TOSHIBA NB305 NOW AVAILABLE IN CANADA

These days almost every netbook maker is busy slipping out their Pine Trail powered netbooks. Toshiba is no different. The company has sent some units of its NB305 to a Canadian online retailer. There is no official press release though.

The Toshiba NB305 is available in a blue and brown color design. In design it isn’t much different from the NB205. Specs are as follows:

Processor: Intel Atom N450 clocking at 1.66 GHz
Graphics: GMA 3150 graphics
Display: 10.1 inch display with 1024 x 600 pixels
Memory: 1 GB of RAM
Storage: 250 GB HDD spinning at 5400
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Ethernet 10/100, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

There are 3 USB 2.0 ports, VGA, SDHC reader, 0.3 mega pixel webcam, headphone and microphone jacks. The 6 cell battery is expected to provide up to 11 hours of uptime. The netbook runs Windows 7 Starter.

Pricing and Availability
The machine is now available for $459.99 CAD in Canada.

TOSHIBA TO LAUNCH NB300 NETBOOK WITH WIRELESS 3G

Toshiba has filed documents with FCC for its upcoming netbook – the NB300 - with 3G wireless and GPS capabilities. The Toshiba NB300 will have a 10.1 inch display. The netbook will have a Qualcomm Gobi2000 module for 3G wireless connectivity. It will be compatible with a variety of mobile networks as it supports GPS, EVDO, EDGE, CDMA200 and WCDM/HSPA standards.

No further details are available at the moment. But the netbook is expected to be introduced early next year. It is also likely to have an Intel Atom Pineview chip. In related news, Sony has also filed an FCC application for an updated version of its 10 inch Vaio W netbook with a wireless Gobi module.

VERIZON AND AT&T TO OFFER TOSHIBA NB205 SUBSIDIZED

The 3G enabled Toshiba NB205 is now available subsidized from US wireless carriers Verizon and AT&T. Neither Verizon nor AT&T list NB205 on their websites at the moment, but Best Buy has advertised that the notebook can be purchased at a discounted price if you sign up for a 2-year service contract with Verizon or AT&T.

The Toshiba NB205 starts at $399. It can be bought for $299.99 with an HSPA modem and an AT&T contract for 2 years. For $229.99, you can get the Verizon or Sprint version of the notebook with an integrated EVDO modem. The 3G service contract may cost $40 to $60 per month. That means you will have to spend nearly $1500 over the next two years and you will save around $100 today.

Of course with the service contract you also get a 3G modem worth around $100. This particular model of NB205 ships with Windows XP OS and not Windows 7.

TOSHIBA UNVEILS SATELLITE PRO L450 AND L550 NOTEBOOKS

Toshiba has introduced two laptops aimed at businesses. The Satellite Pro L450 and L550 are expected to deliver decent performance at an affordable price.

The Satellite Pro L450 has a 15.6 inch display. It can be configured with either an Intel Core 2 Duo T5870 processor with 3GB of DDR2 RAM or an Intel Core 2 Duo T6670 processor with 4GB of RAM. The hard disk capacity is 320GB. Prices start at $629.
The L550 has a 17.3 inch display. It is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo T6670 processor with 4GB of DDR2RAM and a 320GB hard disk drive.

Graphics is handled by Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics. As these notebooks are aimed at businesses, there are no discrete graphics cards. Both machines run Windows XP SP3. The L550 is also available with Windows 7 Professional. Prices start at $999.

TOSHIBA INTRODUCES 320GB HARD DRIVE

Toshiba has unveiled a new hard drive that is big in capacity but small in size. The new Toshiba MKxx33GSG hard drives can hold up to 320GB of data and spin at 5400rpm. These are not the highest capacity hard drives out there but they are better than the 160GB and 250GB hard drives usually found in netbooks. The new hard drives measure just 1.8 inches and can easily fit inside an iPod or a super-thin netbook. They are also available in 250GB and 160GB versions.

Manufacturers are trying hard to make devices thinner and lighter. In fact, 1.8 inch hard drives are ideal for use in netbooks less than one inch in thickness and at 5400rpm, the new hard drives are faster than the 4200rpm drives common in netbooks.
A cheaper model, the MK1235GSL, is also available. It can hold 120GB and spins at 4200rpm.

TOSHIBA LAUNCHES NEW BUSINESS CLASS NOTEBOOKS

Toshiba has made new additions to its Satellite Pro and Protégé line of business notebooks. While all the new notebooks offer support for Windows 7, most of them come pre-loaded with Windows XP.

The new additions to the Satellite Pro line have models with 13.3, 15.6 and 17.3 inch display sizes. Prices start at $529. The new Satellite Pro U500 has a 13.3 inch multi-touch screen display. Prices start at $999. The L450 has a 15.6 inch display and starts at $529. The L550 is the bigger model with 17.3 inch display. It starts at $999. All Satellite Pro notebooks run on Intel Core 2 Duo processors with Windows 7.

