Filed under: Tablet PCs

Earlier this month, Mr. Khalil Zaidan of Portland, Oregon, sued Acer, Gateway, Toshiba, HP, IBM, and Fujitsu for violating his 1996 patent “Hinge Assembly for Electronic Devices.” A closer reading of the patent indicates that Zaidan seems to have patented the basic principle behind a tablet PC, allowing a computer to perform “rotational adjustment.” Still, the case — filed in United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division — seems like a pretty easy way to milk these big companies for some cash, given that tablet PCs have been around well before November 2006. Nevertheless, while Zaidan is asking the court for damages on patent infringement be decided in a jury trial, we’re betting that this gets settled out-of-court pretty quick. We’re pretty sure that if Zaidan could actually build a Commodore 64-esque tablet (that’s what his diagram is supposed to represent, right?), he could just make money from that instead of going through all this legal nonsense.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

The last time we mentioned Toshiba’s M400, it was rocking a lowly Core Solo processor and a 1,024 x 768 resolution LCD, but now Toshiba is upping the ante on the convertible by tossing in a Core 2 Duo chip along with HSDPA technology. Aside from receiving a 2GHz Intel T7200 CPU, the upgraded machine also sports a 12.1-inch SXGA+ display, 80GB SATA drive, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, dual-layer DVD burner, integrated stereo speakers, and the obligatory built-in UMTS / HSDPA SIM card slot for that 3G goodness we all know and love. Moreover, the Portege M400-3G touts a PCMCIA slot, 4-pin FireWire connector, S-Video / VGA outputs, 5-in-1 flash card reader, gigabit Ethernet, 56k modem, integrated WiFi / Bluetooth, and a trio of USB 2.0 ports to boot. It will reportedly also feature a “slice expansion battery” to prolong its life while computing out in the wild. While Toshiba hasn’t leaked any information on pricing, we do know that this svelte convertible will be hitting Middle Eastern shores in “Q1 2007,” but we sure hope Tosh brings the goods over to this side of the pond soon after.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Laptops

Sorry to kick y’all laptop owners when you’re down, but Sony announced that it’s initiating another recall of 340,000 batteries, this time adding Gateway to the list of the affected, in addition to already-affected Fujitsu, Toshiba, and its own batteries. (It’s not immediately apparent if this also includes the 300,000 batteries of their own that they recalled earlier this month.) There are a ton of models being recalled for each company, so we’d ask you visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission for full details; also, if you haven’t already checked your battery, please note the following companies are now initiating recalls:

• Apple
• Dell
• Fujitsu
• Gateway
• Hitachi
• IBM / Lenovo
• Panasonic
• Sharp
• Sony
• Toshiba

Kind of scary, but at this rate it’s probably just safest to assume that no matter what your notebook, your battery is or will be recalled — so be wary, and keep an eye out for battery recall pages.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Laptops

Now that the bulk of major laptop manufacturers have copped to battery problems and initiated recall plans, it’s time for the finger-pointing to begin. First up is Sony’s fellow Japanese manufacturer Toshiba, whose spokesperson has fired a warning shot across its competitor’s bow with threats to seek compensation related to the aftermath of this ugly incident. Toshiba is claiming that the faulty batteries have tarnished the reputation of its brand and consequently hurt sales, with Sony the obvious target of its efforts to recoup lost revenue. This is one development that we’ll be watching closely, because if money changes hands here, you can bet that everyone else will want a piece of the pie too — and right now, that’s exactly what Sony doesn’t need.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Displays

If you’re guilty on numerous counts of projector envy, and don’t feel like sharpening up your DIY skills to build your own rig, Toshiba has finally unveiled an option that just may cure your coveting. The TDP-S35U takes a small step down in specs from it’s T45U counterpart, but manages to take a nosedive in the oh-so-critical price department. Sporting a silver case adequate for any board / living room scenario, the 6.6-pound mobile projector rocks an SVGA resolution, 2000:1 contrast ration, 2000 ANSI lumens, DLP technology, and a wireless remote to boot. The selection of ports aren’t too shabby either, as it manages to boast dual VGA inputs, composite / S-Video connectors, audio inputs / outputs, and a VGA passthrough to forward the signal onto an additional display. Most importantly, however, the TDP-S35U can deliver that big screen delectation for just $699 when begins shipping later this month.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Home Entertainment

