The Tiny Satellite Conference, held last week in Logan Utah, is the premier conference for the small satellite technology community (Proceedings).

Their twenty-fifth conference attracted massive name speakers including Bruce Carlson, Director of the NRO, Robert Gold, MESSENGER Science Payload Manager for Johns Hopkins, and Robert Braun, Chief Technologist, NASA.

The CubeSat Project (list of satellites) was began by a partnership in between the California Polytechnique University in San Luis Obispo and Stanford University in Palo Alto. It has considering that grown to turn out to be an international partnership of more than 40 institutes that are creating picosatellites.

Cubesats are built by colleges and universities to discover concepts. The cost is low – about the cost of a new auto – acquiring them into space is the trick.

A regular CubeSat is a 10 cm cube with a mass of up to 1 kg, although two and three cube satellites have been built. Developers benefit from the sharing of data inside the community. Resources are normally shared between developers and by attending CubeSat workshops.

Technical sessions at the Tiny Satellite Conference included nanosatellite-based astronomy missions, FPGA-Based Processors for CubeSats, Compact Hyperspectrals, and little SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellites

Vulcan Wireless has flown a CubeSat radio data link, controlled by the Nexus 1 Android telephone. The user is able to send control messages from the ground to the space vehicle from an Android application.

Their CSR-SDR (CubeSatellite Software Defined Radio) (pdf) successfully flew into space on 5/4/2010 from Space Port America in New Mexico on an Up AeroSpace Spaceloft XL.

The University of Surrey has developed STRaND-1, an Android-powered nanosatellite that will be launched into orbit in early 2012. Surrey Satellite has built and launched 34 tiny satellites given that becoming founded in 1981.

With LTE-Advanced supporting affordable radio relays and Software program Defined Radio, the possibilities for tiny satellite swarms to do helpful work seem to be multiplying. Acquiring to space (inexpensively) is the difficult portion.

At the Oregon International Airshow this weekend I chatted with Dr. Doug Donkel of Premier Space Systems whose Nanolaunch Project hopes to make launching nanosats like Cubesat a lot less expensive and more responsive.

They work with Portland State Aerospace Society to integrate the control systems, electrical components, telemetry and camera systems.

Spath Engineering certifies the rocket motor by way of static testing, engineers the aircraft-rocket interface, and launch control technique.

Space Engineering Group – SPG, supplies the rocket motor and oversees the rocket operation. SPG is 1 of the world’s leaders in hybrid rocket propulsion field and has created a distinctive high overall performance hybrid rocket technology. The non-toxic, effortlessly handled fuel is produced from a substance similar to what is utilized in common candles – paraffine.

A Mig-21 jet takes the rocket and its payload into near space. It’s a far less costly way to go than one thing like Orbital Sciences Pegasus, slung under a Lockheed L-1011.

In other news, Seven medium to little satellites from four continents were launched into orbit Wednesday on best of a Dnepr rocket. Two spacecraft manufactured by Surrey Satellite for Nigeria were successfully contacted right after the launch by way of ground stations in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, according to SSTL. NigeriaSat 2 weighed roughly 600 pounds at launch, and will give high resolution maps of Nigerian territory.

The University of Rome’s EduSat microsatellite and two U.S.-built AprizeSat asset tracking satellites, each weighing about 25 pounds, also rode the Dnepr launcher into space Wednesday. ExactEarth will take ownership of the two AprizeSat spacecraft following profitable completion of in-orbit testing (pdf).

Space-based AIS is becoming a extremely competitive marketplace, with Orbcomm and Com Dev of Canada, via its exactEarth subsidiary, racing to put AIS capacity in orbit.

ORBCOMM was the 1st commercial satellite network with Automatic Identification Method, a shipboard system that transmits a vessel’s identification, position and heading. ORBCOMM utilizes their own low-Earth-orbit satellites to provide tracking, monitoring and messaging capabilities. With the failure of all six Fast Launch satellites, nevertheless, Orbcomm will not be able to resume AIS service until the next-generation satellites launch.

Orbcomm-1 satellites make up most of the existing Orbcomm constellation of about 35 minisatellites. Their next generation will incorporate AIS radios.

ExactEarth claims to be the world’s leading Satellite-based vessel monitoring service. They successfully launched two advanced AIS satellites this week to extend its exactAIS constellation and increase capacity of its global vessel monitoring service. Their COM DEV core technologies is said to enable ExactEarth to filter out all but a very particular VHF portion of the signals devoted to AIS. To attain global AIS coverage with a latency of about 10 minutes about 30 satellites are needed.

COM DEV has calculated that only 3 satellites are required to supply a six hour “revisit time”. According to CEO John Keating, “If you put 3 satellites in polar orbits that takes 100 minutes to total, 120 degrees apart from 1 one more, then [due to the earth’s rotation] you can see any point on earth within six hours – you may possibly be over the poles when each and every 30 minutes, but you are everywhere over the equator as soon as every six hours.”

ExactEarth AIS satellites pass over Norway’s Svalbard Earth Station each 90 to 100 minutes. AIS tracks vessel movements in near actual-time and updates each two minutes or so when near shore stations.

The International Space Station (ISS) represents an ideal platform for testing AIS receivers due to its orbit: its 400 km altitude is low sufficient to give a high probability of ship detection and it also passes across a lot of of the globe’s most densely populated shipping lanes. A tiny, polar-orbiting satellite, by contrast, can see all of the earth.

Norway’s NORAIS and Luxembourg’s LUXAIS have been utilised on the ISS. They had been connected to an AIS antenna constructed by the ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) community.

Related DailyWireless stories incorporate Orbcomm’s Space-based AIS Fails, Shipboard AIS Fused with Radar, Arctic Technologies, Amazon Cloud for Ocean Observatories, Tracking Roz, the Ocean Rower, Darkness for New Dawn Satellite? , Lightsquared Unfurled, Satellite with 328 ft Antenna to Launch , Geosync Spies, F.I.A. FUBAR, Advanced EHF – Wait for It, AEHF Satellite – Billion Dollar Brick?, U.S. Antisatellite Weapon to be Tested, Nuclear Powered Spacecraft, Zombie Satellite Out of Control, Satellites Collide

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Things are moving fast in mobile gaming right now. For the traditional laptop to stay relevant in these tablet-filled times, it has to offer something special to offset the decreased mobility compared to its touchscreen foe. The easiest area to exploit is raw power, specifically graphics. Fruit Ninja is all well and good on an Apple iPad 2, but what if you want to play the latest DirectX 11 games on the go?

Enter Toshiba’s Satellite P775-113. Under the bonnet, an Nvidia GT 540M handles the pixel pushing, which spells playable frame rates in graphically demanding DX11 titles. It’s the latest in a new breed of vaguely affordable gaming PCs making the most out of rapidly advancing mobile technology. And at this price point, things are starting to get crowded.

Medion’s Erazer X6811 has impressively powerful CPU and GPU chops at just £899, but suffers in the build quality stakes. The Alienware M11x offers similarly impressive gaming performance coupled with Alienware’s trademark excellent build quality, but corner cutting in storage and a lack of optical drive tarnishes the M11x’s appeal.

For the same money again, the HP Envy 14 packs AMD’s Radeon HD 5650 GPU but gets some laptop fundamentals such as screen quality and trackpad wrong. The Toshiba Satellite P755-113, then, enters a price point that’s certainly busy, but far from sewn up.

With that Nvidia GT 540M on board, the Toshiba Satellite P755-113 is one of the quickest gaming laptops available, but it doesn’t share that loud visual aesthetic with the Alienware M11x and many (too many?) gaming rigs out there. Visual design is reserved and sophisticated throughout the P755.

But make no mistake, Toshiba’s Satellite P755-113 is all about gaming. If you need further proof than the muscle-bound GPU and CPU, just check out Nvidia’s 3D Vision kit, integrated into the machine.

Handling processing duties inside the Toshiba Satellite P755-113 is an Intel Core i5 2410M. The second generation Intel Core chips have been causing quite a stir in the desktop world lately, and the processing chops that the new Sandy Bridge architecture is capable of is impressive in mobile computing too.

The Core i5 2410m runs at a rather weak 2.3GHz, however, over just two cores and two threads. The absence of Turbo Boost from the lower end CPUs such as this compounds the underwhelming performance from a £999 laptop.

The Toshiba Satellite P755-113 sports a formidable 6GB of RAM. That’s more than the Medion Erazer X6811, Alienware M11x or HP Envy 14 offer.

That might appear to show value for money, but when you consider that Medion’s X6811 packs an Intel Core i5 480M CPU running at 2.66GHz over 4 threads – for £100 less – it seems the specs have been wrongly prioritised. We’d rather see the CPU fighting fit with the bog standard 4GB of RAM than the Satellite P755-113′s configuration.

On the plus side, the extra memory will help in image manipulation and music production scenarios, or simply if you’re a heavy multitasker, affording the Toshiba Satellite P755-113 some versatility. As far as workstation duties go, the laptop’s more than qualified. A low end Sandy Bridge CPU is still more than capable of chewing through Office apps.

Let’s not beat around the bush. The Toshiba Satellite P755-113 isn’t a workstation machine. It’s about gaming. And boy does it handle this side of things with gusto. The Nvidia GT 540M is DirectX 11 capable and boasts a 1GB frame buffer. That means it won’t just play the latest games, it’ll play them at high detail settings and still manage perfectly playable frame rates.

It helps that the native resolution of the Toshiba Satellite P755-113′s 15.6-inch screen is a fairly small 1366 x 768. Smaller resolution means fewer pixels to render, and so faster frame rates. It’s not all good news though – 1080p high definition is off the menu, so games and videos won’t dazzle with crispness as they would on a 1920 x 1080 screen.