The Toshiba Protégé M750 is a tablet PC with a better Core 2 Duo processor. It has a 12.1 inch LED-backlit display that accepts both touch and pen input. It comes pre-loaded with Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. A Windows 7 Professional upgrade is also available. Prices start at $1,279.

TOSHIBA INTRODUCES ITS DYNABOOK MX/43 AND DYNABOOK MX/33 NOTEBOOKS

Toshiba has introduced two new additions to the Dynabook family of notebooks. The Toshiba Dynabook MX/43 is a 13.3 inch laptop powered by a dual core Intel CULV processor. The other model Dynabook MX/33 has an 11.6 inch display with 1366x768 pixels. It can compete with similarly sized notebooks such as Dell Inspiron 11z and Acer Aspire 1410. Both machines will run on Windows 7.Detailed specifications are not available.

The Dynabook MX/33 runs on a 1.3GHz Intel Celeron 743 single core CPU. Other specifications include 250GB hard drive and 2GB of RAM.

Pricing and Availability
Both notebooks will be available in Japan from October 22. While the Dynabook MX/43 costs around $1300, the smaller MX/33 will have a price tag of $1000.

TOSHIBA ANNOUNCES TOUCH SCREEN NOTEBOOKS SATELLITE M505 AND U505

Toshiba has announced the launch of two touch screen notebooks. These devices will run on Windows 7.

The new touch screen notebooks will be called Satellite M505 and Satellite U505. Both notebooks will feature the Toshiba LifeSpace software package which provides users with a ‘Bulletin Board’ full of ‘touch’ features. Another useful feature is the ‘ReelTime’ software which gives a visual history with which users can find files based on when they were opened.

The M505 comes with a 14 inch display. It is due to be released on October 22nd. It will be powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 2.2GHz processor, integrated 4500MHD graphics, 4GB RAM and a 500GB HDD. The U505 is due to be released on November 1. It will have a 13.3 inch display with similar specifications.

The M505 is expected to cost around $949.99, while the U505 will sell for $1,049.99.

TOSHIBA UNVEILS NB205-N330 NETBOOK WITH WINDOWS 7

Toshiba has unveiled a new NB205-N330 netbook. It is actually an update to the previous NB205-N310. Both models have great keyboards and touchpads. They also offer excellent battery life. There are, nevertheless, a few things that make the new model different.

Unlike the NB205-N310 which runs on Windows XP, The NB205-N330 will ship with Windows 7 Starter Edition. The NB205-N330 also has a larger 250GB hard drive. Toshiba claims that it will offer up to 9 hours of battery life.

The device will be available from October 22nd, the launch date of Windows 7. Toshiba’s decision to go with the Windows 7 Starter Edition has helped keep the price down. Actually the NB205-N330 starts at $399.99. On the flip side, the Starter Edition doesn’t offer many features found in the higher end versions of the OS.

TOSHIBA ANNOUNCES ITS QOSMIS X500 GAMING NOTEBOOK

Toshiba has announced its Qosmis X500 gaming notebook. It is powered by an Intel Core i7 processor.
The Qosmis X500 has a large 18.4 inch full HD 1920x1080 TruBright display. The Core i7 2.80GHz Quad core processor is fast enough to deliver a stellar performance. It can play any game and decode HD media with minimal efforts. The graphics option is a Nvidia GeForce GTX 250MNV discrete GPU with 1GB memory.

Up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM can be installed on this laptop. The storage options are twin 500GB hard drives. Other features include Blu-ray player, Wi-Fi b/g/n, an HDMI port, three USB 2.0 ports, eSATA, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and Harmon Kardon stereo speakers.

TOSHIBA P505 MULTIMEDIA NOTEBOOK REVIEW

The Toshiba Satellite P505 is a powerful multimedia notebook equipped with ATI Radeon HD 4650 discrete GPU and a gigantic 18.4" display. It offers dual drives for optimal performance and storage.

Toshiba Satellite P505-S8950 Specifications:
Operating system: Windows Vista Home Premium (SP1)
Display: 18.4 inch 1680 x 945 HD+ TruBrite Display (Glossy)
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 with 1GB GDDR2
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 (2.53GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 3MB Cache)
Memory: 6GB DDR2-800 RAM
Storage: 64GB Toshiba SSD + 320GB 7200RPM Hitachi
Retail Price: $1,599

Build and Design
With its 18.4 inch display the P505 looks really gigantic. The machine weighs over 11lbs and isn’t very portable. The glossy black pinstripe finish on the exterior of the notebook lends it a classy look. Build quality is satisfactory, but the weight and width of the notebook does make it susceptible to some flex. The screen hinges also don’t appear really tight, but that is nothing surprising considering the heavy screen.