If you’re a gadget freak on a budget, and/or someone who prefers to archive your recorded shows in DivX format so you can cram more of ‘em onto a single DVD, then Toshiba has the product for you. Their new ¥14,000 ($118) SD-580J DVD player will handle those DivX 3/4/5/6 files and serve ‘em all up via beautiful HDMI. Or if you’re too cheap for that, then you’ve your normal array of secondary options: optical sound, composite video, or S-Video. Additionally, if you’ve got a few VHS tapes kicking around in your closet and want some DivX capability, Toshiba also has its new SD-V700 player, a DVD / VHS hybrid — but even though this will set you back ¥20,000 ($170) — it appears you’ll have to suffer without HDMI for now.

[Via Engadget Japanese]

Read – SD-580J
Read – SD-V700

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Laptops

Hooray, Lenovo has joined the battery recall party! For those of you keeping score at home, that brings the number of manufacturers to five, including Apple, Panasonic, Toshiba and Dell. The recall, anounced today, affects nearly 170,000 batteries in the US, and over 350,000 additionally worldwide, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. The USCPSC also says that the recall was triggered by Lenovo’s confirmation of the battery that exploded at LAX a few weeks ago and that this latest battery recall affects the following ThinkPad notebook computers “sold between February 2005 and September 2006: T Series (T43, T43p, T60); R Series (R51e, R52, R60, R60e); and X Series (X60, X60s).” Furthermore, Lenovo has put out a press release stating: “Additionally, since these batteries can also be used with ThinkPad T4x Series or ThinkPad R5x Series systems, customers who ordered an extra battery or received a replacement battery for any ThinkPad T4x or ThinkPad R5x Series notebook PC between February 2005 and September 2006 may also have a battery subject to recall.” Now, Alan Cox’s exploded ThinkPad 600 isn’t part of the list, which leads us to believe that this isn’t the last we’ve heard about Sony’s exploding battery fiasco.

Read – US Consumer Product Safety Commission

[Thanks, JJL]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Laptops

Aight everybody, we’ve got a fresh one comin’ through here. Sony’s faulty cells apparently made their way into Toshiba Satellite and Dynabook machines — apparently about 340,000 units in all — which are being recalled. (For reference, thus far we’ve racked up Apple, Dell, and Panasonic.) The upshot is that according to Toshiba, no one’s been hurt and no explosions have been caused by their machines (yet). Unfortunately not much other information is readily available at this time, but we’ll be sure to hit you back with the exact models, dates, cell identification numbers, and the rest before somebody’s Satellite falls out of orbit and we get massive guilt complexes for not doing our duty as servants to the battery-using public.

[Thanks, Dave]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

We’ve already seen these players get dolled up for their European release as the HD-E1 and HD-XE1, but now Toshiba is showing some love for North America with their new HD-A2 and HD-XA2 HD DVD players. No real surprises in this A1/XA2 followup, and not a whole lot of spec love. The main enhancement goes the the XA2, which can now output a full 1080p resolution, and includes HDMI version 1.3 for enhanced color and sound thanks to the doubled bandwidth. The best news is the pricetags: the HD-A2 will be out in October for $500, while the HD-XA2 should follow in December for $1,000. Not quite free, but a whole lot better than our friends over in Europe fared.

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Displays

Toshiba’s got a new projector for those who spend more time in the conference room than the comfort of a home theater. The TLP-X3000U LCD model pumps out a standard XGA (1024 x 768) resolution at a bright 3,000 lumens, which should be enough for you to leave the lights on while you rock your PowerPoint presentations — though the rather paltry 400:1 contrast ratio would seem to preclude any use in a serious home theater setup. The projector also packs what Toshiba calls a “blackboard” function, which’ll adjust the color when projecting on something other than a screen, as well as password protection and a key-lock to prevent unauthorized use. This one will set you back — or should we say set your expense account back — a not unreasonable $1,739.

[Via About Projectors]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

Much like Pioneer, Samsung is still bumming us out by not whipping up a combo Blu-ray and HD DVD player. But good ol’ Sammy is announcing its first Blu-ray player, the BD-P1000, to be released in Europe in October 2006, with price estimates reaching €1,400. It’s due to go head-to-head with Toshiba’s HD-E1 and HD-XE1, which ares due to come out the following month. Guys, can’t we bury this hatchet already and just settle this war? It’s obvious that building a hybrid player is entirely possible, and to motivate you to get on it we’re officially going to sulk and go on hunger strike. Go on, try us.

