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Toshiba Readies Bevy of Laptops for Windows 7 Launch

Paul Lilly — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:00:33 -0500

If you think you're excited about the launch of Windows 7, you should check out Toshiba, who today announced a boatload of laptops ready for the OS's release.

Running the gamut from netbooks to full-blown desktop replacements, the lowest model in Toshiba's upcoming totem pole includes the 10.1-inch NB200 netbook series. For $400, you'll find a typical spec sheet consisting of an Intel Atom N280 processor, 1GB of DDR RAM a 160GB hard drive, and other decidedly netbookish specs.

Further up the pricing ladder is Toshiba's Satellite A500 series, which will sport a 16-inch HD screen. Underneath the hood, users will have a choice between an Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Turion II Ultra foundation. Pricing starts at $590.

Towards the top sits the Satellite P500 series. These laptops will come with an 18.4-inch HD screen and also give users a choice between an Intel or AMD processor. Some models will also include a Blu-ray player and illuminating LED backlit keyboard.

And then there's the Qosmio X500 desktop replacement laptop, which will be available in two configurations. One will come with an 18.4-inch HD screen, 320GB hard drive spinning at 7200RPM, and 4GB of memory, while the other will boast two hard drives and a 64GB SSD, along with 6GB of memory. Pricing will start at $1,450 and $1,900 respectively.

Toshiba has plenty of other models on tap for an October 22nd launch, and so will everyone else. Stay tuned!

Image Credit: Toshiba

Google's All-Seeing Eye Gets Bigger with New Satellite

Paul Lilly — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:00:38 -0500

Google caused a ruckus in privacy circles last year when the search giant struck a deal with satellite imagery company GeoEye to use high-res images from its GeoEye-1 satellite for Google Earth and Maps products, and the search giant is back in space again.

In a blog post, Google let it be known that DigitalGlobe launched its next-generation satellite named WorldView-2, and like GeoEye-1, Google plans to get images from it.

"To keep bringing you new, high-quality imagery in Google Earth & Google Maps, we work directly with several commercial satellite imaging providers," Google wrote. "Last week, our partner DigitalGlobe successfully launched their next generation satellite, WorldView-2, aboard Boeing Delta II 7920 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The successful launch of WV2 is another important step forward in making more high resolution, accurate, current imagery available."

Privacy advocates should note that the government regulates just how closely Google is allowed to peer, but just in case, here's how you can construct your own Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie.

Image Credit: horsesmouth.typepad.com

Toshiba Touts Power and "All-Day" Battery Life in New Slim Satellite T100 Series

Paul Lilly — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:15:57 -0500

In the mobile world, having your cake and eating it too means packing power and battery life into a lightweight laptop, and that's exactly what Toshiba claims to have done with its new Satellite T100 series.

Measuring just one inch thick and weighing in at 3.49 pounds, Toshiba says it didn't cut corners on its slim T100 series, which will be available in two screen sizes and various color options. The Satellite T135 will come with a 13.3 inch display and be offered in Nova Red, Nova Black, and Nova White, while the T115 sports an 11.6-inch display and offered in Nova Red and Nova Black.

On the hardware front, the T135 sports an Intel Pentium SU2700 processor, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and a 6-cell battery. The T115 drops the processor down an Intel Celeron 743 processor and maximum RAM to 4GB, while keeping most other components the same. Both systems come with Windows 7 and claim up to 9 hours of run time on a single charge.

Both models will be available starting October 22, 2009, with the T135 carrying an MSRP of $600 and the T115 selling for $450.

Image Credit: Toshiba

Toshiba Updates Qosmio and Satellite Laptop Lines

Pulkit Chandna — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:11:38 -0600

Toshiba has expanded its Qosmio and Satellite laptop families. Up first is the new Qosmio X305-Q725 that has been designed keeping the gamer in mind. The notebook has a 17-inch display and derives all its muscle from an Intel Core 2 Quad processor and its NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTX GPU. As for storage, it has a 64GB SSD. The design is unpalatable and nearly every sensible man can be expected to bristle at its very sight. The ugly Qosmio can be yours for $2,699.99 only.

Toshiba has also unveiled a 15-inch budget notebook under its Satellite sub-brand with a price tag of $549. The Satellite L305-S5921 is a no-frills notebook with a T3400 Pentium processor, 2GB of DDR2 SDRAM, a 160GB HDD and 128MB of Intel integrated graphics.

