphones like Toshiba's TG01. In this case it builds both 3G and CDMA into the chipset to give the MID data without needing a separate chipset.
Toshiba this morning made its second-ever Windows 7 notebook its first system ever to use Intel's CULV platform. The Satellite T100 series is aimed at the space just above netbooks with the added processor speed but also larger screens and thinner designs; at its smallest, the line is less than an inch thick and weighs just under 3.5 pounds. Every model is said to get as much as nine hours of battery life out of its built-in six-cell pack.
Quickly following the UK release, Toshiba has brought out an American version of the Qosmio X500. The 18.4-inch desktop replacement notebook is the PC builder's first to use a Core i7 processor and revolves around the 1.6GHz quad-core chip's added power for games and movies. It similarly comes with a 1GB GeForce GTS 250M for video. The 1080p display is stock, though for the US release Toshiba notes that not every model will have a Blu-ray drive.
Intel at its second Developer Forum keynote officially unveiled its first Core i7 processors for notebooks. Once codenamed Clarksfield, the quad-core processors share the same Nehalem architecture and 45 nanometer process as the desktop part but are designed to consume much less power, although more at peak than the Core 2 Quad. The top-end Core i7 Extreme consumes 55W where regular quad Core i7 mobile chips will use 45W.
Toshiba UK on Wednesday announced it has added a new flagship gaming notebook, the 18.4-inch Qosmio X500. The system is just the second notebook driven by Intel's mobile Core i7 CPU, which normally runs at 1.6GHz but can operate at 2.8GHz when in Turbo Boost mode. Toshiba also regards it as a media system beyond the processor and gives it both a 1080p display as well as a Blu-ray burner and HDMI-CEC support for remote control from other peripherals.
More than 15 phone manufacturers will release over 30 new smartphones running on Microsoft's upcoming Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system before the end of 2009, the copmany's GCR Mobile Team Unit senior director Benjamin Tan said recently. Tan was speaking to a group of reports at the time, according to a Wednesday Digitimes report. Among the phone manufacturers slated to introduce models are HTC, Acer, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and HP.
Toshiba and SanDisk will produce 20nm-class NAND flash memory at their joint-venture facility in Yokkaichi, Japan in the second half of 2010, DigiTimes reported on Monday, citing industry sources. The facility will scale up production to about 200,000 wafers per month as a result. Toshiba used the factory to build 3-bit per cell (3bpc) 32nm memory, which were expected to account for 50 percent of capacity by the end of 2009, but the schedule was delayed.
Toshiba took advantage of Intel's upcoming Developer Forum to launch some of the smallest full-speed solid-state drives in the industry. Both 30GB and 62GB drives are made using 32 nanometer memory and come in the new low-profile mini SATA (mSATA) format and promise the better traits of SSDs in a smaller space. The new storage is a seventh the size of a 2.5-inch notebook SSD but still reads data at up to 180MB per second and writes at 70MB per second, both figures that put it on par with larger drives.
Toshiba on Thursday began shipping a new version of the dynadock U as its first wireless docking station for notebooks. The device uses an ultra wideband link to connect as many as six USB devices at once but also has enough bandwidth for Ethernet, wireless audio and video: it can put out up to a 1920x1200 image on a secondary DVI or VGA display and 7.1-channel audio through speakers attached to the dock. Sound also works in both directions and will let webcams send audio over the wireless link.
Toshiba has debuted a new line of hard drives, the MK5056GSY series, that expands the company's notebook offerings to included a 7200RPM model with 500GB capacity. The drives are claimed to transfer data at 1,255Mb/s, a 23 percent improvement over the earlier versions.
Archos in the same presentation that unveiled the Archos 5 has also confirmed that the company plans to enter the smartphone market with a high-end media phone. The tentatively-titled Phone Tablet is aimed at the same high performance, full touchscreen category as handsets like the iPhone 3GS or Toshiba TG01 and would be tailored to match. It should have a slightly smaller screen than the Archos 5 at a still-large 4.3 inches but a higher 854x480 resolution and a 1GHz ARM Cortex processor, both of which would put it above competing phones today.
Apple's new iPods and other flash-based devices have sparked an industry-wide shortage in the NAND memory they use, unofficial industry contacts claimed today. Samsung, one of Apple's primary suppliers, is claimed by DigiTimes as having cut its supply of flash memory to Taiwan companies in half. Other companies are faring worse, as Hynix and Toshiba have only promised "limited supply" while Micron has simply said it has no spare supplies at all.