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Well, well, well — it seems that Toshiba’s been up to more in the portable media space lately than just helping Microsoft out with the Zune manufacturing. In fact, ole Tosh has been working on a DTV-less version of its Japanese OneSeg-capable 30GB V30T; shake off the TV tuner, and you’ve got America’s own MEV30K. This model borrows many of its features from the popular S series — including Microsoft’s Portable Media Center software, WMV9, WMV10, and PlaysForSure video playback, plus support for MP3, WMA, WMA lossless, WAV, and Windows DRM 9 / 10 audio files — but, like the V30T, tosses what will probably be some well-received spec bumps into the mix. Besides the addition of a built-in speaker, the main changes here involve screen size and battery life: the V30K sports a 3.5-inch TFT LCD (compared to the 2.5-incher on the S, though both share the same QVGA resolution) and promises up to 8 hours of video or 25 hours of audio playback on a full charge (as opposed to the meager 2.5 and 12 hour lifespans for video and audio, respectively, on the S). We’re sure that there are more than few people interested in this stamina-filled $400 Gigabeat, so the good news is that pre-ordering begins today through Crutchfield and Amazon, though a nationwide rollout is not expected until sometime in October. Let the iPod comparisons commence!

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Filed under: Storage

We’re not so massively fond of the whole U3 machine-independent application and computing package thing, but if there’s one thing we can get behind, it’s a big ol’ damned flash memory drive. Toshiba’s new TransMemory line, which they’re launching in November in sizes from 512MB to 4GB, are all well and good, but only the 16GB Limited Edition due in December would have gotten get us through the year (what with the occasional Vista build and Leopard beta and all). Of course, as with the other 8GB+ flash memory drives, we leave it to Toshiba to ensure we aren’t extorted for five or more figures in order to get our unworthy hands on one.

[Via FarEastGizmos]

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Filed under: HDTV, Laptops

It’s not a whole huge production outfitting today’s (or shall we say yesterday’s) laptops with Core 2 Duo processors, which are for the most part compatible with previous Core Duo systems. Still, between the easy upgrade path and the marginal performance increase and power savings, that doesn’t mean we’re not stoked to report the Qosmio series now features the G35-AV660, the first laptop we’ve seen with an HD DVD drive paired up with a Core 2 Duo T7200 (perhaps they mean T2700?) processor. Which is good, too, because you’re going to need all the horsepower you can get when you’re pumping 1080p content on that 17-inch 1920 x 1200 Ultimate TruBrite display; otherwise you can expect a 256MB GeForce Go 7600 graphics adapter, 240GB SATA RAID, 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR, gigabit Ethernet, finger print reader, four USB 2.0 ports, ExpressCard, PC card, 1394, S-Video in and out, 5-in-1 media adapter, and best of all, a tiny, completely affordable $3500 price tag. Yes, we’re being sarcastic, but for the same price you’ve got your Blu-ray equivalent, so take your pick. More pics after the break.

[Thanks, El_Matarife]

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Filed under: Displays, Wireless

Toshiba unveiled their latest conference room projector today, the TDP-TW100U, an otherwise run-of-the-mill unit made a bit more notable thanks to the built-in wireless networking. Listing at a fairly reasonable $1,699, the DLP projector will pump out your presentations at 1024 x 768 resolution with 2,700 ANSI lumens and a respectable 2,000:1 contrast ratio, and it’ll do it with a minimum of cables, of course, thanks to that 802.11b/g WiFi. It comes up a bit short in terms of inputs though, with only one S-Video, one RCA composite, and two plain-old VGA ports, making it quite a bit less appealing for anyone thinking of using it for home theater purposes. It does, however, have a USB port that’ll let you deliver a full presentation with nothing more than a USB thumb drive. If that’s enough for ya, you can get your hands of one of these now.

