Toshiba’s Qomsio range comprises its high-end media centres with the X500-128 being Toshiba’s only dedicated gaming machine.

Offering impressive performance and stylish, bigscreen usability it makes a decent choice for gamers, but it isn’t without its flaws.

Built around a huge 18.4-inch Super-TFT screen, this is large laptop. The extra screen size makes it ideal for gaming and watching movies, but of course adds to the chassis’ weight. At 4.8kg you won’t want to carry it far.

The screen itself is vibrant enough, but lacks the brightness of rival gaming laptops, such as the Alienware M17x. It also features quite a low resolution in comparion to most of its rivals again, so while images are certainly sharp enough for most uses, playing games in Full HD is out of the question.

Graphics are equally capable yet underwhelming. The Nvidia GTS 360M GPU is a high performance chip more than capable of running the latest games, but falls far behind all rivals. If you’re seeking maximum gaming power, this isn’t the machine for you, as the Alienware M17x, for example, doubles its performance.

Where the Qosmio fares much better is in its home office abilities. Powered by a quad-core Intel Core i7 720QM processor and 6144MB of DDR3 memory, this high powered machine easily matches its rivals, breezing through even the most complex of software tasks.

The X500 can also easily be used as a home media hub. A panel of quick-access hotkeys provides easy control of your files and dedicated Harman Kardon stereo speakers delivers far better audio than most laptops are able to offer.

Singular style

This is one of the most eye-catching machines we’ve seen of late, but its style won’t suit all tastes. The glossy black and red plastics create a vibrant yet understated look, but the shiny surface is a magnet for scratches and smudges.

Thankfully the glossy finish is not carried across to the keyboard. The board itself is very well fixed and we found all keys responded smoothly and accurately. The keys do have quite a long degree of travel, however, which can create a slightly spongy feeling when typing.

Storage is on a par with all but the Asus G73Jh, with the 500GB hard drive providing plenty of storage space. This laptop also features a fingerprint scanner for protecting files against unauthorised access.

While the Qosmio X500-128 is a good multimedia machine, its limited gaming power and lack of a Full HD screen make it a tough sell against its gaming laptop rivals. On its own merits, it’s an easy laptop to like, but in this company it falls too far short.

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Name a tech company that has anything to do with computers, smartphones, or portable consumer electronics, and I bet we can find at least one bit of information suggesting they are working on an Android tablet. Go ahead and count Toshiba among the many promising upcoming tablet experiences using Google’s open-source mobile OS. The good thing is this next batch actually looks pretty exciting, with many — including this new Toshiba device — said to be running NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chipset. The only other information known about Toshiba’s entry into the tablet-sphere is that it will feature a 10-inch display and should be hitting shelves by October.

It looks like right around the holiday season will be the period to watch for the Android tablet revolution. That is when numerous manufacturers are slated (pun intended) to release their first tablet offerings running the little green guy. Motorola, Samsung, and now Toshiba are just a few that are promising rather high-end and seemingly polished tablet experiences. It is hard to say with so little known about any of these devices, but if any tablet is going to be a break through for Android it is bound to be counted among those being released this fall.

[via DigiTimes]

View full post on Android Phone Fans

A few more details are starting to come out about Toshiba’s Android Tablet.  Most likely shipping in October, the 10-inch tablet will come with a Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. Unfortunately, no other information on specs is available yet.

Also being reported is that Toshiba plans to be shipping around 50,000 units globally by the end of the year. I don’t know about you, but that number seems awfully small to me.  Hopefully, Toshiba won’t run into stock shortages though it could be a good indication of popularity

Either way, October is creeping up fast so we should be hearing more very soon.

Source: Cnet

View full post on AndroidSPIN | Your No.1 source for Everything Android.

There’s not much detail to be had, but it seems that Toshiba is gearing up to release its foray into the Android tablet market this September or October.  The device is slated to feature a 10 inch display, and will be powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 2 processor.  Tobisha is expecting to ship 40,000 – 50,000 units by the end of 2010.