To be fair, though, the competition don’t outdo it at this price point. Alienware’s M11x [LINK], Medion’s Erazer X6811 and HP’s Envy 14 all run at 1366 x 768 natively as well. Such is the way with laptops of this size. The graphics card does offer an edge over those rivals, however. It’s the most powerful GPU of the lot, and that’s surely an enticing prospect for gamers.

3D Vision

The Nvidia bleeding edge tech doesn’t end there with Toshiba’s Satellite P755-113. Included in the price is the Nvidia 3D Vision kit. This breaks down as a set of hugely uncomfortable glasses and a built-in IR receiver above the screen which, used together, will enable you to enjoy games, films and photos in three glorious dimensions.

OK, there’s still an element of scepticism around 3D among tech enthusiasts, but if you want to buy into it, this is a handy package. Desktop systems require an external IR receiver, and that means one occupied USB slot, an extra device Windows needs drivers for, more cable clutter and so on. But with the Toshiba Satellite P755-113 it’s easy to jump straight into 3D. The glasses need to charge via a USB cable, but other than that it’s mess-free 3D. That inclusion makes the price tag look more reasonable too – none of the other circa-£999 laptops mentioned have 3D capability.

The Toshiba Satellite P755-113 has some glamorous features you wouldn’t expect from a laptop, but how does it deal with the fundamentals? HP’s Envy 14 fell foul with a poor trackpad, Medion’s Erazer X6811 feels flimsy and breakable, and while Alienware’s M11x offered solid battery life, a teeny HDD and lack of optical drive let it down.

Here in laptop 101 is where the Toshiba Satellite P755-113 loses its sheen too. For starters, battery life weighs in at a restrictive 2.5 hours. Running a game or resource-heavy app, expect that to drop down below 2 hours. That’s limiting to the P755-113′s mobility, so your dreams of playing WoW on four-hour train rides won’t come true with this laptop.

In the storage department too, an SSD would have been nice for this money, but the reality of a 750GB hard drive isn’t a disaster.

The weak Intel Core i5 2410M processing speed mentioned on the Specifications page is noticeable when using the Toshiba Satellite P755-113 in general desktop use, and reflected in a pedestrian CineBench score. Applications can be unresponsive, and when you examine the other rather beefy components inside the P755, the low-end CPU is both surprising and disappointing.

The keyboard’s nice and spacious and we can’t complain about the trackpad’s responsiveness, but the feel will divide users. Glossy is the word. If you have the money and you’re looking for a mobile games machine, the Toshiba Satellite P755-113 will do the job admirably. Just bear the short battery life in mind.

Benchmarks

Cinebench R11.5: 2.25 pts
3D Mark 03: 20656 3DMarks
Battery life: 150 minutes

There’s some great mobile technology being released by Intel, AMD and Nvidia right now. Intel’s Sandy Bridge CPU architecture suits the energy efficiency needs of mobile devices and brings serious processing chops to the table.

AMD and Nvidia have locked horns, as always, to produce the best mobile graphics solution, whether that’s integrated or off-die. It makes the £1,000 price point more competitive as ever. That’s exactly where Toshiba’s Satellite P755-113 falls. There’s stiff competition from Medion’s Erazer X6811, Alienware’s M11x and HP’s Envy 14. None of these laptops prove a no-brainer, however.

With some seriously powerful components under the bonnet, and Nvidia’s 3D vision thrown in and integrated to minimise fuss, the Toshiba Satellite P755-113 looks an attractive proposition.

We liked

The big selling point under the bonnet of the Toshiba Satellite P755-113 is the GPU – Nvidia’s GT 540M. It’s a DirectX 11-capable card with 1GB of memory, able to render any current game at high detail settings over the Satellite P755-113′s 15.6-inch screen.

Picking up some of the slack that the CPU leaves is the 6GB of RAM. Running music software or Photoshop will see the benefit of this wealth of memory.

Like 3D? Want to enjoy 3D on the go? Really? Well, you’ll probably be interested in the Nvidia 3D Vision kit included with the Toshiba Satellite P755-113. Unlike the desktop version of Nvidia’s headache-inducing, dimension-multiplying goggles, the IR receiver is integrated into the laptop itself, above the screen. That’s great for saving on sable clutter and minimises driver issues. For £999, it’s a nice inclusion.

We disliked

There are drawbacks to the Toshiba Satellite P755-113. The biggie is battery life – at just two and a half hours, it’s restrictive to your mobility. Running games, it’s below two hours. An SSD drive can really boost system performance so we’re a bit disappointed to find only old-fashioned hard drive storage here, 750GB of it to be exact.

Beneath the keyboard, an Intel Core i5 2410M occupies the CPU slot. Part of the Sandy Bridge family, it’s architecturally impressive but a bit of a letdown performance-wise, operating at 2.3GHz with just two cores and two threads and no Turbo Boost available.

The Toshiba Satellite P755-113 may boast relatively quick frame rates, but the 1366 x 768 resolution’s prohibitive for HD content. That’s the compromise for its portability.

Verdict

At £999, this Toshiba laptop has a lot going for it, but there still isn’t an obvious champion of this price point.

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Satellite fleet operator Intelsat on May 10 said it will give ground teams another week or so to try to shake free a stuck antenna on Orbital Sciences’ New Dawn satellite. It is now May 19th and no word has apparently been forthcoming from either Intelsat or Orbital. That means satellite operators may now be abandoning their efforts on that antenna, and turning their attention to deploying the satellite’s other reflector antenna, which they assume will function normally.

The Intelsat New Dawn satellite was placed into geostationary transfer orbit April 22. The satellite’s final operating location, at 32.8 degrees east, is scheduled to serve mainly an African audience.

Gently shaking the satellite, and orienting it in such a way as to expose the stuck antenna to the sun’s heat, will be harder to do once the reflector on the other side of the satellite, which directs the Ku-band payload of 24 transponders, is deployed.

Intelsat Chief Executive David McGlade said the company, along with satellite manufacturer Orbital Sciences of Dulles, Va., has been “working day and night” on maneuvers intended to use relatively sudden movements of the satellite, and exposure to temperature extremes, to free the reflector, which directs the satellite’s C-band payload of 28 transponders.

For more than two weeks after the effort began, the antenna apparently remains stuck in the same position, folded against the satellite as it was for launch, despite the apparently successful release of pins that are intended to hold the antenna close to the satellite’s body.

Why the antenna did not spring loose on ejection of the pins remains a mystery. It might be time to call in the Geosync Spies.

Lightsquared also had a problem unfurling their massive antenna. SkyTerra 1, was successfully launched on on November 14, 2010. All was going swimmingly until Boeing tried to unfurl the massive 22 meter (75 foot) antenna. For 10-days managers thought the mission might be lost. The antenna, the largest commercial antenna ever launched in space, was gently “shaken” by ground commands, which stirred the spacecraft into action, releasing the antenna.

Orbcomm has had a string of bad luck lately. Orbcomm’s AIS satellites, capable of monitoring maritime traffic, ceased functioning on February 1st, but the company expects to replace it by this summer. Space-based AIS provides global coverage of maritime activity, re-transmiting GPS coordinates, along with bearing and speed.

Orbcomm had been under contract to the U.S. Coast Guard and is making AIS capacity a feature on all 18 of its second-generation satellites (pdf), which are scheduled to be launched starting late this year. Sierra Nevada Space Systems of Louisville, Colo., is building the 18 2nd generation satellites under a $ 130 million contract that includes options to build up to 30 more.

These satellites will be launched aboard multiple Falcon 1e launch vehicles. The Falcon 9 rocket is the SpaceX heavier lifter.

As part of its settlement with OHB Technology of Bremen, Germany, following the failure of the six satellites launched in June 2008, OHB and its Luxspace affiliate are building two dedicated AIS spacecraft for Orbcomm. These satellites are scheduled for launch starting by June, Orbcomm said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Space-based AIS is becoming a highly competitive market, with Orbcomm and Com Dev of Canada, through its exactEarth subsidiary, racing to put AIS capacity in orbit.

ExactEarth is targeting June 1 for their AIS payload piggybacking on an Indian satellite to enter service, following their six-week check out period. COM DEV’s core technology is said to enable ExactEarth to filter out all but a very specific VHF portion of the signals dedicated to AIS. To achieve global AIS coverage with a latency of about 10 minutes about 30 satellites are required.

COM DEV has calculated that only three satellites are needed to provide a six hour “revisit time”. According to CEO John Keating, “If you put three satellites in polar orbits that takes 100 minutes to complete, 120 degrees apart from one another, then [due to the earth’s rotation] you can see any point on earth within six hours – you may be over the poles once every 30 minutes, but you are everywhere over the equator once every six hours.”

ExactEarth AIS satellites pass over Norway’s Svalbard Earth Station every 90 to 100 minutes. AIS tracks vessel movements in near real-time and updates every two minutes or so when near shore stations.

The International Space Station (ISS) represents an ideal platform for testing AIS receivers due to its orbit: its 400 km altitude is low enough to give a high probability of ship detection and it also passes across many of the world’s most densely populated shipping lanes.

Norway’s NORAIS and Luxembourg’s LUXAIS have been used on the ISS. They were connected to an AIS antenna constructed by the ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) community.

Orbcomm-1 satellites make up most of the current Orbcomm constellation of about 35 minisatellites. Their next generation will incorporate AIS radios.

Related DailyWireless stories include; Lightsquared Unfurled, Satellite with 328 ft Antenna to Launch , Geosync Spies, F.I.A. FUBAR, Advanced EHF – Wait for It, AEHF Satellite – Billion Dollar Brick?, U.S. Antisatellite Weapon to be Tested, Nuclear Powered Spacecraft, Zombie Satellite Out of Control, Satellites Collide,

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While the Acer Timeline X 4820T brings lightweight portability and the HP Pavilion dv6-3112sa unrivalled power, the Toshiba Satellite Pro C660-16N aims at a much more modest target.