The Satellite E105-S1402 is the third notebook to have been launched. It has a 14-inch display, an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor, 320GB HDD, 4GB memory and 320GB HDD. It is available now for 1,199.

Lastly, Toshiba has also rolled out customized color lids for many of its Protégé family of notebooks.

Google’s GeoEye-1 Captures Its First Image, May Be Watching You

Alex Castle — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:15:05 -0500

It’s hard not to like Google Earth. It’s free, it’s fun, and now it’s about to get sharper than ever. The GeoEye-1, a commercial imaging satellite sponsored by Google and considered to be the world’s most accurate snapped its first photo on Wednesday, Wired reports.

The satellite takes photos at a maximum resolution of 41 centimeters, high enough—in other words—to spot your dog from space. Unfortunately for Google, the government places restrictions on the max resolution of commercial satellites, meaning that Google will only be allowed to use images with a resolution of 50 centimeters or worse.

And speaking of the government, although Google is the primary corporate sponsor of the GeoEye, the satellite’s number one customer is the US government’s National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Eager to avoid an unflattering label, Mark Brender, VP of communications and marketing at GeoEye, says “This is the opposite of a spy satellite. Spies don’t put info on the internet and sell imagery.”

So now Google’s armed with its own not-a-spy satellite. Are you concerned about your privacy, or just psyched for a higher-res Google Earth? Let us know after the break.

Toshiba Satellite P305-S8825

Gordon Mah Ung — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:00:00 -0500

Some days, we almost miss Toshiba’s signature battleship gray notebook PCs—the latest look for the company’s long-running Satellite series is just a bit too much. After a few hours of use, our Satellite P305-S8825 was covered with fingerprints. And that was with clean paws! If you like snacking on Pringles while surfing the web, this rig will look as hygienic as the sneeze guard at a Baskin-Robbins after a class of third-graders has visited.

Unfortunately, the P305 is a lot like Las Vegas: glitzy on the outside but a bit cheesy on the inside. Forexample, this rig doesn’t sport Intel’s latest Montevina parts (aka the Centrino 2, with a faster 1,066MHz FSB Penryn chip). That’s to be expected since Montevina’s been delayed—but at the very least give us the last generation of Penryn. Instead, we get the aged 65nm Core 2 Duo T5600 at 1.86GHz.

Still, the Satellite has some nice touches. Its 17-inch glossy screen is gorgeous and bright. The 320GB hard drive is ample, and the unit’s USB ports are active when the notebook is in standby, so you can charge your phone or MP3 player without having to leave the notebook powered up. The nicest feature, though, may be the price. The Satellite costs just under $1,000, which takes some of the sting out of its shortcomings.

But while you may marvel at the amount of hardware—albeit old—that $1,000 gets you, the P305’s performance will leave you wanting. When compared to our Asus C90s zero-point notebook, as well as all the midrange notebooks we reviewed in our August issue, the Satellite didn’t win a single benchmark.

In fact, compared to the other notebooks in its price range, the P305 takes a solid pounding thanks to the 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo T5600 chip and its 667MHz front-side bus. Only the Asus F8Sn from last month’s roundup, with its even slower 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo T5450, loses to the Toshiba—and only in some benchmarks. Gaming on this rig is also pretty atrocious given its ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470. The card is certainly magnitudes better than integrated graphics, but you won’t be running any recent titles at the screen’s native 1440x900 resolution with the eye candy turned up.

Desktop replacement notebooks tend to be big, to support their large screens, and the look and feel of the P305 betray every inch of its bulk. But since desktop replacements rarely leave the desk, that probably won’t be an issue—a good thing, too, since the battery life is nothing to brag about. During our rundown test, we were able to watch about 90 minutes of our DVD before the battery pooped out. That’s comparable to the life we got from our Asus C90s with its desktop CPU and the wickedly fast and power-hungry Alienware Area-51 m15x. What’s the P305’s excuse?

Watchdog: November 2007

The Maximum PC Staff — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 14:51:06 -0500

Sadie, watchdog of the month

Boo on Vista!