Each hard drive has its own individual bay. There are easy access panels to both hard drive bays and memory slots. So upgrading components wouldn’t be an issue.

Screen and Speakers
The display panel comes with a resolution of 1680x945. The panel itself is very good: colors are bright and vivid. But the glossy display makes reflections a huge problem when you work in a bright setting. Vertical viewing angles are average but horizontal viewing angles are satisfactory.

The P505 comes with a Harman/kardon sound system. The speaker performance is quite impressive. It is more than adequate for watching a movie or listening to music.

Keyboard and Touchpad
There is a full-size keyboard and keypad. There is also a 1 inch wide touch sensitive multimedia key section on this notebook. The keyboard has an easy-to-follow layout and is very comfortable to type on. The large touchpad is a Synaptics model, but its performance seemed lacking.


Ports and Features
Port selection is good. There are three USB ports, one eSATA/USB combo port, FireWire, VGA-out, LAN, HDMI, SD-Card slot and audio jacks. Other features include slot-Loading DVD SuperMulti, Intel 5100AGN, Bluetooth v2.1 Atheros AR8131 1GB Ethernet and built-in web camera.

Performance
Performance is quite snappy thanks to the Intel P8700processor, ATI Mobility HD 4650 GPU and Toshiba 64GB SSD. Boot times are minimal. Multimedia performance is good. It can easily handle 1080p HD video content. This is not a dedicated gaming notebook, but you can still play most games on this system.

Heat and Noise
The P505 has a large chassis which allows plenty of airflow that keeps the system cool. Noise levels are also within normal limits.

Battery Life
The P505 is equipped with a large 12-cell battery (6-cell option is also available) with a capacity of 100Wh. At around 4.5 hours, the battery life is quite good for a notebook of this size and capacity.

Conclusion
The 18.4 inch Toshiba Satellite P505 is an excellent desktop replacement laptop. It is good at handling most tasks. You can watch HD video and play most modern games. The touchpad performance isn’t very good, but that problem can be solved by using an external mouse.

Pros:
Amazing speaker system
Good battery life
Snappy performance

Cons:
Heavy
Average touchpad

TOSHIBA UNVEILS SATELLITE T115 NOTEBOOK

Toshiba has unveiled a new notebook in the Satellite line – the T115. The Satellite T115 is equipped with an 11.6 inch widescreen display. It is available in Nova Red and Nova Black.

Toshiba Satellite T115 specifications:
Display: 11.6-inch diagonal widescreen HD TruBrite LED Backlit display
Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium operating system
Processor: Intel Pentium processor SU4100 or Intel Celeron processor 7433
Memory: Upto 4GB of DDR3 RAM
Storage: 250GB 5400 rpm HDD

The T115 is a ‘green’ laptop. It features a mercury-free LED backlit display. It also meets the requirements of the EnergyStar 5.0 standard.

Features
The T115 has a full-sized keyboard. The touchpad supports multi-touch controls such as two-finger pinch, rotate, scroll and swipe.

Other features include 802.11b/g/n wireless and 10/100 Ethernet, one eSATA/USB combo port with USB sleep-and-charge and two USB ports, HDMI port, 5-in-1 memory card reader, built-in webcam, stereo speakers and microphone. Built-in Wireless N technology and Bluetooth are also available on select models.

Pricing and Availability
The Toshiba Satellite T115 starts at $449.99. It will be available from October 22.

TOSHIBA UNVEILS ITS SATELLITE T135 NOTEBOOK

Toshiba has unveiled a new ultrathin laptop – The Satellite T135. It is equipped with a 13.3 inch HD TruBrite LED backlit display.

The notebook runs on the Windows 7 Operating system and can be configured with either an Intel Pentium SU4100 processor or an Intel Pentium SU2700 processor. Up to 8GB of RAM can be installed. The standard storage option is a 250GB hard disk drive (upgradable to 500GB) spinning at 5400 rpm. Other features include one eSATA/USB combo port and two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI port, built-in webcam, stereo speakers, microphone, 5-in-1 Memory Card Reader Slot, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 10/100 Ethernet, and Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR.

The 6-cell battery is expected to deliver 9 hours of uptime.

Pricing and availability
The Satellite T135 has a starting price of $599.99. It is expected to hit the stores on October 27.

TOSHIBA INTRODUCES ITS WIRELESS USB DOCKING STATION

Toshiba has introduced a universal wireless USB docking station dubbed Dynadock. It will work with all Windows based computers. Unlike traditional docking stations, the Dynadock does not have to be attached to the laptop by a cable. Peripheral devices that require wireless access to the notebook (e.g. keyboards, mice, speakers, monitors etc.) can be connected to the dock.

The Dynadock comes with a wireless adapter. It has 6 USB ports and an integrated 7.1 surround sound card. It supports VGA and DVI monitors having up to 1680x1050 resolution. It is now available for $299.99.