Its sub-£400 price tag makes it a low-cost option and, for such a bargain price, you get a surprisingly good deal.

At the heart of the C600-16N is a Core 2 Duo T6670 processor which, although dated, is still a solid performer. It predates the Core i3 found in the HP and Acer, but it’s still capable of running most programs and dealing with multiple programs such as Word, Internet Explorer and photo viewers.

The capable processor is also backed up with a healthy 4GB of RAM, which helps speed up the day-to-day running of your machine. This makes it perfectly adept at basic home computing, but this is where the Toshiba’s limits lie.

Sadly, the Toshiba only features an onboard graphics chip. Our lab tests showed woeful graphics power, which makes it unsuitable for anyone looking to edit video, play games, use Photoshop or watch HD content.

Benchmarks

Battery life: 250
MobileMark 2007: 190
3DMark 2003: 1877

The unassuming hardware inside the Toshiba Satellite Pro C660-16N, which puts the focus on basic tasks rather than entertainment, is also echoed in the laptop’s drab looks. The whole machine is a charcoal colour with an attractive texture on the lid.

Lift the lid, however, and the flat featureless keyboard is revealed, which blends seamlessly into the flat black plastic palmrest and matt-finished bezel. It’s a desert of black plastic and is certainly not for the fashion conscious.

Durable chassis

While it may look unexciting, the build quality is great, as you would expect from Toshiba. It feels solid, strong and durable, while remaining relatively lightweight at 2.4kg. You could carry it with you easily and not worry about placing it into a bag, but if you’re looking to turn heads while sitting in the park or your favourite café, then look elsewhere.

The four-hour battery life is only beaten by the Acer, which is designed to be a true portable, and the Toshiba’s processing power surpassed the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 15 in our lab tests. Unsurprisingly, the Toshiba is in turn outclassed by the powerful Core i3 Acer and HP.

For this reason, it’s hard to recommend the Toshiba. Yes, the Toshiba represents a huge saving and if you want a laptop for basic email and web surfing it’s a great buy. However, if you’re looking for a laptop for entertainment purposes, then the C660-16N is totally unsuitable.

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Toshiba’s output never seems to slow and its Satellite range incorporates everything from entry-level laptops to powerful multimedia machines. The Satellite L650-1GD is a mid-range laptop with strong performance, but it struggles to stand out.

The chassis is one of the bulkiest with a thickness of 40mm, although the 2.5kg weight means it can be comfortably carried in a case.

We liked the all-black design featuring a subtle wavy pattern, although we noticed some flex along the right edge and also in the centre of the lid, which could potentially harm the display.

A glossy coating has been used for the 15.6-inch screen and we found reflections to be a hindrance to outdoor use, as with the other laptops in this group. Images are well reproduced and colourful, however.

With an Intel Core i5 460M processor and 3072MB of DDR3 memory running the show, this laptop produced a solid performance in our benchmarking tests, on a par with the Dell XPS 15 and Packard Bell EasyNote TX86. You can happily run a number of applications at once with no slowdown, and should easily be able to for some time to come.

Unfortunately, graphical power is lacking. Unlike the Dell and Samsung, there’s no dedicated graphics card, so multimedia potential is limited. You will have no problem watching films and browsing your holiday snaps, but frequent photo and video editing is beyond its abilities.

Benchmarks

Battery life: 211 minutes
MobileMark 2007: 258
3DMark 2003: 3174

The flat keyboard is pleasingly firm and well sized, despite featuring a separate numeric keypad. The wide touchpad matches the widescreen display and sits level with the palmrests, with a textured surface to set it apart. We liked the firm mouse buttons and there’s a switch just above to disable the pad if desired.

Limited battery

A drab 211 minutes of battery life gives you enough charge for commutes, but falls well behind many of the other laptops at this price.

The 320GB of hard drive storage is average for this price group but should provide more than enough space for all of your important files and folders. A 2-in-1 memory card reader can be used to boost storage or to directly access your media from portable devices such as cameras.

VGA and HDMI ports allow external monitors to be connected. Wireless networking is taken care of by 802.11n Wi-Fi, while 10/100 Ethernet is available for wired connections when back at home.

Although the Satellite L650-1GD has few flaws and its performance cannot be faulted, it isn’t quite as desirable as the likes of the Dell and the Packard Bell. Nevertheless, this is a highly usable mid-range laptop that won’t disappoint.

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While Toshiba’s Satellite range comprises its consumer laptops, the Satellite R630-141 (£764 inc. VAT) takes its design entirely from Toshiba’s corporate Portégé R700 line. Offering high-powered mobility, it is an absolutely fantastic choice for the frequent traveller.

Weighing just 1.4kg, this 13.3-inch this laptop is one of the smallest and lightest machines in this category. The sleek chassis is eminently portable and easy to carry during the day, while the 398-minute battery life vastly beats its rivals here to keep you working for nearly seven hours.

Finished in brushed magnesium alloy, the chassis combines black and gun-metal colour schemes that add an eye-catching yet understated look. The tough plastics prove suitably resilient to scratches and general damage, although we found they quickly attract smudges.

Despite its small dimensions, a large and comfortable isolation-style keyboard is in place. The keys move smoothly and quietly, making long-term use comfortable.

Although the 13.3-inch screen is the smallest in this group, it uses the same resolution as the larger Asus U53Jc Bamboo and HP Envy 14 to deliver a very detailed image. The bright panel provides strong colour and contrast and even the glossy Super-TFT coating hides reflections surprisingly well.

Impressively for such a small laptop, the Toshiba uses the same Intel Core i5 processor as the huge Sony Vaio VPCEC3S0E/WI in this group test. Even more impressively, it manages to outperform the Asus U53Jc Bamboo, HP Envy 14 and the Sony Vaio VPCEC3S0E/WI, speeding through our benchmark tests with unexpected speed and ease.

Graphics are inevitably less powerful, but remain capable enough for basic use. Due to the confines of the small chassis, an integrated Intel graphics card is in place, and it delivers enough power to run high-definition (HD) video and even allow a bit of light media-editing work.

DVD rewriter

Unusually for such a small laptop at this comparatively low price, an integrated DVD rewriter has been fitted for creating your own discs as you travel. Complimenting the suitably capacious 320GB hard drive, it provides the laptop with ample storage capabilities for a busy life on the move.

Adding final value to this machine is its software package. While there is no office software included, you get market-leading tools for internet security, data backup and disc creation, among others.

While the Satellite R630-141 is beaten by the stronger specification and graphics of the Asus U53Jc Bamboo and Sony Vaio VPCEC3S0E/WI, this is still one of the best ultra-portables you can buy. Offering stunning power and mobility at a fairly low price, we would be more than happy to have one in our bag next time we hit the road.

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The Toshiba Satellite T110-121 is a compact and well-specified laptop that is a highly portable choice that offers surprising versatility.

The sleek black chassis weighs just 1.5kg and is ideal for frequent travel and use around the house. The slightly tapered design makes it easy to hold. It also fits comfortably into even the smallest bag, while the excellent 399-minute battery can keep you working during the day.

Despite the compact dimensions, the keyboard is spacious and comfortable. Spanning almost the full width of the chassis, all the keys are large enough to allow smooth speed-typing. The keys rattle slightly, however, so this is not the quietest laptop for firm typists to use.

Built around an 11.6-inch display, screen space is at a minimum. The sharp resolution lets you view a decent amount of content, but text can appear quite small as a result. If you plan on regularly working from home, you may prefer to use a larger external screen.

Screen quality is excellent, however. The backlit LED panel delivers striking brightness and contrast and images are sharp and natural. Colours can look a little washed out at times due to the high brightness, but this is easily configured.

Low-voltage processor

To deliver suitable performance within such a tiny chassis, a low voltage Intel processor has been used. Matching the power of its rivals, you can browse the internet and perform basic home office tasks, but complex multitasking is out of the question.

The same can be said of its graphics. High-definition videos run comfortably and simple photo and video editing can be undertaken, but 3D gaming is not possible.

A camera built into the screen panel can be used to take photos and record video.

Storage is excellent for such a slim laptop and the 250GB hard drive betters all but the ViewSonic ViewBook 130. Inevitably, the thin chassis does not house an optical drive, so you cannot access CDs or DVDs.

Toshiba bundles an excellent software package with the T110. Market-leading tools for basic home office use and internet security are provided, as well as a range of proprietary software applications for easy system management.

By combining slim mobility with a strong specification and features, the Satellite T110 is a real bargain at this low price. While the small screen could potentially hinder family use, the fact you can work in equal comfort at home or on the move makes this a versatile and affordable choice that is very easy to like.

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Engineers have regained communications with the “Zombie satellite”, a rogue satellite that has spent nine months threatening satellites along the geosynchronous arc.

Galaxy 15 is now responding to commands and ground controllers, Intelsat announced this week.

Galaxy 15 stopped communicating with engineers in April, but the craft continued blaring powerful C-band television signals as it drifted uncontrollably through geosynchronous orbit, terrorizing satellites along its path.

It required maneuvers by Intelsat and other operators affected by fly-bys of Galaxy 15 — including SES, Telesat and SatMex — to avoid serious interference and service interruption.

A solar storm may have crippled the satellite, but officials are still investigating the root cause of the anomaly.

Intelsat says the spacecraft temporarily lost Earth lock on Dec. 17, causing it to lose enough power to shut down its primary C- and L-band payload. On Dec. 23, the battery completely drained and the baseband equipment command unit reset automatically, as it was designed to do. The spacecraft then began accepting commands and sending telemetry again, allowing engineers to place it in safe mode.