Apparently, the practice of swapping out Vista for XP on a new machine is quite widespread. The Dog has heard from numerous readers who wanted to chime in on Bob M.’s problem trying to get sound to work on his Toshiba notebook after rolling the OS from Vista back to XP (September 2007). Rich Deger said, “My colleague assured me she had Vista restore CDs, so I figured we had nothing to lose, as she hated Vista so much she had used the computer only once or twice in the four or so months she had it.” To get the sound to operate properly, Deger downloaded RealTek’s reference drivers and all is well.

Reader Randy Word said it’s not just audio that can be a problem when switching from Vista to XP. Although AMD claims the reference drivers available on its website support XP, Word still encountered issues with his AMD 200M-based Toshiba notebook PC. He explains, “When I tried to install the drivers, it said ‘operating system not supported.’” Word said trying to install XP on an Acer notebook was even more problematic.

Finally, Timothy Conard, a Deputy of Counter Intelligence for Geek Squad Precinct 175, said the problem may also be XP: “I would like to let your readers know that almost 100 percent of the time, the problem is with the High Definition Audio Bus package for Windows XP. It must be installed before you can install the modem or sound drivers on a Vista machine that was downgraded to XP. I personally perform the downgrade on a normal basis for customers who need WinXP on their new Vista computers. On Microsoft’s website, Knowledge Base article KB888111 can be accessed for more information on this patch. The problem is that Microsoft doesn’t make the KB888111 patch available on its website directly, you have to hunt for the Windows XP SP2 version of this file. Once the patch is installed, it will bring up the Audio Device on High Definition Audio Bus and Modem Device on High Definition Audio Bus in the device manager, where you can easily install the correct modem and sound drivers. Until KB888111 is installed, you simply cannot install the audio drivers.” Thanks, Tim. Woof.

Recall Alert!

Toshiba is recalling additional notebook PC batteries that may overheat and catch fire. The Sony-manufactured batteries were sold with some Satellite A100/A105 and Tecra A7 notebook PCs and had part numbers PA3451U-1BRS or PA3399U-2BRS. If you have one of the offending notebooks and the matching battery pack, go to http://tinyurl.com/29z39t and download the company’s BatteryCheck Utility to see if your cell is defective. You may also call Toshiba directly at 800-457-7777 to see if your battery is bad.

Toshiba is recommending that consumers remove the bad batteries immediately; however, the computers may still be safely used without the batteries while you wait for a replacement to arrive.

Speaking of Sony, the company is advising that certain Cyber-shot DSC-T5 cameras may inadvertently cut you when a portion of the metal coating peels away. The problem affects cameras with serial numbers between 3500001 and 3574100. Sony will provide free service to replace the part or reimburse consumers who have already paid for the repair. For more information, contact Sony support at 877-573-7669 or visit: http://tinyurl.com/23dh5u.

I can’t believe I’m not in the studio!

I, like many people in the music profession, have been amused by some of the recent Creative X-Fi marketing. The Xmod and other soundcards with the 24-bit Crystalizer supposedly make MP3s sound better than CDs to give you an experience that is “beyond studio quality.” That’s amazing. So, basically, if I buy these products, they will make my MP3s and CDs sound better than the mastered studio recordings? I’m confused.

—Mark

Your sarcasm sounds clearer than a 24-bit, 196KHz audio sample, Mark. To let Creative take a shot at answering your question, the Dog pinged a spokesman who said: “In the U.S., we’ve marketed the Xmod and other products as ‘making your MP3s sound better than CDs.’

This, of course, refers to the fact that CDs are 16 bit and the 24-bit Crystalizer provides outstanding audio playback for MP3 music. As you have pointed out, some of our global marketing materials have communicated the different message of ‘beyond studio quality.’ This is in reference to the CMSS-3D virtual surround sound. The Crystalizer takes it to 24-bit ‘studio quality’ and the CMSS-3D takes it ‘beyond.’ Thanks for the opportunity to explain this.”

In other words, if you viewed Creative’s marketing materials from a certain point of view, the company is technically correct. A CD will not give you the faux surround sound of CMSS-3D and most agree—Maximum PC included—that the Crystalizer actually makes many MP3s sound better. In fact, we gave the Xmod a verdict of 9 (June 2007).

But is it beyond studio quality? Unless you subscribe to Creative’s rather tortured definition, no way.

Got a bone to pick with a vendor? Been spiked by a fly-by-night operation? Sic the Dog on them by writing watchdog@maximumpc.com. The Dog promises to answer as many letters as possible, but only has four paws to work with.