Toshiba has recently unveiled a new lineup of portable hard drives for portable consumer electronic devices, all based on a 1.8-inch form factor and up to 160GB in capacity. All MKxx34GAL units use a single platter that is less than a fifth of an inch (5mm) high, making them suitable for portable media players, digital video cameras and other portable electronics. Toshiba touts its new drives as offering the highest storage capacity, best power efficiency, most durability and quietest seek operation.
At the currently ongoing IFA show, Toshiba's Business Manager of digital products and services, Graeme Simons, told T3 staff that the company is working on its own e-book reader and it should be out on the market by mid 2010. According to the Friday report, Simons said two models are being considered, including a 7-inch and 9-inch version, although the cost of the 9-inch model needs to be evaluated before its production status is confirmed.
Toshiba picked IFA to make its first real entrance into Blu-ray following last year's exit from HD DVD with both its first dedicated movie player and a notebook to match. The BDX2000 catches up with full BD-Live support for movies with Internet features on an Ethernet connection and an SD card slot for playing the user's own content, including H.264 (AVCHD) videos. A flip-down front door is rare in the breed and keeps the design uncluttered either mid-movie or when it's not in use.
Toshiba produced a surprise at IFA today with word of a touchscreen media tablet of its own. The Journe Touch is treated as a high-end mobile Internet device (MID) with an emphasis on video playback: the device can play HD video either at a reduced resolution on its 800x480 display or at full resolution through an HDMI output. Its Wi-Fi is used that way as well, as web browsing is considered secondary to streaming Internet video from YouTube or the movie service Acetrax.
Toshiba recently added a new, 640GB capacity model to its Portable External Drive range. The drive weighs just six ounces, adding to its portability. Users also don't need to carry around AC power supplies, as the device gets its power and transfers data over a USB 2.0 connection. There is an 8MB buffer, and users can create password-protected folders on the drive.
Becoming one of the few to cross the 500GB milestone, Toshiba late on Tuesday added a 640GB drive to its notebook-sized GSX hard drives. With two platters to make up its entire storage, the 5,400RPM disk is thin enough at 9.5mm tall to fit in thin-and-light notebooks and also gets incidental boosts from the increased density. Toshiba claims that it's faster, with "significant" speed-ups through the reduced amount of time finding data, and that it consumes 28 percent less power compared to earlier models.
Microsoft today committed to a ship date for Windows Mobile 6.5, its last significant update to the current generation of its smartphone OS. The first devices to use the new platform should reach shops on October 6th. It's not said which evices will be the first, but HP, HTC, LG, Samsung and unusually Toshiba will be the first to have 6.5-equipped smartphones in North America. AT&T, Sprint and Verizon will be the first in the US, while Bell and Telus should do the same in Canada.
The successor to Toshiba's 1GHz TG01, the TG02, has once again made the news, with a certification document (PDF) from the Wi-Fi Alliance website. While many details aren't available, it's believed the TG02 will retain the TG01's touchscreen candybar form factor, as revealed by leaked photos earlier this year. These also had it keeping the same 4.1-inch touchscreen, 3G, GPS and Wi-Fi of the older phone but with Windows Mobile 6.5.
Taiwan-based MSI may launch ultra-thin notebooks with AMD's Yukon platform for Athlon Neo processors as early as October, say industry sources. Digitimes reported on Friday that the PC maker has finished its testing of the notebooks but has not yet decided on a launch date as other PCs equipped with the Yukon platform, possibly including the HP Pavilion dv2, are not selling so well. The AMD processor is meant to compete with Intel's CULV range of CPUs and results in ultraportables that are costlier than netbooks but much less expensive than traditional systems.
Toshiba started the week by revealing that it hopes to join the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA). The company explained the move as a reaction to "recent growth" in the amount of hardware supporting Blu-ray along with high-enough demand from the public itself. If accepted, the Japanese firm plans to make both Blu-ray movie players, drives for computers and notebooks themselves using the large-capacity format.
Apple has maintained a decisive lead in technical support rankings for 2009, according to a new Laptop study. Of ten major companies tested, only Apple managed an "A" grade for its help, earning it across both its ability to solve problems on calls and online; it also kept hold times to under five minutes and located its support only in North America. The company is further helped by having a dedicated retail network that can address questions in person, the magazine adds.