In other space news, Germany and the United States are jointly developing secret spy satellites under the guise of a commercial programs despite opposition from France, according to US diplomatic cables on Wikileaks.

The project, named HiROS, which stands for High Resolution Optical Satellite System, envisions the construction of an undetermined number of high-resolution observation satellites capable of spotting any object on the planet down to a size of just 50 centimetres (about 1.5 feet). The satellites will also have the capacity to take infrared images at night and to send images much quicker back to earth than the satellites currently in service, the cables showed.

According to Wikileaks, US and German officials have decided it should be presented as a civilian project with environmental aims, run by commercial entities. But in reality it is “under the total control” of the German intelligence service BND and the German aerospace centre DLR, the cables showed.

A DLR spokesman on Monday denied HiROS was a spy satellite.

“The purpose of HiRos will be to transmit data for public services, for example for crisis management in natural catastrophes,” Andreas Schuetz told AFP in an email.

“HiROS is not a spy satellite nor a secret project,” he said.

The German government would probably like to lessen their dependence on the French Spot system. The French two-satellite Pleiades spacecraft, for high-resolution (sub-meter) optical Earth-imaging , are currently operational.

DLR and Astrium GmbH of Germany co-financed work on an optical imager for South Korea’s Kompsat-3 satellite, scheduled for launch in 2011. The Kompsat-3 imager is designed to provide a ground resolution as sharp as 70 centimeters.

Earth observation satellites include Ikonos and DigitalGlobe in the United States.

Ball Aerospace (right) built DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-2, launched on October 8, 2009. The satellite includes a panchromatic sensor with a 46 cm (18 in) maximum resolution and a multispectral sensor of 184 cm.

The Ikonos GeoEye-2, due to launch in early 2013, will have a resolution of 25 cm, making it the highest resolution commercial Earth observation satellite in orbit.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a planned infrared space observatory and is the scientific successor to the Hubble Space Telescope . Its main scientific goal is to observe the most distant objects in the universe beyond the reach of either ground based instruments or the Hubble.

The Spitzer Space Telescope (SST), is an infrared space observatory launched in 2003. The planned mission period was to last until the onboard liquid helium supply was exhausted. This occurred on 15 May 2009. Without liquid helium to cool the telescope to the very cold temperatures needed to operate, most instruments are no longer usable. However, the two shortest wavelength modules of the IRAC camera are still operable with the same sensitivity as before the cryogen was exhausted, and will continue to be used in the Spitzer Warm Mission.

Aerospace.org provides systems engineering and integration for many NRO spacecraft such as the Space Based Infrared System which continues to struggle with cost overruns, with several Nunn-McCurdy breaches. The initial $2.16 billion contract has now increased to $10.4 billion.

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A European Ka-band internet satellite was successfully launched on Sunday. The Eutelsat-operated spacecraft, Ka-Sat, will concentrate its services on the estimated tens of millions of European homes in so-called “not-spots”, where consumers cannot get a decent terrestrial connection.

The spacecraft follows the Hylas-1 platform into orbit. That satellite, operated by Avanti Communications of London, was launched just last month.

Ka-Sat, however, is considerably bigger, and has a notional capacity to serve up to two million households compared with Hylas’s 300,000, reports the BBC.

“As many as 30 million households in Europe are not served at all or get high mediocrity of service,” said Eutelsat CEO Michel de Rosen. “These could be people in the countryside or in the mountains, sometimes not very far from large cities. Ka-Sat is an answer to that problem,” he told BBC News.

Paris-based Eutelsat is one of the world’s big three Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) companies, along with SES and Intelsat, and transmits thousands of TV channels across its fleet of spacecraft.

Ka-Sat is its first broadband-dedicated satellite. Each spotbeam delivers a total capacity of 900 Mbps, shared between the forward and return paths. It will be positioned at nine degrees east and has a total throughput of some 70Gbps. Some 82 spot beams will deliver internet service to different market areas stretching from North Africa to southern Scandinavia. A very small segment of the Middle East will also be reached.

Eutelsat has signed about 70 deals with distributors across the satellite’s “footprint”, and more would be signed over the next year. Ka-Sat is expected to be operational in the second half of the second quarter of 2011. It will join three large HOT BIRD Kuband broadcasting satellites that form the world’s leading video neighbourhood.

The ground network will use ViaSat’s SurfBeam technology, similar to the solution already powering broadband connectivity for almost 450,000 satellite homes in North America.

In the United States, WildBlue currently delivers satellite internet access to nearly 400,000 customers. It is accessible to virtually every home and small business in the contiguous U.S., including the estimated 20-25 million homes and small offices that are not wired for terrestrial (DSL or cable modem) service. Wildblue was acquired by ViaSat last year.

ViaSat-1, a sister satellite to KaSat, is expected to have more capacity than the combination of all other satellites in operation over the United States, providing 2-10 Mbps download speeds at retail prices competitive with terrestrial services, says the company. ViaSat-1 is scheduled for launch in the first half of 2011.

There are at least 3 billion people on the planet who have no affordable way to connect to the Internet–a problem Google aims to solve by helping foot the bill for the launch of 16 satellites in the O3B constellation.

The O3B satellite network (“O3B” stands for “the other 3 billion”) is set for launch in 2011. An ISP would install a pair of high-tech antennas capable of tracking multiple satellites and establish a 155-megabit per-second connection to the global Web. ISPs could use 3G cellular and WiMax towers for local connections. Each satellite in the network will have 10 spot beams, each delivering in excess of 1Gbit/s.

In other space news, Google recently sent seven payloads into near space on balloons, each equipped with a Nexus S phones. Sending the balloons up also allowed them to capture some stunning imagery and videos of Earth. Take a look at unaltered footage of an Android at over 100,000 ft above the Earth’s surface.

The payloads collected a lot of data, and many reached high altitudes, with the highest topping out at 107,375 ft., over 20 miles high, or over three times the height of an average commercial jet. In tracking the sensors on each of the phones, we observed that the GPS in Nexus S could function up to altitudes of about 60,000 ft. and would actually start working again on the balloon’s descent.

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A massive rocket is expected to launch “the largest satellite in the world” tonight at 6:06 p.m. EST, reports Spaceflight Now.

The clandestine payload, known only by its launch identification number of NROL-32, is widely believed to be an eavesdropping spacecraft carrying an antenna that spans up to 100 meters (328 feet), the size of a football field. It is intended to gather electronic intelligence for the National Security Agency, according to Ted Molczan, a respected sky-watcher who keeps tabs on orbiting spacecraft.

Although NRO satellites are secretive by nature, the spacecraft are visible by just looking up. Molczan is member of Heavens Above, a space tracking group and a mailing list called SeeSat-L that routinely finds and watches spacecraft.

United Launch Alliance‘s Delta 4-Heavy is America’s biggest rocket, capable of lofting the largest and heftiest cargos. The upcoming schedule calls for several more significant launches in the next few months:

• A Delta 4-Heavy rocket for NROL-49 from Vandenberg on January 11
• A Delta 4 rocket for NROL-27 from Cape Canaveral on March 4
• An Atlas 5 for NROL-34 from Vandenberg on March 31

Sigint satellites are interesting because of their engineering innovations, secretive nature, expense, unheralded successes and spectacular failures.

Future Imagery Architecture (FIA) was a program to design a new generation of US reconnaissance satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). In September 2005 the project was canceled after $4B+ was spent.

FIA has been called by The New York Times “perhaps the most spectacular and expensive failure in the 50-year history of American spy satellite projects.” The first launch related to the FIA may have been the infamous USA 193 satellite in 2006, which failed and then was destroyed by a missile. NRO’s projects run billions in the red and years behind schedule, says a 2003 story in US News and World Report.

The previous NROL-26 mission used a Delta 4-Heavy, in January, 2009 to launch an earlier 5-to-6 ton eavesdropping spacecraft with a deployable antenna as wide as 350 feet.

Charles P. Vick has creating some interesting speculative drawings on what some of the larger SIGINT spacecraft could look like.

According to Craig Covalt, instead of remaining parked over one location above the equator, these Vandenberg-launched satellites travel up and down over the northern hemisphere. They can listen into radio communications from different locations or radio waves monitored from different angles, compared with geosynchronous orbit satellites.

The data from these different eavesdroppers is then combined and assessed with other sources of information including that obtained by aircraft such as advanced versions of the U-2.

Besides the U.S. and Russia, China and Japan launch spy satellites. Israel has a spy satellite program, as does NATO, the United Kingdom, and France. See Inside the NSA (FrontLine).

Geosynchronous ELINT satellites are like aircraft carriers. They may need a fleet of spacecraft for support and self-defense.

We all get to watch.

You can follow the action on Visual Satellite Observer’s Home Page, the NASA Spaceflight Forum, Spaceflight Now’s coverage and Twitter Feed or the United Launch Alliance’s own Live Webcast.

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Toshiba’s Satellite range is aimed at consumers and covers everything from entry-level laptops to multimedia machines. The Satellite L630-13M sits in the middle, with decent performance and a great range of features packed into a sleek and portable chassis.

An attractive and subtle pattern graces the black lid and interior, although the glossy surface does attract dust and smudges. The chassis is as compact as the Samsung Q330, and just a little bigger than the Dell Inspiron M101z, and can easily slip into a bag.

The 2.1kg weight makes this one of the lightest laptops. Its 240-minute battery life is average for this price and enough to last you on lengthy commutes.

Good usability

The touchpad is a decent size, despite the laptop’s reduced frame, and is complemented by two firm mouse buttons. Another button disables the touchpad when needed, although we never accidentally brushed the pad as we did with the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13” and HP Pavilion dv6-3040sa.

Multi-touch gesturing is supported and running your finger up and down the right edge lets you easily scroll through documents. The full-sized keyboard is similar to the Fujitsu’s, with flat keys that are firmly set and quiet when pressed, although the travel distance is shallow. There’s no room for a dedicated numeric keypad.

