Day 4 of our Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 nominees round-up give us a chance to look at what many of us are using right now - laptops. So, before you head over to the voting page to mark your choices, here's a little run down of our pick of the crop for the year.

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Apple MacBook Pro

Type

13-inch portable/multimedia

Release date

08/06/09

Price

?899/?1149

PL review rating

9/10

It was more or less inevitable that one of the year's Macs would make it into the shortlist and it was the dubbing of the "Pro" title to the smaller end of the MacBook range that did it for us in 2009. What it means is a high performance spec set and typically beautiful Apple design on something nice and portable. At 13" it's an excellent size for both home or on your knees and the seamless aluminium deck and neat cut-outs for the various ports and connectors give a premium finish that other manufacturers just don't achieve.

Under the hood, you get the choice of the cheaper 2.26GHz/2GB RAM/160GB model or the 2.53GHz/4GB/250GB for a few pennies more. Both come with a bright and glossy 1280 x 800px? LED backlit screen and an Nvidia GeForce 9400M GPU for high quality HD playback. The non-removable battery is a bit of a grind - particularly as that 7 hours of reported battery life is only with the screen at 50% but you can't have everything. The whole things is topped off by the welcome addition of an SD card and backlit keyboard for easier use on flights etc. A very solid, attractive and usable contender for this year's award. Simply put, it oozes quality.

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Sony Vaio Z

Type

13.1-inch ultra-portable

Price

?2159

PL review rating

9/10

Fighting in a similar same space as the 13-inch Pro is the same sized Sony Vaio Z. Strangely though it makes the Apple computer look cheap at around double the cost. What you're paying for though is a fantastically light 1.5kg carbon fibre and magnesium body built for mobile use. It has an isolated keyboard, much like the MacBook, but a superior 1600 x 900 pixels LED backlit screen that's simply one of the best around with its curious matte/gloss hybrid finish.

Lurking within is a powerful combo of an Intel 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo processor, an Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS and 4096MB of high speed DDR3 memory all backed up with a luxury 128GB SSD. As with the Pro, there's also a DVD/CD drive plus an SD slot and also a direct HDMI port rather than the adaptor needed for the Apple machine. Yes, this thing is more expensive and actually doesn't even offer much in the way of battery life but it's sexy as hell and light as a feather. Very hard to walk past in the shops without anoooh and an ahhhh.

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Dell Adamo XPS

Type

13.4-inch ultra-portable

Release date

Any time now

Price

?1799

PL review rating

9/10

The real head turner for 2009 has to be the Dell Adamo XPS. Not content with throwing us one version of the new luxury sub-brand, Dell went and invented the thinnest computer known to man with this 9.9mm curiously folding PC. That's thinner than a CD case.

Frankly, the rest of the specs are a footnote but, if you're interested, what you get for whatever portion of the money is left is an Intel Core 2 Duo ULV (1.4GHz) processor, 4GB DDR3-800MHz and a Solid State 128GB. There's only integrated graphics to play with plus a non-Full HD 1366 x 768 LED screen and a thoroughly disappointing 2.5 hours battery life. But if you can cope with the last parts, you can still feel safe that you're buying an incredible work of design.

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Toshiba NB200

Type

10.1-inch netbook

Release date

23/4/09

Price

?250

PL review rating

8/10

At the other end of the price range and the only netbook to have made the grade for Pocket-lint in 2009 is the Toshiba NB200. Simply enough, it's an upgrade to the NB100 but what you get now is a larger, nearly full size and well-designed, isolated keyboard plus an LEDbacklit display with a reasonable resolution of 1024 x 600px. That lot aside, there's nothing wildly exciting about the machine apart from its robust build and excellent 8-hour life and that's before you've upgraded to the 9-cell battery.

For just ?250 you get all this plus 1GB RAM, an Intel Atom N280 processor and a 160GB HDD all running Windows XP. There's a 1.3-megapixel webcam and it handles all the normal connectivity you'd expect. Like we said, not astounding but definitely good value.