Toshiba Android tablet expected in Setpember or October

View full post on Google Android News Android Forums

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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The Portege R600 has long been one of our favourite ultraportables and it has now been upgraded with the Portégé R700 – the lightest Intel Core-powered laptop we’ve seen at 1.1kg.

Toshiba claims up to nine hours of battery power will be on offer, but since our review sample was a pre-production unit, we were unable to confirm this.

Despite its tiny form factor, the review sample we saw featured a high-powered Intel Core i7 620M processor and 4096MB of DDR3 memory. Core i3 and i5 models are also planned for release and even at this pre-production stage this is one of the most powerful ultraportables we’ve seen.

During preliminary testing, we found the laptop extremely fast to use, running standard office applications and more demanding programs with ease.

The use of an integrated Intel GMA HD graphics card means even basic multimedia tasks such as photo or video editing are also possible.

Toshiba and Intel have developed what they call Airflow Cooling Technology. This places the core components near the chassis’ edge so that a fan can continually draw cool air into the chassis to be blown over the components to keep them cool.

The system works well in allowing such powerful components to be used inside such a small laptop, but we did notice the left side of the chassis gets quite hot during intensive use.

Resilient design

As well as being thin and light, the chassis is incredibly tough. Only the lid feels flimsy, but is in fact designed to flex under pressure, reducing the risk of cracking.

The 13.3-inch screen uses transflective LED screen technology for optimum visibility indoors and out, and the panel provides great colour and contrast.

Usability is less impressive, although this could be a result of our pre-production test machine, with the isolated-style keyboard proving one of the spongiest we’ve used.

To keep the chassis as light as possible, a 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD) has been used rather than a standard 2.5-inch hard drive. While SSDs are less prone to data loss caused by knocks and bumps and also provide very fast access to your data, the limited storage space is an unfortunate trade-off.

More pleasing is the fact that Toshiba has managed to squeeze a DVD rewriter into such a small laptop, for read/write access to CDs and DVDs.

Connectivity is also top-notch, courtesy of 802.11n Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet. There’s also a 3G module for wireless broadband access.

Even at this pre-production stage, we’re very impressed by the Portege R700. While there are a few minor niggles, we’re confident they will all be resolved for mass-production and this is sure to be a big winner for Toshiba.

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Product: Libretto W105

Manufacturer: Toshiba

Wired Rating: 0

Dedicating half your laptop to 80-odd keys is such a waste of space — at least, that’s the message we’re getting from the new Toshiba Libretto W105. With two 7-inch touchscreens, the 1.2-GHz machine does triple duty as a notebook computer, media player, and e-reader. Juggling serious work? The upper screen presents a typical Windows 7 OS while the lower pane hosts one of six keyboards. Catching up on Modern Family? Fill the top window with Hulu while you cruise Wikipedia for spoilers below. And if you’re feeling literary, turn the Libretto sideways and load up Toshiba’s ebook software. It shows one page on each side, just like the printed books Grandpappy used to read. For those not quite ready to surrender their physical keyboard, Toshiba will still sell plenty of models equipped with those clickety-clack contraptions. Perhaps you’d like one with a floppy disk drive and a 2,800-baud modem?

View full post on Wired Product Reviews

Toshiba’s Portégé R600 range has been a What Laptop favourite for quite some time, thanks to its great usability and resilient, lightweight design. The Portégé R600-149 is the latest model and it’s hard to imagine finding a better business machine at this price.

As soon as you pick it up you’re struck by just how light it is. At just 820g it feels as if there is nothing inside this machine.

With slightly slimmer dimensions than the equally small Fujitsu LifeBook P770, this is a machine built for frequent and comfortable mobile use.

The level of comfort is enhanced by the fantastic keyboard – with large keys and a spacious design, it is flawless to use. All keys respond firmly and accurately, letting you effortlessly type at speed.

Disappointingly, battery life falls below the level we’d hoped for. Running for just 211-minutes, it is bettered by both the Fujitsu LifeBook P770 and Sony VAIO VPC-Z11Z9E/B. While you can work for half a day, we expected a better result from such a light machine.