Power is provided by an Intel Pentium P6000 processor and we were impressed by the performance on offer. You can run several applications at once without conflict, even fairly memory-intensive software, although the Intel Core i3 powered laptops proved more powerful.

Graphics are integrated, as with most of the laptops here, and fi ne for basic multimedia tasks. The 13.3-inch screen is very crisp, thanks to the 1366×768-pixel resolution, with sharp contrast levels provided. It’s a suitably bright and vibrant screen too.

Toshiba has included some excellent features for such a small laptop. At 500GB, there’s ample storage for your files and media, and there is also built-in vibration detection to protect the hard drive from damage should the laptop take a tumble.

Three USB ports are included, one of which doubles as an eSATA port, while HDMI and VGA ports can be used to hook up to monitors or projectors. Wired and wireless networking matches all the other laptops in this group test, while Bluetooth is also on hand for wirelessly connecting to compatible devices.

Overall, the Toshiba Satellite L630-13M is a great all-round machine. The solid chassis looks good and is easy to transport, while the Pentium processor offers decent performance. Plenty of features add to the overall package, with almost no flaws in evidence.

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Satphone/LTE startup Lightsquared announced yesterday that Qualcomm will integrate L-Band LTE technology into its mainstream chipset and collaborate with the company in delivering products. LightSquared is also working with Nokia on branded, data-centric devices, which are to be commercially available in the third quarter of 2011–when LightSquared expects to commercially launch its network.

Earlier this week the company said it has closed $850 million in financing. The LightSquared network, anticipated to consist of approximately 40,000 cellular base stations, is expected to cover 92 percent of the U.S. population by the end of 2015.

A new generation of satphone satellite platforms, such as LightSquared, promise to deliver broadband speeds right to a pocket phone using giant 60 ft antennas in space. LightSpeed hopes to launch service during the second half of 2011 and cover at least 100 million Americans by December 31, 2012; 145 million by the end of 2013; and 288 million by the end of 2015.

Their service will be limited to the U.S. and Canada, however, and will not extend far into the oceans.

For maritime service, products like the TracPhone V7, by KVH Industries, an electronics firm based in Middletown, Rhode Island can provide voice and data. TracPhone V7 is a mini-VSAT for maritime broadband.

The TracPhone can avoid the high fees of Inmarsat by using commercial satellites and motion tracking antennas. KVH says their mini-VSAT Broadband network was designed from the ground up to be the first next-generation maritime satellite communications solution, using a global spread spectrum satellite network.

The commercial-grade KVH TracPhone V7, was the first FCC-approved 24″ (60 cm) VSAT antenna. Service is delivered by 11 satellite transponders and 8 secure earth stations and offers voice service and Internet access as fast as 512 Kbps (upload) and 2
Mbps (download) with significant cost savings compared to competing services such as Inmarsat.

The in-motion TracVision M1 is the world’s smallest and lightest satellite TV system for boats. It offers the solid tracking and in-motion performance typically associated with larger antennas, while fitting the sleek exterior design of vessels as
small as 20 feet. The TracVision M1′s small size, easy setup, Whisper Drive motor technology, and versatile mounting options mean that installation can be customized to meet the needs of just about any boater, on any vessel.

KVH TracVision A5 ($2,295 plus display panels) puts DirecTV in your car using a 5-inch-high dome mounted atop your SUV or van. Inside the dome is a flattened satellite dish on a motorized, self-aligning turntable. It costs $4.99 a month on top of your existing DirecTV bill.

RaySat has a phased Array Antenna that receives satellite TV (DirecTV or DISH) and one version has two-way Internet capabilities. Cost is $2,000 – $3,500.

The StealthRay 5000 can be configured for use with virtually any Ku band satellite to enable IP connectivity on fast-moving vehicles for real-time, high-quality, streaming video, VoIP and high-speed data applications. RaySat Antenna Systems have a low profile and rotate automatically to find the satellite and never needs to be raised for positioning.

While phased array antennas can be smaller and faster to lock on a signal, their efficiency can’t yet match “real” dishes, and you need a lot more power for transmitting than you do for receive.

Brian Brawdy’s RV (above) uses a solar power generator that produces 1800 watts to drive a Motosat satellite dish, popular with may RV users who need remote internet access. MotoSAT is showing off their the new MESA line (Motorized Earth Station Antenna) at the 2010 Offshore communications show in Houston TX. November 3-4.

SpeedStream.TV has a rugged backpack that includes all the hardware needed to stream remote live video. It uses multiple 3g or 4G dongles for the backhaul. LiveU’s cellular backpack concurrently bonds up to 12 cellular (3G/4G) channels. Nomad Innovations has an embedded WiMAX radio for professional newsgathering camcorders.

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With the resurgence of 3D technology continuing unabated, we’ve seen a range of 3D-capable laptops released over the past few months. From the polarised screen of the Acer Aspire 5738DZG to the Nvidia 3D Vision technology of the Asus G51JX, the effect has been stunning, with 3D looking stronger than ever before.

Despite 3D’s growing popularity, however, surprisingly few of the big names in the laptop market have so far stepped into the 3D laptop arena. While both Sony and HP have 3D screen machines coming in the very near future, Toshiba has beaten both to the punch with the release of the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z – a 15.6-inch machine that packs an Nvidia 3D Vision-powered screen, active 3D glasses and a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor.

As with all current 3D laptops, it lacks the screen size of big-screen media centres such as Toshiba’s own Qosmio X500 range, but the Satellite A665-11Z more than compensates with power, style and features.

However, the Toshiba is not without its flaws and while the interactive entertainment it delivers is excellent, this is not the best 3D-capable laptop we’ve seen, with some strong competition close on its heels.

At first glance the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z’s chassis looks much like any other in Toshiba’s consumer Satellite range, but that’s not a bad thing by any means. The combination of glossy black and textured gun-metal plastics creates a stylish, yet understated, high-end look, and the chassis feel extremely well-made throughout.

With its resilient lid and firmly-fixed panels, this is a laptop more than up to the challenge of surviving busy use by the whole family.

While the 15.6-inch screen of the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z is not as large as we’d have liked – an 18.4-inch screen would have been preferable for more immersive 3D entertainment – it provides a good combination of size and mobility.

At 2.8kg, the chassis can be comfortably carried during the day. The 114-minute battery life we recorded is awful, however, and falls to just 75 minutes when watching a DVD – one of the worst results we’ve seen from any laptop.

The wide keyboard of the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z is built using the isolated – or chiclet – style, popularised by the Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro. With each key cut through an individual hole in the chassis’ top panel, ample spacing is provided between each key. This makes it easy to touch type for long periods of time.

Another benefit of this design is that dust cannot easily fall beneath the keys, making it less necessary to have to clean the keyboard on a regular basis.

While the large keys feature an entirely flat profile – reducing tactility somewhat – we found the board consistently smooth and accurate to respond. The entire board is also backlit, making it easy to keep working on the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z in low light conditions – ideal when gaming or watching a movie with the lights off.

One major flaw we noticed, however, was that the spacebar was frustratingly sluggish to respond. Requiring a very firm strike to register, this hinders tough-typing slightly.

The large touchpad is more pleasing. Measuring 93 x 52mm it perfectly matches the 16:9 aspect ratio of the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z’s 15.6-inch screen and its slightly textured finish makes it very tactile to use.

A small button above the touchpad lets you instantly disable the pad – when using an external mouse, for example – and a backlit strip indicates when the pad is active or disabled. The touchpad’s accompanying mouse buttons are equally well-sized and their gun-metal finish matches the rest of the chassis.

All ports are located on the left and right-hand sides of the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z’s chassis, other than a 3-in-1 card reader fitted at the front. The right-hand side features two USB 2.0 ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack, alongside the Toshiba’s Blu-ray optical drive.

The left-hand side features HDMI and VGA-out ports, for connecting to external monitors and projectors, as well as a Gigabit Ethernet port for high-speed fixed network connections. A third USB 2.0 port is also in place, fitted below a compact 34mm ExpressCard expansion slot.

Also fitted on the left-hand side of the Satellite A665-11Z’s chassis is an eSATA port, allowing high-speed data transfers to compatible external hard drives. The connection also doubles as a USB 2.0 port, bringing the total of available USB ports to four, and features Toshiba’s Sleep and Charge technology.

This charged port allows you to connect a USB-powered peripheral, such as an MP3 player, and recharge the battery even when the laptop is switched off.

Adding to the multimedia potential of the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z is a set of stereo speakers from audio specialist Harman Kardon. Seen on many Toshiba laptops, including last year’s Toshiba Qosmio G50 range, the speakers deliver an impressively warm and capable sound.

While audio quality of course cannot match a dedicated set of external speakers, they add an impressive depth of sound for games, movies and music.

Of course the key selling point of the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z is its 3D screen, and this is where it truly excels. Using the same Nvidia 3D Vision technology used by the Asus G51JX and the Rock Xtreme 680, the Toshiba employs a set of active shutter glasses to create its 3D effect. Far more effective and far less nausea-inducing than the polarised screen of the Acer Aspire 5738DZG, the 3D effect it creates is nothing less than stunning.

Setting up the Nvidia 3D Vision system is easy, and is achieved by following a simple step-by-step wizard. You begin by connecting the compact infrared receiver to an available USB port on the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z’s chassis.

You then put on the battery-powered, active shutter 3D glasses and use the wizard to walk you through the process of testing that both devices are comfortably synchronizing with one another to create the necessary 3D effect.

Nvidia’s active shutter glasses work by lightening and darkening the lens covering each eye, in time with the refresh rate of the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z’s 15.6-inch screen. Synchronising via the accompanying infrared receiver, the screen shows two different images in quick succession – far too fast for the naked eye to see – and by letting each eye see each image in turn, your brain is tricked into seeing a three-dimensional image that does not exist.