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Filed under: Laptops

Toshiba’s introduced a whole raft of revisions to its Qosmio and Dynabook lines of laptops adding, on the Qosmio at least, terrestrial digital TV tuner capabilities. Leading the pack is the Qosmio F30, available in black or white, and loaded with a 1.66HGz Core Duo T2300 CPU, 128MB GeForce Go 7300 graphics card, 1GB RAM (maximum 2GB), 160GB hard drive, terrestrial digital/analog TV tuner, and 802.11b/g WiFi. It’ll set you back a full ¥260,000 (about $2,260 US). On the Dynabook side of things, the AX, TX, CX, and SS MX models all get spec bumps, ranging from 1.46GHz Celeron M 410 to 1.66GHz Core Duo T2300 processors, and with prices coming in at ¥160,000 ($1,400 US) on the low end up to ¥200,000 ($1,740 US) for Dynabook SS MX, which also happens to be the smallest and lightest laptop of the lot. They all should be available in mid-to-late August.

[Via Impress]

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Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

We hate to up the pundit wars, but we aren’t the ones that released the same titles on both Blu-ray and HD DVD — Warner Home Video did. Thanks to them though, the two high-def camps can now size up their formats mano-a-mano via Training Day, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Rumor Has It. HighDefDigest took the 1080i Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD player along with the noisy 1080p Samsung BDP-1000 Blu-ray player and hooked ‘em up to their HP Pavilion reference HDTV via HDMI. All three titles suffered from similar issues of extra noise on the Blu-ray side, and appeared just a tad darker then their HD DVD counterparts. An issue with cropping also popped up that we highly doubt anyone would notice unless they too have both players side by side, but the reviewers noticed less of a picture on all three Blu-ray titles even though they shared the same advertised aspect ratios as the HD DVDs. This brings up the question however, if this cropping is caused by the Blu-ray format, a bad Blu-ray master, or the Samsung player? We are willing to bet on latter most of the three, but we won’t be able to find out until Pioneer or Panasonic releases their first Blu-ray players somtime in the next few months. No matter how you spin it, the HD DVD fanboys have something to celebrate as they walked away from this first scuffle without so much as a bloody nose.

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Filed under: Software, Others, Sanyo, KDDI, Misc

Symbian, Windows Mobile, ALP, and NTT DoCoMo's Linux consortium apparently aren't enough, and KDDI's thinking there's room for at least one more mobile platform in the world. The Japanese carrier has rounded up Qualcomm, Sanyo, and Toshiba to get cracking on a brand new OS with initial commercial availability coming toward the end of 2007. The platform, which KDDI would presumably like to eventually drop on most or all of its models, will include the operating system itself plus software for messaging, "wireless applications," and "running cameras." We reckon these folks' efforts would be better spent hooking up with NTT DoCoMo on their platform, but corporate egos being what they are -- well, let's just say we don't see KDDI jumping on that bandwagon any time soon.

[Via The Register]

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Filed under: Storage

With Toshiba and Panasonic having already unveiled their respective 4GB SDHC cards, you didn’t really think that industry powerhouse SanDisk would be too far behind, did you? For the uninitiated, SDHC (or SD 2.0, as it’s also known) is a new FAT32-compliant format designed for capacities up to 32GB, with cards that look exactly like regular SD models, but that won’t work in any but the newest of digital devices. SanDisk’s offering — available sometime before the end of the month — is rated as a Class 2 card, meaning that it guarantees a minimum transfer rate of 2MB per second. The $200 pricetag also gets you a “free” MicroMate card reader, which is not only handy but vital to making the most out of your new card, as the SD readers you currently own won’t have any idea what to do with this thing.

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Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Being an early-adopter is risky business -- especially when the product in question costs $1,000 and is embroiled in a so-called format war -- so the opinions of experienced reviewers are key in helping folks to decide whether or not to take the Blu-ray plunge, and whether Samsung's BD-P1000 is the machine to do it with. Luckily PCMag has a thorough write-up which not only discusses the merits and detriments of the player itself, but looks at the format as a whole to determine what type of consumer would actually benefit from next-gen optical devices in the first place. The review basically boils down to this: if you have a high definition TV larger than 42-inches, then you'll definitely notice a difference between Blu-ray and standard or upscaled DVDs, and the Samsung does a good job delivering the picture quality that Blu-ray is capable of. However, this particular reviewer also feels that Toshiba's HD-A1 HD DVD player -- at half the price -- has a slight edge in the picture department, although the P1000's uncompressed audio and ease-of-setup are judged to be superior. Ultimately the decision comes down to personal preferences, so you'll probably want to give both devices a thorough going-over at the store (even if you're buying online); as for us, we're just hoping that Ricoh gets that dual format laser out the door poste haste, so we never have to make a choice at all.