Performance is more pleasing. While this is the only laptop to use Intel’s older Core 2 Duo technology, rather than the latest Core i5 and i7 processors, there is ample power on offer for most business use. Only more complex multitasking shows the limits of the older CPU.

A unique feature of the R600 is its use of a transflective backlit LED screen. Activated via a small key above the keyboard, it allows maximum visibility indoors and out, letting you work in comfort at all times.

The screen is driven by an integrated Intel graphics card, so performance is in line with the Fujitsu LifeBook P770 and falls far behind the Lenovo ThinkPad T410s. Image quality is strong and while colour and contrast are slightly muted, this is a very comfortable screen to work with.

Facial recognition

A compact camera is fitted above the screen, allowing you to capture basic snapshot photos and stream live video. Toshiba has also implemented facial recognition software, allowing you to log into Windows by looking into the camera.

Where the Portégé R600 is bettered by its rivals, however, is its limited storage. Just 128GB of Solid State Drive storage is provided for carrying your files and could quickly be filled. However, SSDs are much faster than traditional HDDs but have a different set of shortcomings.

In order to maintain the chassis’ light weight, there is also no integrated CD/DVD drive.

Despite the minor shortcomings of its limited features and battery life, the stunningly lightweight dimensions and great usability of the Portégé R600-149 more than compensate.

Unless you need the latest cutting-edge features or the longest battery life, this is a fantastic travel partner and we like it a lot.

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Fujitsu and Toshiba to merge mobile businesses
Japan’s Fujitsu Ltd and Toshiba Corp unveiled plans on Thursday to merge their mobile phone businesses in October to create Japan’s second-biggest cellphone maker in a rapidly shrinking market.

Read more on Reuters via Yahoo! News

Toshiba, Fujitsu Plan to Merge Mobile Phone Businesses
Fujitsu and Toshiba unveiled plans on June 17 to merge their mobile phone businesses in October to create Japan’s second-biggest cell phone maker in a rapidly shrinking market.

Read more on eWeek

(AFX UK Focus) 2010-06-11 03:14 UPDATE 3-Fujitsu, Toshiba in talks to merge mobile ops-sources
By Reiji Murai and Kentaro Hamada

Read more on Interactive Investor

Toshiba’s Satellite U500 Series is aimed at mobile professionals and previous models have impressed us with their blend of style, comfort and quality. The Satellite U500-1EX comes with an impressive range of features and only a couple of flaws that hold it back.

Features are undoubtedly this laptop’s strongest feature. For instance, the 13.3-inch screen is touch-sensitive, so you can prod the display to select options, drag your fingers up and down to scroll through documents or web pages, or even pinch them together to zoom in. Touch control is responsive and great for simply viewing documents or playing basic games.

A standard (but small) touchpad is also available for more traditional control, although this can be turned off via a small button just above it. An LED strip at the top of the pad lights up to show it is active.

There’s also a touch-sensitive multimedia panel above the keyboard for pausing and skipping through songs and videos, and for activating the laptop’s ‘Eco mode’ which immediately reduces power consumption by configuring system power settings.

Usability is generally strong, but the low-quality keyboard lets it down. There’s a considerable amount of flex in the centre and not enough travel, which leaves you hitting the keys hard to overcompensate.

Despite the poor keyboard, build quality is decent, with an attractive, textured finish that prevents fingerprints and scuff marks. The chassis itself is tough, but also just about compact and light enough to carry around.

Unfortunately, you’ll also have to carry the charger, as the battery life of just 165 minutes is below par.

Excellent performance

An Intel Core i3 processor runs the show and provides strong performance. Multitasking is not a problem and the 4096MB of high-speed DDR3 memory allows resource-intensive applications to easily be ran simultaneously. However, only basic gaming will be possible due to the use of an integrated Intel graphics card.

Ports are comprehensive, with an ExpressCard slot for attaching peripherals and VGA and HDMI outputs for connecting an external display. An eSATA port doubles as a Sleep and Charge USB port, with two standard USB ports also included.

Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11n Wi-Fi allow both wired and wireless network connections at the fastest speeds possible, and Bluetooth support is also included as standard.

The Toshiba Satellite U500-1EX’s impressive touchscreen usability and strong range of features lifts it above other laptops of a similar calibre, with the touch-sensitive screen and media bar offering a great means of control. Only the low-quality keyboard and poor battery life let the side down slightly.

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Toshiba’s NB200 netbook stood out with its fantastic usability and sharp, vibrant screen and is now followed by the NB305-105, another worthy entry to the bustling netbook market.

The 10.1-inch LED backlit screen offers a 1024 x 600-pixel resolution and is typically sharp and bright. This helps to counter any reflectivity from the glossy Super-TFT coating. Colours are well reproduced and images are truly a pleasure to view.

Build quality is excellent, with a durable and attractive chassis holding everything together well. We found the lid showed only a slight degree of flex under pressure, while the hinges are reassuringly solid.

Portability

Portability is another of the Toshiba’s strong points, with an impressive 476 minutes of battery life on offer. While its 1.4kg weight means it isn’t the lightest netbook, it is still small and light enough to comfortably carry about every day.

The isolated-style keyboard stretches the length of the chassis and the spaces between keys make touch-typing a breeze. However, we found the spacebar to be unresponsive at times on our test model.

The large touchpad offers a smooth, comfortable action, although can occasionally be brushed by accident.

An energy-saving Atom N450 processor is in place and provides basic office performance for browsing the web or typing up documents.

As with most netbooks, the NB305 uses integrated graphics, which provides decent performance for viewing photos and films.

Three USB ports are available for connecting external devices, with one offering Toshiba’s Sleep and Charge functionality, allowing portable gadgets such as MP3 players to be charged even when the netbook is switched off. 802.11n Wi-Fi provides high-speed wireless network connectivity.

Overall, the NB305 is a well-built machine that is easy to recommend for its excellent battery life and screen.

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While the Portégé range makes up Toshiba’s high-end business laptops, the Satellite Pro range is a business series that caters for those who don’t want to spend thousands on their mobile computing solution.

The Satellite Pro L450- 13R (£380 inc. VAT) is a comfortably usable laptop, but one that falls short of the competition in a few key areas.

The main one is performance – despite costing only a little less than the likes of the Acer Aspire 5732Z-443G32Mn and Samsung R530, the power on offer via the Intel Celeron processor is limiting.

Performance-wise, this machine even falls quite a bit short of the HP here, despite featuring the same processor and same amount of memory. Office applications will run well, but if you plan to multi-task them or run more powerful programs, the machine will start to show lag.

Poor graphics

The same can be said for graphical performance, as this machine also produces less power on this front than the competition, limiting the multimedia usability of the laptop even more.

There’s enough power to watch DVDs, however, and the 15.6-inch screen – although not nearly as bright as the excellent Samsung – is crisp and clear, courtesy of the 1366 x 768-pixel resolution. A shiny Super-TFT screen coating is in place, but suppresses irritating reflections well.

The laptop is well built and the tough plastics provide good protection for the components within. The silver paint scheme employed is attractive in its neutrality, but lacks the impact of the Samsung – some buyers may consider this low-key look a plus, however.

The keyboard impressed us, and the spacious offering here is easy to use. The travel is a little springy, but we found it quick to get used to.

One thing that may put people off, however, is the lack of a dedicated numeric keypad – a very useful feature present on a lot of other laptops at this price.

The laptop provides mixed portability and, while the 2.6kg weight shouldn’t be too much of an issue to carry around, the 173-minute battery life falls slightly short of the three-hour minimum that we expect from machines these days.

The 10/100 Ethernet is joined by 802.11n Wi-Fi and there’s also three USB ports, as well as an HDMI-out port.

The Toshiba Satellite Pro L450-13R is a usable machine, but unless your performance requirements are anything but basic, then you’re going to find the machine slow to use due to its low powered components. In this sense, it’s quite similar to the HP Compaq Presario CQ61-402SA, but the latter boasts more 3D power – amongst other things – to push it just ahead.

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