A simple concept on paper, the technology itself is extremely complex and works very well.

When viewing 3D photos and movies, the appearance of depth is so effective that images literally leap out of the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z’s screen. Where the technology is most effective, however, is when gaming.

With a huge range of fantastic 3D Vision capable games currently available, including Batman: Arkham Asylum and Resident Evil 5, games have never been more immersive, with enemies popping out of the screen and scenery whizzing by with dizzying depth. The effect is stunning, but one minor flaw detracts from the overall experience.

With the active shutter glasses providing a barrier between your eyes and the screen, the vibrancy of the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z’s screen is greatly reduced. This renders the screen disappointingly flat and colourless, reducing the overall impact of the 3D experience. This is a known flaw of Nvidia’s 3D Vision technology, however, and not a flaw of the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z itself. Nvidia is aware of this limitation of its technology and assures us that it is working hard to rectify the situation for future iterations.

Thankfully, when the glasses come off, the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z’s 15.6-inch screen is stunning. Combining impressive brightness and colour reproduction with striking contrast and deep black levels, photos, videos and games look fantastic.

While we’re a little disappointed about the 1366 x 768 pixel resolution and would have preferred a Full HD screen, images are rendered sharply enough for enjoying 720p high-definition content. Viewing angles are a little limited, however, so you have to view the screen head-on to get the best quality images.

The lack of a Full HD resolution is exacerbated by Toshiba’s inclusion of a Blu-ray compatible optical drive. While high-definition movies look great on the Satellite A665-11Z’s screen, much of the impact of the HD video is lost by its lack of 1080p support. The Blu-ray drive impresses, however, as it doubles as a Blu-ray rewriter, letting you burn as much as 50GB of data to compatible dual-layer discs. Accessing and burning DVDs and CDs is also possible.

Not that you’ll need to back up data to disc on a regular basis, as the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z features a capacious 500GB hard drive as standard. While not quite as impressive as the 1.2TB of storage offered by more expensive rivals such as the Acer Aspire Ethos it will provide ample storage for most people and let you store large collections of photos, music, videos and games with ease.

The drive is also shock-protected, parking the disk heads when the laptop is bumped to prevent damage to your data.

Where the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z again impresses is its staggering performance. Powered by a quad-core Intel Core i7-740QM processor and 4096MB of high-speed DDR3 memory – upgradeable to 8192MB – the Toshiba makes light work of even the most demanding software. With the processor running at 1.73GHz, but able to ramp up to 2.93GHz when necessary, applications are dispatched with ease, and Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology ensures that multi-tasking is equally smooth with no discernable slowdown.

Graphics are similarly capable and roughly in line with Toshiba’s own Qosmio X500 range. The Nvidia GeForce GTS 350M graphics card lets you edit photos and videos with ease and even runs the latest games with suitable aplomb. High-definition video is also processed smoothly, backing up the Blu-ray drive nicely.

This is not a gaming laptop in the truest sense of the word, however, as it lacks the graphics performance of such cutting-edge rivals as the Alienware M17x.

By combining its immersive 3D screen and strong graphics performance with staggering Intel Core i7 power and comprehensive features, the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z is a great, mid-sized home media centre. Its slightly flawed usability and lack of full 1080p support is unfortunate, as are its low battery life and the inherent limitations of its Nvidia 3D Vision technology, but they do little to restrict the enjoyment of this otherwise stylish and well-made multimedia machine.

While the best 3D laptop you can currently buy remains the Asus G51JX, the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z is a more than worthy rival and is very easy to recommend.

We liked

Nvidia’s 3D Vision is still the vanguard of current 3D technology and the immersive 3D entertainment of the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z is stunning. Whether gaming or watching movies, it adds a new depth to your enjoyment that is truly hard to beat.

Offering staggering power and features, the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z is a great laptop to future-proof yourself against the years ahead. Packed with cutting-edge technology, this is a machine that delivers fantastic performance and will continue to do so for years to come.

When viewed without the 3D glasses, the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z’s vibrant 15.6-inch screen is stunning. Strong brightness combines with striking contrast and natural colours to bring photos and videos to vivid life, making this an extremely capable home media centre.

We disliked

For a machine so clearly marketed for gaming and enjoying high-definition content, the low 720p screen resolution is unfortunate. This is exacerbated by the inclusion of a Blu-ray drive, as the Satellite A665-11Z’s screen doesn’t have the pixels to enjoy the full benefits of HD.

While the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z’s keyboard is generally great to use, the temperamental spacebar can sometimes make touch-typing a chore. While it may only have been a quirk of our review sample, we’d recommend you be sure to try the keyboard in-store before buying.

Running for less than two hours, the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z’s battery performance is truly awful. Dropping to an inexcusable 75 minutes when watching a DVD, you’d be lucky to get an hour’s use when watching a Blu-ray movie, making this a laptop intended solely for home use.

Verdict

Despite various flaws in usability and mobility, the Toshiba Satellite A665-11Z’s impressive combination of power and features makes it a great choice as a semi-portable home media centre. Whether you want to enjoy the latest 3D games and movies, enjoy cutting-edge, quad-core performance, or future-proof yourself for the years ahead, there is something for everyone here, making the Satellite A665-11Z a laptop that’s very easy to like.

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Toshiba’s Satellite series comprises its consumer laptops and offers a range of high-quality laptops at varying price points. The Satellite A660-18N is a powerful home media centre, designed to combine basic entertainment features with mid-level mobility.

At just 2.6kg, this is a laptop you can comfortably carry around the home. Despite its large 16-inch screen, the chassis’ surprisingly slim dimensions let it slip easily into a carry case.

Unfortunately, the 129-minute battery life is truly awful, so you won’t be able to travel very far.

Resilient textured plastics have been used throughout this machine, making it more than tough enough for the whole family to use. The matt finish keeps scratches and smudges to a minimum, adding another layer of protection.

The 16-inch Super-TFT screen has a 1366 x 768 pixel resolution and is ideal for home entertainment. Its widescreen aspect ratio allows movies to be shown in their native format and also allows two or more windows to be viewed side by side. Image quality is also excellent, with the panel proving bright and vibrant.

The keyboard employs the same isolation-style design as the Advent Sienna 700 and Sony VAIO VPC-Z12V9E/X and is comfortable and responsive to type on. A numeric keypad is in place on the board’s right side, making it easy to quickly input data while typing.

On paper the Toshiba should be a powerful laptop, thanks to its use of a quad-core Intel Core i7 740QM processor, but in testing we found the Sony to provide greater performance. That said, this is certainly not a low-powered machine.

With a base clock-speed of 1.73GHz, the quad-core CPU ramps up to an impressive 2.93GHz when required. Outperforming all but the Sony VAIO VPC-Z12V9E/X, software opens and runs far faster than any Intel Core i3 and i5-based machines, making it a great choice for frequent and demanding use.

Adequate graphics

Graphics are not quite as powerful, but will be suitable for most home use. The Nvidia GeForce 310M graphics card will run many games with adequate speed, but the HP Pavilion dv8-1250ea and Sony VAIO VPC-Z12V9E/X are significantly faster, so bear this in mind.

Adding to this laptop’s consumer appeal is its excellent software package. Tools for home office use, internet security and CD/DVD creation are all included, among others, so you can get straight to work without having to add to your budget.

While the Satellite A660-18N is narrowly bettered in terms of features and performance by the HP and Sony, it is still an excellent consumer laptop with a huge amount to offer.

If you’re after a high-powered machine at a good price, there’s a lot to like.

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Toshiba’s corporate Satellite Pro range covers a wide range of business requirements at truly affordable prices. The Satellite Pro C650-197 is an entry-level portable that performs well overall, but is sadly lacking in standout features against its rivals.

The Intel Core i3 350M processor provides impressive performance. Even though it uses 4096MB of memory, compared to the 3072MB of the other laptops at this price, we noticed no improvement in our benchmarking tests, with performance matching all but the Acer Aspire 5741-333G32Mn.

An integrated Intel graphics card provides basic multimedia performance, with enough power for basic photo and video editing.

A real highlight is the 15.6-inch widescreen display, which is identical in size to the Acer and HP G62-a45SA, but marginally brighter. Colours look natural and contrast levels are deep, although the screen is as reflective as others with a glossy screen coating.

The Toshiba’s black chassis stands out from the faux-metal builds that populate this price point. However, it’s similar to the HP in its resistance to fingerprints and the slight flex around the optical drive.

While the 2.4kg weight is marginally heavier than the Packard Bell EasyNote NM86, and the 230-minute battery life is lower than some of the competiton, this is still a laptop that can easily be taken on the road. However, the battery life plummets to just 98 minutes when watching a DVD.

As with the HP, usability is mixed. The slightly spongy keyboard is well sized, despite the inclusion of a separate numeric keypad. Touch-typing is a breeze, even with the lack of key definition.

However, even though the touchpad is rather cramped, we still found our palms brushed it occasionally when typing.

Limited features

Features are rather basic, even at this price point, especially when compared to the HP. A meagre two USB ports are available for connecting peripherals, while there’s no HDMI port for hooking up to a high-definition (HD) display, something which is present on all the other laptops here.

Networking capabilities are standard, with fast 802.11n Wi-Fi for wireless connections and basic 10/100 Ethernet for wired connections. A 4-in-1 card reader provides less flexibility than the multicard readers, although the 320GB hard drive matches the ample storage of the Acer.

Features may be lacking and usability mixed, but the Satellite Pro C650-197 is still a decent machine. Performance is assured, thanks to the Intel Core i3 processor, while the widescreen display is bright, vibrant and perfect for working – or playing – well into the night.