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HP Envy 15

Type

15.6-inch multimedia PC

Release date

22/10/09

Price

?1199

PL review rating

8/10

The Envy 15 is very much a Windows take on the MacBook Pro. It has similar levels of high design input minus that Apple touch but what it's missing in class it more than makes up for in raw grunt. It's the only machine on our list to feature the new Intel Core i7 CPU and it comes with 4GB RAM that's expandable up to a whopping 16GB. It runs Windows 7 on a nice, bright, Full HD 1366 x 768px LED screen - as is the mode - with a whole 1GB ATI GPU help you render just about anything you can think of.

The Envy measures 38 x 24.4 x 2.65cm and weighs 2.35kg put it firmly in the multimedia category and, just in case you needed to be sure, it has all HDMI ports, eSATAs and USBs that you'd need. Sorry to see a lack of Blu-ray though. The real drawback is the miniscule 1.5 hours battery life but then this thing was meant to be taken on the move. So, now you know what they are, how are you going to vote?

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Related links:

• Feature - The low down: Best Digital Camera 2009
• Feature - The low down: Best Car Gadget 2009

Tags: Hardware Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Pocket-lint Awards Features HP Envy 15 Apple Sony Vaio Laptops Netbooks Dell Dell Adamo XPS Macbook pro Toshiba NB200-11H Toshiba

The low down: Best Laptop 2009 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:17:54 +0000

The countdown to?CES 2010, the biggest electronics trade show on the planet, has begun, but what can we expect from the show, and what should we start to get excited about? Here are six areas that are going to dominate the news come January.

Don't forget, Pocket-lint will be bringing you all the news, reviews, comment, photos and video as it happens in the run up to CES and live from Las Vegas for the duration of the show.

You can bookmark our CES coverage at pocket-lint.com/CES2010

Digital Living

Technology has gone mainstream supposedly, so that means the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center will be filled with technology launches that embrace all of us rather than just a select few. In real terms that means everything from gadgets for kids, gadgets for mums and dads that look after kids, and gadgets for the silver surfer. Expect new toys for health, parenting and higher education.

Apple

Don't get too excited,?Apple isn't attending CES, regardless of how many rumours you hear, but that doesn't mean companies that work in the Apple eco-system aren't going to be in Vegas launching new gadgets. With a whole area dedicated to the iPod,?iPhone?and Macs, expect a fair share of iPod speakers, cables to connect to something else in your life and the usual array of cases to protect it all.

eBook readers

If you're planning on getting an ebook reader for Christmas you might want to think again. The ebook market has exploded in the US with Amazon,?Barnes & Noble?and?Sony?all fighting over each other to offer you the digital reader you supposedly need. Plastic Logic has already confirmed that it will be launching a new ebook at CES and there is bound to be other manufacturers like?Spring Design?and iRex offering new models.

3D

Riding on the wave of euphoria that Avatar will no doubt give the industry, consumer electronics manufacturers like?Sony, Toshiba, LG?and?Samsung?will be likely to be pushing?3D TV?hard at CES 2010. IFA 2009 already showed us the concepts, CES will show us the reality. Expect new televisions, announcements from the Blu-ray Disc Association, television makers, graphics card companies like Nvidia and movie companies all trying to get in on the action.

Netbooks

While most people have surely moved on from the popularity of netbooks, CES organisers CEA believe netbooks are going to still be big news at CES 2010. What that means is a barrage of computers that don't do much but let you surf the Web and write the odd document. Of course manufacturers will be trying to tell us otherwise with improved graphics courtesy of Nvidia and ATI. You should also probably expect a barrage of tablet devices with touchscreens allowing you to surf the Web around the home.

Green

With the economy making a comeback, manufacturers can once again turn their eyes to saving the planet. Although the idea of being green for green's sake is still very niche, generally manufacturers will be trying to tell you to ignore the thousands they are spending on lighting their booths and the sheer carbon emissions the show creates, by concentrating instead on how they've made advancements in the glass they use or the boxes your favourite gadgets go into. At least you can sleep at night knowing that we haven't had to chop down any trees to let you read this.

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Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness CES2010 ebooks Televisions Netbooks Sony LG Samsung Toshiba Apple iPod iPhone 3DTV Laptops Eco Amazon Barnes and Noble Spring Design

CES 2010: What new gadgets will be announced? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

With the creeping dawn of a new year comes both a new media campaign and ethos for the "leaders in innovation" Toshiba. Today sees the launch of the Space Chair advertisement in the UK - and soon in France and Germany - which will span TV, online and in-store media. We talked to the Toshiba UK marketing manager, Matt McDowell, to find out what a floating piece of ?2500 furniture has to do with selling AV and computer hardware.