Apple's voracious use of NAND flash memory for iPhones could be the key spark in the entire industry over the next few years, iSuppli said today in a new study. The smartphone's existence is estimated to help multiply revenue in the business by 5.6 times from its 2008 numbers to $932.5 million by 2013. Much of this comes from Apple's insistence on stepping up the amount of memory with each upgrade. By pushing the capacity of the iPhone up by four from 8GB to 32GB, the company not only demands more memory itself but is indirectly pushing up the amount of memory others need to carry to remain competitive.
Toshiba at mid-day said it was shipping its first solid-state drives based on a smaller, denser 43 nanometer manufacturing process. These early examples are going directly to computer builders and should give them both added capacity and speed. In 2.5-inch form, drives now come up to 512GB in capacity and move data at read speeds up to 230MB per second and writes up to 180MB per second; 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities are also available.
Toshiba this morning broke ground with its first storage card using the new SDXC standard. The 64GB card is both the largest SD card of any type but also offers performance closer to a CF card: it's the fastest SD card at write speeds of 35MB per second and read speeds of 60MB per second. Such speeds render the card fast enough for continuous still shooting with a DSLR or HD video capture, especially when offloading footage to a computer.
Sharp and Sony on Thursday announced they have entered into a joint venture agreement related to the production and sales of large LCD panels and modules. Sharp's under-construction LCD production plant in Sakai City, Japan was transferred to Sharp Display Products Corporation (SDP) on July 1st, with opening scheduled for October. On December 29th, Sony will invest 10 billion yen ($105 million) into SDP for shares, which will be the first step towards reaching the final 66% Sharp, 34% percent Sony split. This initial investment will make SDP a joint venture company of Sony as well as Sharp.
Normally known for its notebook-sized external disks, Toshiba this afternoon leapt into full-size drives with its External HDD line. The new entries try to be more attractive than the typical drive with a rounded, black-and-chrome look that lines up with the look of most computers, including its own. All drives have not only USB but eSATA for a particularly high-speed link on those computers that support the format.
Toshiba is said today to be expanding its flash memory production in a way that may hint at continued large orders from Apple. Although it will push its factories making NAND flash memory for handhelds to about 90 percent capacity in August, the electronics giant is still believed by DigiTimes to be warning most companies that its on-demand stock will be short, a typical sign that a major firm is snapping up most of the extra supply. Apple is considered the most likely candidate both through its usual high demand for flash memory as well as its $500 million deal to guarantee supply in the long term.
Toshiba recently announced it will soon offer an LCD HDTV meant to fit into a kitchen environment with the first product in its Stainless Steel series, the 18.5-inch 19LV612U (PDF). The 720p set sports a built-in, side-slot DVD player and ATSC/NTSC/QAM TV tuner. The DVD player is compatible with DiVX formats as well as MP3 and WMA playback. Users can connect their PCs or other outside sources thanks to an HDMI or VGA input.
GlobalFoundries on Friday began building a new factory dedicated to making more advanced processors. The Saratoga County, New York-based Fab 2 plant is due to be completely ready by 2012 and will make processors on processes current by the time the factory opens. Initial chips will be made using a 28 nanometer (nm) process and should shrink quickly to 22nm once its production is completely ready. The plant should be ready on a basic level by 2011 and could start its earliest production ahead of time.
With Toshiba conceding and announcing it will soon offer a Blu-ray drive of its own, there is newfound speculation of Microsoft offering a Blu-ray drive for its Xbox 360 gaming console. Now that Toshiba is involved, multiple sources claim to Fudzilla that Microsoft is investigating the possibility of such a drive once more. The software giant did offer an external HD DVD drive built by Toshiba but has so far refused to do the same for the winning format.
Walmart on Thursday announced it will offer a notebook for less than $300 on Sunday, with the 15.6-inch Compaq Presario CQ60-419WM. Part of Walmart's early back to school sale, the notebook is powered by a 2.1GHz AMD Sempron processor and otherwise offers 3GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive preloaded with Windows Vista and a DVD burner. There is Wi-Fi capability, and an NVIDIA GeForce 8200M chipset providers graphics processing. A six-cell battery is standard fare with the CQ60.