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A rescue plan is being implemented to salvage the U.S. military’s gold-plated AEHF communications satellite after a serious malfunction knocked out its main engine and stymied the craft’s maneuvering ability, reports SpaceFlightNow.

The billion dollar Advanced Extremely High Frequency 1 spacecraft was launched into a preliminary orbit by an Atlas 5 rocket on August 14 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

AEHF 1 was expected to reach its on-orbit testing location at 90 degrees West longitude over the equator within 105 days of liftoff.

But those plans were thwarted a day after launch during the initial orbit raising burn when the satellite’s main engine shut down shortly after ignition for still-unexplained reasons. Another attempt tried August 17 also ended immediately when the engine again failed to generate the expected acceleration.

Built by Lockheed, it’s the successor to the currently-operational Milstar system.

AEHF will consists of three geostationary satellites plus a possible on-orbit spare. When the constellation is finished, the satellites will be also able to communicate with one another directly as well as provide spot beams on Earth.

There are three AEHF communication services: a new one providing data rates up to 8.192 Mbit/s per user, and the previous Milstar Low Data Rate (LDR) services (75 – 2400 bits per second) and Milstar Medium Data Rate (MDR) services (4.8 kbit/s – 1.544 Mbit/s).

Military satellites seem prone to years of delays and multibillion-dollar cost overruns. TSAT, the Transformational Satellite communications system, cost U.S. taxpayers $2.5 billion before Secretary Gates pulled its plug.

AEHF was expected to cost $5.6 billion in 2001 when the program was getting under way, but today the price tag is more than $10 billion for fewer satellites, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

There is also the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), a group of four infrared satellites designed to warn of missile launches and perform other reconnaissance operations. This 1996 program has ballooned from about $ 2 billion to more than $13.6 billion today. A Lockheed Martin-Northrop Grumman effort, SBIRS is eight years late. Two satellites have been launched so far, but hardware defects have since been discovered on the first one, the GAO said.

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Toshiba’s Satellite range is hugely varied, covering everything from entry-level budget laptops to multimedia powerhouses. The Satellite L670-12J is a sturdy mid-range desktop replacement machine that makes up in power what it lacks in portability.

The 2.8kg chassis is one of the heaviest and bulkiest in its class, beaten only by the HP Pavilion dv7-2045ea. It has a solid build that can take a few knocks if you venture out on the road, but the battery life of just 208 minutes means you’ll need to take the charger on longer trips.

The lightly patterned design is more subtle than the HP’s, although the shiny surface is just as bad at picking up dust and fingerprints.

The 17.3-inch display is also near identical to HP’s widescreen offering and just as good for watching movies, as well as working on your documents side by side. Images are sharp, thanks to the 1600 x 900 pixel resolution, and the glossy Super-TFT coating brings colours to life, creating a vibrant picture.

The full-sized keyboard, complete with dedicated numeric keypad, is one of the benefits of the large chassis, and usability is excellent. The keys are a joy to type on and firmly set in place, as are the two mouse buttons beneath the touchpad.

The touchpad itself is a little cramped, but the textured surface is responsive and it can be turned off using a button on the chassis, just like the HP.

Assured performance

With an Intel Core i5 processor on board, performance was excellent. Only the Core i3 Acer and Hi-Grade came close, but this laptop comfortably beat them in our benchmarking tests and proved itself capable of multi-tasking with even the most intensive applications. Anyone who needs a solid amount of power should look no further.

Unfortunately, while the Acer comes fitted with a dedicated Nvidia graphics card, this laptop makes do with an integrated GPU. The resulting 3D power still beats the Sony VAIO VPC-Y21S1E/SI and even the Mesh Discovery 16-RV, which also features an Nvidia graphics card, but only the most basic games will run and multimedia tasks are limited to editing photos and watching movies.

Features are standard at this price, with 802.11n Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet available for networking and the usual three USB ports for adding peripherals, one of which doubles as an eSATA port. VGA and HDMI outputs and a memory card reader round off the features.

Portability may be limited and a dedicated GPU sorely missed, but the Satellite L670-12J is a strong performer and a highly usable laptop – easily recommended as a desktop replacement machine.

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Dish Network recently launched its TV Everywhere portal called DISHOnline.com, designed to deliver TV anytime, anywhere.

The customers of DISH Network need to make a one-time payment for the content and then can remain connected, via the Web, through WiFi or 4G networks, and viewed on laptops or mobile device.

DIRECTV has a similar “TV Everywhere” portal. In fact, the TV Everywhere concept is now available on all the major cable and satellite carriers.

Dish Network lost 19,000 net subscribers in the second quarter 2010 whereas its closest competitor DirecTV, added 100,000 net subscribers in the same quarter. DISH Network lost the affiliation of both AT&T and CenturyLink to DIRECTV, a major cause of this low performance, says Zacks Equity Research.

The major innovation of DISH Network’s TV Everywhere service is that it will enable the subscribers to program their DVRs using a Slingbox or a “SlingLoaded” ViP922 receiver. Broadband customers with Sling-loaded satellite receiver and HD-DVR will be able to relay video programming to PCs, smartphones, and other Internet-connected devices.

Where Comcast will offer premium content from more than 70 cable networks, DISH will offer premium content from about 20 cable networks and program suppliers.

Meanwhile, TiVo, which makes a lot of digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced the availability of the TiVo Slide Remote ($89) with a slide-out, QWERTY keyboard. It connects via Bluetooth and allows consumers to find the most relevant entertainment on YouTube, Amazon Video On Demand, Netflix and others.

View full post on dailywireless.org

Dish Network recently launched its TV Everywhere portal called DISHOnline.com, designed to deliver TV anytime, anywhere.

The customers of DISH Network need to make a one-time payment for the content and then can remain connected, via the Web, through WiFi or 4G networks, and viewed on laptops or mobile device.

DIRECTV has a similar “TV Everywhere” portal. In fact, the TV Everywhere concept is now available on all the major cable and satellite carriers.

Dish Network lost 19,000 net subscribers in the second quarter 2010 whereas its closest competitor DirecTV, added 100,000 net subscribers in the same quarter. DISH Network lost the affiliation of both AT&T and CenturyLink to DIRECTV, a major cause of this low performance, says Zacks Equity Research.

The major innovation of DISH Network’s TV Everywhere service is that it will enable the subscribers to program their DVRs using a Slingbox or a “SlingLoaded” ViP922 receiver. Broadband customers with Sling-loaded satellite receiver and HD-DVR will be able to relay video programming to PCs, smartphones, and other Internet-connected devices.

Where Comcast will offer premium content from more than 70 cable networks, DISH will offer premium content from about 20 cable networks and program suppliers.

Meanwhile, TiVo, which makes a lot of digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced the availability of the TiVo Slide Remote ($89) with a slide-out, QWERTY keyboard. It connects via Bluetooth and allows consumers to find the most relevant entertainment on YouTube, Amazon Video On Demand, Netflix and others.

View full post on dailywireless.org

Dish Network recently launched its TV Everywhere portal called DISHOnline.com, designed to deliver TV anytime, anywhere.

The customers of DISH Network need to make a one-time payment for the content and then can remain connected, via the Web, through WiFi or 4G networks, and viewed on laptops or mobile device.

DIRECTV has a similar “TV Everywhere” portal. In fact, the TV Everywhere concept is now available on all the major cable and satellite carriers.

Dish Network lost 19,000 net subscribers in the second quarter 2010 whereas its closest competitor DirecTV, added 100,000 net subscribers in the same quarter. DISH Network lost the affiliation of both AT&T and CenturyLink to DIRECTV, a major cause of this low performance, says Zacks Equity Research.

The major innovation of DISH Network’s TV Everywhere service is that it will enable the subscribers to program their DVRs using a Slingbox or a “SlingLoaded” ViP922 receiver. Broadband customers with Sling-loaded satellite receiver and HD-DVR will be able to relay video programming to PCs, smartphones, and other Internet-connected devices.

Where Comcast will offer premium content from more than 70 cable networks, DISH will offer premium content from about 20 cable networks and program suppliers.

Meanwhile, TiVo, which makes a lot of digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced the availability of the TiVo Slide Remote ($89) with a slide-out, QWERTY keyboard. It connects via Bluetooth and allows consumers to find the most relevant entertainment on YouTube, Amazon Video On Demand, Netflix and others.

View full post on dailywireless.org

Dish Network recently launched its TV Everywhere portal called DISHOnline.com, designed to deliver TV anytime, anywhere.

The customers of DISH Network need to make a one-time payment for the content and then can remain connected, via the Web, through WiFi or 4G networks, and viewed on laptops or mobile device.

DIRECTV has a similar “TV Everywhere” portal. In fact, the TV Everywhere concept is now available on all the major cable and satellite carriers.

Dish Network lost 19,000 net subscribers in the second quarter 2010 whereas its closest competitor DirecTV, added 100,000 net subscribers in the same quarter. DISH Network lost the affiliation of both AT&T and CenturyLink to DIRECTV, a major cause of this low performance, says Zacks Equity Research.

The major innovation of DISH Network’s TV Everywhere service is that it will enable the subscribers to program their DVRs using a Slingbox or a “SlingLoaded” ViP922 receiver. Broadband customers with Sling-loaded satellite receiver and HD-DVR will be able to relay video programming to PCs, smartphones, and other Internet-connected devices.

Where Comcast will offer premium content from more than 70 cable networks, DISH will offer premium content from about 20 cable networks and program suppliers.

Meanwhile, TiVo, which makes a lot of digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced the availability of the TiVo Slide Remote ($89) with a slide-out, QWERTY keyboard. It connects via Bluetooth and allows consumers to find the most relevant entertainment on YouTube, Amazon Video On Demand, Netflix and others.