"We wanted to deliver new TVs and new laptops but not in a every day rational way, in a dry unique and innovative fashion instead", begins McDowell, addressing the initial mild online confusion over the footage the world has seen of an armchair seemingly floating with dramatic images of the Earth disappearing beneath it.

"We came up with the idea more than a year ago after the Time Sculpture campaign [video of a 360 matrix-type scene filmed with 200 cameras] and we were thinking how on Earth do we follow that?" The answer seems to be by not trying to follow it on Earth at all, and the footage of the balsa wood seat dragged up to the edge of space up and over the Black Rock Desert in Nevada by a Helium filled weather balloon is indeed absolutely staggering.

"We captured the footage at dawn because it's not just about the chair. We wanted it to look beautiful and amazing too. We wanted to capture the sunrise over the mountains and the hue of the colours. It also happened to be very hot during the day, so we wanted to get it done early. It was 100F by the the time the chair landed".

Like the Time Sculpture before it, the Space Chair breaks a record of its own, with eight HD cameras used to capture the film, it makes it the highest high-def advert ever shot. Starting at 8ft in diameter, the balloon lifted the armchair over 82 minutes to a height of 98,268ft (18.6 miles) by which time the low pressure meant the balloon had increased to 24ft before finally shattering like glass, which you see at the end of the ad, allowing the broken seat and cameras to fall back to Earth.

The biodegradable chair was only a model, as constructed by Artem at the hefty price. It meant that the entire apparatus could be kept below 4lbs in weight, after which the Toshiba team would have needed permission from the Federal Aviation Administration. The eight cameras were used to have as many different lens types as possible covering the one take action and were themselves apparently not chosen by Toshiba.

"The Cameras aren't consumer ones. They're not Camilieos or anything. You can't buy them. They're used for things like CCTV and they had to withstand -90C, survive the descent and impact back on Earth, but it was also really the quality they had as well.? It wasn't us that chose them. JP Aerospace specced and requested them and these were the ones they happened to ask for. They happened to be ours".

Although elements of the stunt were original, the Space Chair is in fact virtually identical to a work by UK artist Simon Faithfull, as commissioned by the Arts Catalyst in 2004, called Escape Vehicle No.6 - a film which was recently shown at the BFI Southbank. Thankfully, the original artist was involved in the project second time around.

"Simon was absolutely part of the team. We were obviously inspired by what he had done", answered McDowell when questioned about the 2004 recording, but how does a company which prides itself on innovation align its slogan with a project that is clearly a near copy of something done 5 years ago?

"We weren't saying that the innovation was sending the balloon up. No one had done it in HD before and not as an advert before. We didn't use a music sound track or any celebrity voices. That's the innovation. The fact that we created it as an advert".

Whatever the reasons and what it may stand for, the fact remains that it's some superb looking footage. The ad runs on TV from today during the ITN news for for 3 weeks this side of Christmas and then takes a break until February when it starts again as part of the whole campaign across TV, online and in-store. If you can't wait, and why should you, then you can see it below.

So then, exactly what does the Space Chair have to do with the serious business of selling consumer tech?

"The meaning is armchair viewing redesigned. Most people watch TV and consume content through their chairs. It's a visual metaphor taking something ordinary to the extraordinary", and it does. It also makes you wish you were watching the stunning scenery on a better TV - be that Toshiba's or anyone else's. And with two consecutive adverts and two consecutive records broken, how is Toshiba going to top it for next time?

"The next one will be a little different. We're going to build on what we've already done. What's important is that it reflects all the work we've done internally. We've harmonised our approach from two years ago when we were a company that was product led and sometimes externally we could look very different between say our TVs and our laptops. The most significant statements we want to make, though, are that we're investing in our brand and harmonising our approach".

Good signs for Toshiba, and with the Blu-ray nightmare finally put to rest this year, perhaps now truly, the only way is up.