[Via Digital Media Thoughts]

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Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Lately it's been the Blu-ray camp cruelly torturing us with product delays, but in a refreshing change of pace, today it's rival format HD DVD's main proponent Toshiba announcing that a next-gen optical disc device won't be shipping as scheduled. Unlike Sony's procrastination in releasing the PS3 and BDP-S1, though, Toshiba claims that it only needs two more weeks to get its RD-A1 HD DVD recorder out the door, citing inadequate inventory stemming from component shortages as the reason for putting off tomorrow's scheduled launch. Since this model, with its 1TB storage capacity and OTA digital tuner, is only headed for Japan anyway, the delay probably doesn't concern the vast majority of our American readers -- nor most Japanese, for that matter, as the $3,500 pricetag will likely dissuade all but the most fervent early-adopters.

[Via HDBeat]

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As companies such as Toshiba, Samsung and LG allude to dual-format Blu-ray and HD DVD players, Ricoh jumps in with a tiny optical device that makes a goes-both-ways player easier to execute. The company said it has created a 3.5mm diffraction plate that can rock pretty much any format, including Blu-ray, HD DVD, DVD and CD without the need for multiple pickups and lenses. Ricoh will offer the technology to all takers by the end of this year.

A spokesman for the company also said this diffraction device, which will sit between the laser and objective lens, will make it possible to not only build switch-hitting players that can deal with all the optical formats, but recorders as well. Ricoh said it will offer the device for players first, and burners will come along later as soon as blue lasers with higher power are rolled out. By then, hard disks will be so cheap the entire issue of burning data onto slow, removable media—regardless of its format—will be irrelevant. – Charlie White

Optical device could help read most disk formats [EE Times, via digg]

Filed under: Desktops, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Laptops, Media PCs

With all of the time and money that Hollywood and the consumer electronics industry have poured into copy-protecting high definition content, we were amused to learn that both formats can already be duplicated by the simplest of means: the trusty Print Screen button on your keyboard. UK-based Heise Security is reporting that the special OEM version of Intervideo's WinDVD software bundled with both Sony's first Blu-ray Vaio and Toshiba's first HD DVD Qosmio contains a security hole that allows users to capture video frames at their full resolution by simply triggering that Print Screen option -- which in and of itself is little more than a curiosity, but opens up the possibility of running a script that advances a given film one frame at a time and automates the whole screencap process, which would allow pirates to create high def copies by compiling the pictures and dubbing in the audio. Toshiba is already aware of the "problem" and claims that an impending software update will provide the fix, but as one HDBeat commenter astutely pointed out, as long as you can see a picture on your monitor or hear sound through your speakers, there will always be a way to capture that data.

[Via HDBeat]

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Nothing starts the day like a freshly squeezed Apple rumor, right? Well you’re looking at 10 supposed iPod (and one iPhone?) “redesigns” which AppleInsider extracted from the bowels of a European trademark and design office. Credited to Andre K. Bartley, an Apple interface designer with several iPod-related patent filings in the US and Europe under his belt, these designs were registered in January 2006 without any descriptive data. We don’t doubt the authenticity of this filing, however, what’s hard to stuff down the ol’ pie-hole is the idea of Apple walking away from its much loved, and oft imitated, click-wheel interface for the iPod as AI suggests. And certainly not in favor of a Gigabeat e(S)que cross-hair controller or uh, Creative’s scroll strip. Considering Apple’s long history of litigation over interface design, we’re probably just looking at some legal maneuvering here. Next.

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Filed under: Gaming, HDTV, Home Entertainment

If you were hoping to reduce some living room clutter by slapping an internal HD DVD drive in that Xbox 360, think again, jack. Microsoft just put the kibosh on a certain Toshiba exec’s “prediction” that those external HD DVD drives Microsoft was showing off at E3 would find their way integrated into future 360 consoles. In an official statement, Microsoft says they have no plans to integrate the HD DVD drive because they “feel that offering the drive externally is the best way to give consumers the ultimate choice to create their own high definition experiences.” Well, that’s pretty clear. However, BD believers could interpret that statement to hint at possible support for an external Blu-ray Disc drive — afterall, that would be the ultimate choice, right? Hell, the next-gen format war is anybody’s game at this point so why lock yourself into a format which might lose, or even morph into a unified offering? It’s not like Microsoft’s alone in hedging their bets now are they?

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