View full post on dailywireless.org

RRsat Global Communications Network, a global distributor of television and radio broadcasting, announced today that it has launched a new platform on Galaxy 19 that enables the distribution of television and radio channels devoted to religious programming.

The company will broadcast more than 50 religious and ethnic TV and radio channels, reaching millions of homes across the United States. Galaxy 19 includes higher-powered C-band and Ku-band transponders as well as new, high-power Ka-band service, at 97degrees West. It is one of the largest ethnic video platforms in the United States. RRsat has signed agreements with thirteen TV and radio channels to be broadcast on Galaxy 19 directly from RRsat’s Hawley Teleport in Pennsylvania.

Channels already launched include the Three Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN), which also use RRsat’s services for global distribution, the three Hope channels: Hope Channel, Esperanza TV, and Hope Church channel; and Loma Linda Broadcasting Networks, which broadcasts in English, Arabic and Chinese, uses RRsat’s distribution services to North America, Asia, Africa and Australia. The Adventist Television Network channels are all major Christian television and radio networks in the United States offering a full range of religious content and programming.

RRSat Global Communications Network is an Israeli based provider of global content management and distribution services to the television and radio broadcasting industries. They provide more than 365 television and radio channels, covering more than 150 countries.

• To Europe, Middle East and North Africa – via Hotbird-8 , Eurobird-9 , Atlantic Bird-1, Turksat 3A, , Amos 2/3 , Eutelsat W1/W2 , Intelsat-4 , Atlantic Bird-4 Satellites
• To U.S.A., Canada – DTH distribution via Galaxy-19, and AMC-4 Satellites
• To U.S.A., Canada and South America – via Intelsat 805, AB-1 and Galaxy 23 Satellites
• To Asia, Africa and Australia – via Thaicom-5, Intelsat-10, Yamal-201, Insat 2E, Eutelsat W5, Telstar 10, Measat 3, Telstar 11 Satellites
• To Australia & New Zealand – DTH distribution via Optus-B3 and Intelsat 8, Asiasat-4, NSS6 Satellites

Through its proprietary “RRSat Global Network,” composed of satellite and terrestrial fibre optic transmission capacity and the public Internet, RRsat offers global distribution services for content providers. Through RRSat’s teleport in southern Israel (right), the company can reach 95% of the globe with only one satellite ‘hop’.

The World Teleport Association serves the $13 billion teleport sector of the global satellite communications industry, which produces over 15% of world satellite communciations revenue. While monopoly national carriers continue to operate in many regions, the competitive commercial players in this sector include independent “uplinkers,” global hybrid carriers, and specialized service providers. The industry organization ranks the Global Top Twenty Teleport Operators and the Independent Top Twenty Teleport Operators.

The Top 10 Independent Teleport Operators for 2009 include:

1. Stratos Global (USA): Stratos offers customers operating in remote locations a variety of wireless, IP, data, and voice solutions, and serves an array of diverse markets including government, military, media, aeronautical, industrial, recreational and maritime users anywhere in the world.
2. GlobeCast (France): A subsidiary of France Telecom, GlobeCast is a content management and delivery company operating a network of teleports and fiber to manage and transport 10 million hours of video and other rich media yearly.
3. Arqiva Satellite Media Solutions (UK): With teleports and other facilities throughout the greater London area, Arqiva provides permanent and occasional broadcast services as well as IP, voice, data and digital media networks.
4. Schlumberger (UK): The world’s leading supplier of technology, project management and information solutions to the oil and gas industry.
5. Globecomm Systems (USA): Globecomm integrates satellite into network applications in order to provide reliable, high-quality connection to the edge of the network, broadcast one-to-many, and support bandwidth-hungry applications for media & entertainment, telecom, enterprise and government markets.
6. CapRock Communications (USA): CapRock delivers world-class satellite communications to the world’s harshest and most remote locations. With teleports in the US, Europe and Asia, CapRock provides services that enable its clients to communicate in real-time virtually anywhere in the world.
7. ND SatCom AG (Germany): ND SatCom is a leading global supplier of satellite based broadband VSAT, broadcast and military communication network solutions and services, and operates teleports in Europe and the Middle East.
8. Spacenet (USA): Spacenet is the leader in managed wireless VSAT and hybrid terrestrial networks for business and government users worldwide, plus satellite broadband Internet services for home and small office across the United States.
9. Satlynx (Luxembourg): Satlynx is the leading provider of two-way satellite broadband communication services throughout Europe.
10. RRSat Global Communications (Israel): RRSat provides uplink, downlink, turnaround and playout services, offering end-to-end transmission for TV, radio and data channels. RRSat also offers production services including channel distribution & backhaul services, SNG and occasional feed services.

Intelsat’s out-of-control Galaxy 15, coined “zombie sat“, is currently a loose canon traveling along the geostationary arc, reports Spaceflight Now.

After attempts to regain control of the craft failed, Intelsat managed to navigate around AMC 11 without incident. Next, Galaxy 15 is approaching a cluster of four Intelsat-owned satellites. It passed by Galaxy 13 with no problems a few weeks ago, but Intelsat’s Galaxy 18 and Galaxy 23 satellites will be in the crosshairs of Galaxy 15 in August as the stray craft continues its march east.

View full post on dailywireless.org

Toshiba’s Satellite P500-1DZ is a big screen media centre, built for multimedia use. With its huge 18.4-inch screen, capacious storage and powerful graphics, it is ideal for work and play and a great choice for university studies.

The thick chassis weighs a back-breaking 4.5kg, so this is not a laptop you’ll want to carry outside very often. The 210-minute battery life is surprisingly capable, however, and allows basic mobility.

The entire chassis is finished in glossy black plastic. While this creates an eye-catching style, it won’t suit all tastes. The plastics are also particularly susceptible to scratches and smudges, and will require regular care and cleaning, which may not suit less careful students.

Glossy plastics are also used across the keyboard, although fingerprints are thankfully barely noticeable. The board is frustratingly spongy to type on, however, requiring a firm strike to register. All the keys move quietly and accurately, but usability cannot match its rivals.

The large 18.4-inch screen features the same hit-and-miss approach. While its size and sharp contrast make it ideal for watching movies and doing university course work, it is not as bright as we would like, failing to match the Apple MacBook Pro and Sony VAIO VPC-F12M0E/B.

Sub-par power

While on paper the quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU should prove more powerful than all but the Sony VAIO VPC-F12M0E/B, supplementary testing revealed it to provide quite a low performance in comparison to its main rivals. That’s not to say it is remotely underpowered, however, as it dispatches most tasks with ease.

Graphics are far more pleasing and bettered only by the Sony VAIO VPC-F12M0E/B. The dedicated Nvidia GPU smoothly runs the latest games and allows high-definition (HD) video to run with ease. Frequent photo and video editing is also easily possible.

Multimedia use is enhanced by the inclusion of stereo speakers from audio specialist Harman Kardon. Audio quality is among the best in the group and music and movies sound great.

A touch-sensitive control pad on the chassis’s left-hand side allows easy control of multimedia files.

The 640GB of hard drive storage space is generous and will provide more than enough storage for years to come.

Microsoft Works software is also included, providing basic office tools to get you started during your studies.

While there is plenty to like about the Satellite P500-1DZ, when you compare it to the Sony VAIO VPC-F12M0E/B, by spending an extra £100 you can get significantly more for your money, making the Toshiba difficult to recommend highly against its rivals.

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ViaSat said today it has upgraded its airborne satellite system to 1 Mbps speeds for sending high-resolution video and broadband data off an aircraft.

The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was the first military organization to use the high-speed Ku-band network on its C-130 aircraft. The small C-130 terminal attaches to the aircraft emergency escape hatch (on top of the fuselage), so operators can configure an aircraft in minutes, without any permanent aircraft alterations. A number of aircraft are now tapping into the network. Viasat’s commercial system is used by nearly 100 U.S. airborne operators.

ViaSat’s COTM system (Communications On The Move), provides affordable, 2-way, broadband IP access via satellite to mobile ground, airborne, and maritime platforms. Commanders, sensors, and weapons systems can interact seamlessly to establish a real-time view of the battlefield and allocate firepower as effectively as possible.

Features include:

• Live audio and video conferencing, streaming video, and Situational Awareness
• Very small aperture antennas and intelligent burst control technology to combat the effects of satellite signal blockage
• JITC Certified for Net-Ready interoperability

The terminals use ViaSat patented ArcLight technology, which enables a very small antenna to deliver improved speed and performance compared to other mobile satellite alternatives.

ViaSat (wikipedia), based in Carlsbad, California, provides equipment and services for military and commercial communications. The company says they have installed over 800 mobile broadband systems, with satellite-based communications services for general aviation, COTM, maritime, and high-speed rail.

KVH’s mini-VSAT also uses the ViaSat spread spectrum Broadband service with their 24-inch diameter TracPhone V7 antenna.

Ground Control offers a new Flyaway mobile satellite system that also can be mounted on top of any roof rack. Their In-Motion BGAN High Speed Internet Systems provides internet connectivity on the move.

Ground Control’s iDirect 3Mb download / 1Mb upload service costs $399/month, while their Emergency Services package costs $279/month, with 3Mb Down x 1Mb Up. It includes 10 calendar days of unlimited use per month. Additional days are billed at $59 per day.

Inmarsat’s BGAN is extremely expensive — about $6 a Megabyte. The advantage is portability and global connectivity. BGAN supports laptop-size terminals and now handheld phones. Their IsatPhone uses Inmarsat’s geosynchronous satellites rather than LEO birds like Iridium and GlobalStar satphones, but data rates are very slow.

Fixed satellite service is generally cheaper and faster. Usage costs are generally both fixed and affordable. Ground Control, MotoSAT, AVL and C-Com have cost-effective solutions for consumers, businesses and governments.

View full post on dailywireless.org