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Tags: Hardware Toshiba Laptops TVs Toshiba REGZA SV Advertising Interviews Features

The making of the Toshiba Space Chair originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:59:58 +0000

Toshiba and the The Football Association have announced a new partnership that will see Toshiba become the official consumer electronics supplier to the England football team, to and through next year's 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals.

As part of the agreement, Toshiba will supply the England team and The FA with a range of the latest LCD TV, portable DVD and laptop products - apparently in an attempt to help keep the (almost certainly millionaire) players "entertained off the pitch and aiding their pursuit of peak performance".

"2010 is set to be the first time many UK viewers will get to watch the FIFA World Cup in HD and Toshiba will bring this superior experience to life for football fans, at home and for the England squad in South Africa. We are thrilled to get behind the England football team and offer fans a winning experience", said Matt McDowell, the marketing director over at Toshiba UK.??????

Tags: Hardware Toshiba Sports Fitness Football The FA Home Cinema

Toshiba becomes official tech supplier to England football team originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:37:49 +0000

Here are the nominations for Best Laptop or Netbook in The Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009.

The following products were chosen because we feel they represent the best laptop and netbooks on sale in the last 12 months that are available in the UK.

The nominations are:

Apple MacBook Pro

Sony VAIO VGN-Z21ZN/X

Dell Adamo XPS

HP Envy

Toshiba NB200

Now in its 6th year, the Pocket-lint Gadget Awards, thought to be the longest running in the UK, pick the best gadgets and gizmos from the last year released in the UK.

Pocket-lint's vigorous vetting process means that all the gadgets up for nomination have to have been seen by a member of the Pocket-lint team (so far over 600) and have to have been available in the UK between December 2008 and December 2009.

The awards, voted by a panel of leading gadget journalists from around the world, including the staff from the Pocket-lint team, will decide the real must-have gadgets of the year, rather than those simply deemed cool or anticipated, being the definitive guide for consumers looking to buy gadgets.

Winners will be announced at an Awards evening in London on Monday 7 December.

If you would like to order tickets to the event please visit our awards event page.

Public voting will start on Wednesday 18 November.

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Related links:

• link - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009

Tags: Hardware Laptops Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Pocket-lint Awards Apple Sony Dell HP Toshiba

Best Laptops 2009 nominations originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:59:54 +0000

Toshiba's latest ad for its Laptop division is hoping to baffle you enough that you can't but help talk about it.

Called "Space chair" the new ad will be shown on Monday 16 November in the UK.

To drum up some excitement, ToshibaUK is asking twitterers to guess how high the chair went in filming for a chance to win a new laptop.

Confused? Watch the video and you certainly will be.

Tags: Hardware Laptops Toshiba Video Advertising

Video: Toshiba Space Chair advert aims to confuse originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:08:53 +0000

Toshiba has announced the launch of the highest capacity 1.8-inch hard disk drive to date, offering the 320GB dual platter MK3233GSG.

The upshot of the announcement means you'll soon see the "latest generation of high-end portable and extremely mobile personal computers, notebooks and external hard disk drives" offering such a hard disk drive capacity.

To put the size into content, Toshiba says 320GB is good for 160,000 MP3 files or 282 hours of DVD-quality video.

"The recent growth in mobile computer sales even in these trying times is testament to what the consumer really wants; maximum storage in a small and portable device", said Martin Larsson, VP, Toshiba Europe's storage device division.

"To support this demand, Toshiba is continuing to innovate storage technology so that the latest generations of hard disk drives, such as the MK3233GSG, are light and fast enough for even the most up to date notebooks".

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Tags: Hardware Toshiba Storage HDDs

Toshiba launches 320GB 1.8-inch HDD originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:38:32 +0000

Toshiba has announced the launch of a new "Trade-In" programme describing it as "an initiative designed to help consumers offset the cost of buying a new laptop whilst ensuring that their old laptop is disposed of in an environmentally sustainable way".

When purchasing a new Toshiba Windows 7 laptop, consumers are offered up to ?150 cashback in return for their old laptop - dependent on its condition and specification.

Consumers can visit Tosh's site for an idea of valuation of their current model and then if they go ahead with the trade-in, will see their laptop collected by Toshiba's partner Tier 1 Asset Management who will pay out - assuming all is good with the device - within 10 days.