TOSHIBA RELEASES 640GB HARD DRIVE

Disk maker Toshiba has announced a 640GB hard disk spinning at 5400rpm. Rival disk maker Hitachi already has a 500GB 2.5 inch hard drive spinning at 7200rpm.

The Toshiba drive has a data density of 528.5 GB per square inch, and because of this high density it can reach the full capacity on just two storage platters. Toshiba claims that such high density makes the drive more environment friendly as less carbon dioxide is released during its making.

The new drive comes with 8MB of buffer memory. It will be available in different capacities of 500GB, 320GB, 250GB and 160GB.

7-INCH TOSHIBA JOURNE TABLET PLAYS HD VIDEO

Toshiba unveiled a new 7-inch touch screen tablet at IFA in Germany. The device called JournE is powered by an ARM-based processor and runs on the Windows CE 6.0 Pro operating system. The touch screen has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels.

Through its HDMI output the JournE can play back sub-1080p video or full HD video. It supports a wide range of codecs including H.264, DivX and WMV. Other features of this tablet include Wi-Fi (b/g) and 1 GB of storage. There is also an SD card slot for expanding the storage space.

The JournE measures just 14mm in thickness. It is expected to be released in the fourth quarter of this year. It will cost around €249.

TOSHIBA RELEASES DUCATI BRANDED U500 SATELLITE NOTEBOOK

The Toshiba Satellite U500 Ducati branded notebook has extremely nice features. Toshiba has armed this 13.3 inch ultraportable machine with high end hardware and a unique design.

The U500 runs on the Centrino 2 platform with an Intel Core 2 duo P8700 2.53 GHz processor and 4GB RAM. For good graphics performance there is an ATI Radeon HD 4570 512MB discrete graphics card. The standard number of ports including a slot loading DVD burner are there.

The design is attractive with a textured surface and a little Ducati badge. Toshiba has not yet revealed the detailed specifications, but it is expected to come with Windows 7 Operating System.

There is no information regarding the availability or pricing. But the machine is expected to cost more than similar notebooks in the market because of its Ducati branding.

TOSHIBA P500 TO HAVE BLU-RAY

The Toshiba Satellite P500 will be available from October. This multimedia PC has an 18.4 inch LCD display with 1920x1080p resolution. A cool addition to this notebook is the Blu-ray drive which is seldom seen on Toshiba notebooks.

The P500 runs on an Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4GB of DDR memory. The maximum hard drive capacity is 500GB. As this is a multimedia PC, there is a NVIDIA discrete graphics card. Other features include 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 eSATA/USB combo port, HDMI REGZA, a 5-in-1 card reader, Express Card slot, FireWire and integrated Harman Kardon speakers. For connectivity there is Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.

No information regarding prices is available now.

TOSHIBA PLANS MORE LOW-COST LAPTOPS

Toshiba will soon release more laptops that would sell for under $600. The Japanese company currently sells four budget models – one netbook and three laptops - in its Satellite line and plans to expand it to six. The new laptops will be offered in the same budget category. They are likely to be sold in the US and Europe first.

Toshiba, a late entrant in the lost-cost laptops and netbooks market, seems to have finally realized the potential of this sector. Surveys show that netbooks are rapidly gaining popularity. Almost 6 million netbooks – 20% of the market for laptops - were shipped in the first quarter of the year as against the 1 million netbooks sold in the first quarter of last year.

TOSHIBA MINI NB205

Toshiba has finally entered the Netbook market with Mini NB205. This slick-looking laptop is available in four colors: white, blue, brown and pink.

System Configuration

Processor 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280
Memory 1GB, 800MHz DDR2
Hard drive 160GB 5,400rpm
Chipset Intel 945GSE
Graphics Intel GMA 950 (integrated)
Operating system Windows XP
Display: 10.1 inch

Design, Keyboard and Touchpad
The design is distinct- it does manage to stand out from other netbooks in the market. The keyboard has widely spaced, raised keys similar to those found on traditional full size laptops. The touchpad is even better. It is bigger for a 10 inch netbook. The 10.1 inch wide-screen display offers 1024x600 native resolution. There are 3 USB ports. Other connectivity options include Bluetooth.

A very useful feature of this netbook is the sleep-and-charge technology. With this technology you can charge USB devices from that port, even when the laptop is sleeping, hibernating or off. The speaker performance is lack-lustre.

Performance
The Toshiba NB205 uses the slightly faster N280 version of Intel’s Atom processor. But performance isn’t significantly better than that offered by other netbooks using a low-end processor. You will still have no problem performing basic tasks like web surfing and word processing. At 6 plus hours the battery life is quite impressive.

Pros:
Distinctive design
Large touchpad
Impressive battery life

Cons:
Bulky battery – it sticks out awkwardly
Poor speaker performance – you can hardly hear anything