The Toshiba Trade-In programme is live now over at www.toshiba.co.uk/tradein and will run until 31 January 2010.

Tags: Hardware Laptops Toshiba Eco

Toshiba offers laptop "Trade-In" scheme originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:51:38 +0000

Toshiba, hot on the heels of announcing a couple of consumer laptops, has added some business machines to its Satellite portfolio. There's the U500, L550 and L500. All three feature, Toshiba says, "everyday computing efficiency with impressive multimedia power".

All three also have multi-touch trackpads, Toshiba's power management software, and an application suite called "Toshiba Lifespace" that includes a heap of business productivity tools. Windows 7 Professional is included on each machine, too.

The Satellite Pro U500 is the smallest of the bunch, featuring a 13.3-inch display and integrated Intel graphics. It had a DVD rewriter, b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. There's an impact sensor that protects the hard disk, which comes in capacities up to 400GB. Up to 4GB of RAM is supplied, and the press release issued didn't specify a processor but we'd imagine it'll be one of the ULV Intel chips.

The Satellite Pro L500 is bigger, featuring a 15.6-inch display, Core 2 Duo processor, integrated graphics, and 4GB of RAM. There's hard disks up to 400GB, and b/g/n Wi-Fi as well as HDMI-out and eSATA support on one of the three USB ports.

Lastly, the Satellite Pro L550 has a whopping 17.3-inch display with LED backlighting, a Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon HD discrete graphics card, b/g/n Wi-Fi, HDMI, eSATA, and again - hard drives with capacities going up to 400GB. It comes with a 4-in-1 card reader, too.

The U500 costs ?570, the L500 is ?470 and the L550 costs ?730. Those are just minimums, though - if you start to increase the specs then the price will go up alongside. All will be available in "Late October", so very shortly.

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Read

Tags: Hardware Laptops Toshiba Toshiba Satellite Pro U500 Toshiba Satellite Pro L550 Toshiba Satellite Pro L500

Toshiba Announces Satellite Pro U500, L550 and L500 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:23:23 +0100

Toshiba has introduced two new consumer-aimed Satellite laptops, the L450 and L555 for those "looking for affordability without compromising on style and performance".

Hoping to cash in on the sales bump that Microsoft's new operating system will create, both models will come pre-loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium.

The 15.6-inch Satellite L450 comes with either an Intel Celeron or AMD processor, Intel graphics, up to 4GB RAM, up to 500GB hard drive, DVD rewriter, three USB ports, HDMI, a four-in-one memory card slot, Wi-Fi and webcam.

The 17.3-inch Satellite L555 is offered with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and gets a 1600 x 900 widescreen, LED backlit display, 4GB RAM, 500GB hard drive, DVD rewriter, three USB ports, HDMI, four-in-one card reader, Wi-Fi and webcam.

Both models will be available in late October after the general release of Windows 7. Pricing will start at ?329 for L450 model, while the Satellite L555 will be available from ?699.?

Tags: Hardware Laptops Toshiba Windows 7

Toshiba announces Satellite L450, L555 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:49:00 +0100

So, Sony is the latest to be breaking records today with the official launch of what the company considers is the world's lightest notebook. Naturally, that all rather depends on whatever woolly boundaries there are between net and notebooks but the fact remains that an 11.1-inch screen, 0.72kg and 13.9mm is pretty damn ultra portable. Naturally, not everyone's going fancy the Vaio side of the equation, so here are five other options for computing on the go.

MacBook Air (19.4mm, 1.36kg, ?1349)

Yes, it's an obvious one so let's get it out of the way now. The Air was one of the first laptops to tell optical media that it just didn't care any more and whatever you say about the machine and the annoying envelope ads, it does have a lovely form factor. Unlike the Vaio X, it comes with a proper processor - an Intel Duo Core 2 - at either 1.86 or 2.1GHz, integrated 256MB Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics, 2GB of DDR3 and a 120GB SDD if you want to go for the top end model. The full dimensions are 227 ? 325  ? 19.4mm and even though it's still a squeeze of a little backpack, you do get the benefit of an LED backlit screen with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution.

Dell Adamo (16.5mm, 1.81kg, ?1899)

Until the Adamo came on the scene, it was Apple who held the crown for the thinnest. The luxury branded Dell has now set the bar at 16.5mm thick. Again, there's an Intel Core 2 Duo at the heart with a 1.6GHz clock speed and up to 4GB RAM to back it up. Keeping toe-to-toe with the Air, it has a 256GB SSD and a larger 13.4-inch LED backlit screen with 1366 x 768 resolution. Dell has obviously had complaints about the Adamo just not being thin enough, damn it, so, the company has being showing off the next generation in the saga. It's the truly size zero, 9.9mm Dell Adamo XPS. There's very little else known about it either because the Texas company can't work out how to fit anything inside it yet or because there's a long campaign of photos with it next to pencils planned. Again.

MSI X340 (19.8mm, 1.3kg, ?720)

For those who aren't made of cash, one good option of a similar size is the MSI X340 - the current best combination of power and size that the company does. It houses a 1.4GHz Intel CULV processor, just the 2GB RAM and rather than an SSD, gives you 320GB of the old spinning disk kind of storage. It's no frills on the screen with a straight forward 13.4-inch LCD but the real weakness is probably the battery pack, which only offers 2-3 hours away from the wall. There's always the option of an 8-cell battery that's obviously going to add to its vital statistics.

Asus UX30 (19.6mm, 1.45kg, ?999)

Asus has come up with a very similar proposition to the X340 with another CULV machine using the same Intel chip. It's a 13.3-inch machine - this time LED backlit and with a full 4GB RAM compliment to keep it running. Still, no optical drive but it does have a very decent array of ports on offer and up to 500GB of HDD which probably accounts for the added weight. Lovely simple form factor going on with a brushed aluminium finish. The only downside is that it's quite expensive given the lack of power on the graphics side. Just an integrated Intel GMA 4500M to play with.

Toshiba Portege R500 S5007V (19.6mm, 1.08kg, ?950)

Not the world's snappiest name and perhaps not quite as stunning as some of these other models but for size and weight, it's up there with the Adamo and Air. That said, it is a smaller screen device and at a more comfortable 12.1-inches with an LED backlit screen. As a slightly older computer it comes with just 2GB of RAM and a 1.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7700 processor. However, the real bonus here is that you also get the benefit of optical drive that'll re-write DVDs and anything easier.

If that lot doesn't tickle your fancy, then you,re probably after a netbook. That or a desktop PC.

Related links:

• News - Sony Vaio X Series announced

Tags: Hardware Sony Vaio Laptops Laptops Dell Dell Adamo XPS Adamo MSI MSI X400 Apple MacBook Air Toshiba Toshiba Portege Asus Asus UX30 Features

Five ultra thin, ultra light and ultra portable notebooks originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:11:22 +0100

Toshiba has unveiled the 55-inch Cell Regza 55X1 in Japan as its new flagship LCD television.

With high quality sound, a contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1, and brightness of 1250cdm2, the 240Hz TV boasts "ultra-high-speed processing and recording, enhanced navigation and seamless network interactivity".

The TV's Opera-powered browser also supports Full HD and can display HD YouTube videos while, thanks to Toshiba's Cell platform, the company boasts processing capability around 143 times that of standard Regzas as well as 512 distict LED backlit areas.

With a 3TB hard disk drive, two of those terabytes are dedicated to the telly's "time-shift machine", which can record up to 26 hours of programmes across 8 channels, so viewers can select to watch a show they've missed and search for content via key words.

The Cell Regza system is made up of a TV and a separate matching box that houses the tuner and the HDD. Both boast a "smoked aluminium finish", as does the remote.

The Cell Regza 55X1 will go on sale in the Japanese market from the beginning of December. We're unsure of pricing, but we're looking at thousands and thousands of pounds, for sure.

Tags: Home Cinema Toshiba Televisions LCD televisions Toshiba Cell Regza 55X1 Opera Networking

Toshiba Cell Regza 55X1, new flagship television unveiled originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:22:44 +0100

Fujitsu and Toshiba have jointly announced that the latter has now taken over the former's hard disk business. The deal, originally announced in February, involves the formation of a new Toshiba subsidiary company called Toshiba Storage Device Corp.

The new company will initially be owned 80% by Toshiba and 20% by Fujitsu. However, by December 2010, Fujitsu will give up its share, which will mean that Toshiba Storage Device Corp will be a wholly owned Toshiba subsidiary. The delay in getting the deal approved has been down to difficulties with obtaining regulatory approval from the European commission.

Toshiba has said that it wants to grab a bigger chunk of the tricky hard disk market, which will be tough thanks to competition from Seagate, Western Digital and Hitachi. Toshiba aims to grab 20% of the market by March 2016.

Read

Related links:

• News - Fujitsu shows off world's fastest CPU

Tags: Hardware Biz Fujitsu Toshiba Storage

Toshiba takes over Fujitsu's hard-disk business originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:42:41 +0100

Top consumer electronics companies have revealed they are teaming up to effectively create a mobile, or mini, version of the HDMI port for portable devices and phones.

Nokia, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba have all announced they are working with Silicon Image to form the Mobile High-Definition Interface Working Group.

The group will go on to create an industry standard for an audio/video interface to connect mobile phones or other portable devices directly to high-definition televisions and displays.

The new standard will be based on Silicon Image's "Mobile High-Definition Link" tech and will be offered as an industry standard open to all companies. The aim is for the standard to be easy and cost effective for manufacturers and simple and reliable for consumers.

Silicon Image says "a single-cable with a low pin count interface will be able to support up to 1080p high-definition digital video and HD audio in addition to delivering power to a portable device".

You can be sure it will be a while before anything is finalised, but we will keep you posted.

Tags: Phones Audio Mobile High-Definition Interface Working Group Nokia Samsung Sony Toshiba Silicon Image Cables Biz HDMI

Nokia, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba team up on mobile HDMI originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:27:56 +0100

Here's a few snaps of Toshiba's Satellite T110 and T130 laptops that were recently announced by the company. They're designed to fill the gaps between netbooks and full desktop-replacement machines, and carry a huge battery life of 11 hours.

The come in red, white and black, and vary in specs. We had a go with the keyboard and found the T130's to be roomy enough for comfort, but the T110 to feel a little on the cramped side - fine for a few quick emails, but you won't want to write a novel on it.

Both will be offered from late October (we suspect 22 October, the same date as Windows 7's release) and will cost - depending on configuration - from ?430 upwards.

Related links:

• News - Toshiba launches Satellite T110 and Satellite T130

Tags: Hardware Toshiba Laptops Toshiba Satellite T110 Toshiba Satellite T130 Photos

PHOTOS: Toshiba Satellite T130 and T110 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:14:15 +0100

Toshiba has rolled out a couple of new laptops that feature ultra-low-voltage (ULV) processors and are designed to fill the gap between the company's netbook range and their full multimedia and gaming "desktop replacement" machines.

The Satellite T110 and T130 differ in screen size - the former measures 11.6-inches and the latter has a diagonal distance of 13.3-inches. Both of them measure 22.2mm at their thinnest point, and the T110 weighs 1.58kg. They come in Black, Red and White, depending on the model.

Specs-wise, the T110 has the option of an Intel Pentium or Intel Celeron Single Core ULV processor, whereas the T130 offers those and a Intel Single Core option. There's also a Celeron Dual Core ULV option which turns the machine into a Satellite Pro T130. Most impressive is the battery life - Toshiba told us "these ones go up to 11", meaning they have eleven hours of battery life.

The T110 has upto 3GB of RAM, a 250GB hard disk, b/g/n Wi-Fi and an integrated webcam, 3 USB ports and HDMI. The T130 pumps the RAM upto 4GB and the HDD upto 500GB, but retains the other features. The T130 Pro also has 4GB of RAM, but dials the hard disk back to 320GB.

All will be available from late October (we'd guess 22 October, to co-incide with Windows 7) and prices are dependant on configuration, but will start at ?430.

Related links:

• News - Toshiba brings Blu-ray to P500 Satellite laptop

Tags: Hardware Toshiba Laptops Toshiba Satellite T110 Toshiba Satellite T130

Toshiba launches Satellite T110 and Satellite T130 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0100