toshiba

The Toshiba Excite 13 sports the largest tablet screen yet

Tablet screens are evolving. So far in 2012, we've seen the iPad double its resolution to 2048x1536 and the AMOLED-based Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 reach black-level depths that were previously unheard of (but, thankfully becoming more common) on a tablet. So where do we go from here? If Toshiba has its say, we go big.

Today Toshiba introduced the first tablet to break the 10.1-inch barrier. Its new Excite 13 sports a 13.3-inch IPS screen, running at a 1,600x900-pixel resolution and comes installed with Android 4.0.

I got a chance to briefly play around with the tablet a few weeks ago. One might expect a tablet with a 3-inch larger screen to feel a bit light but somewhat heavier than conventional 10-inchers and that's exactly what I found here.… Read more

Toshiba Tegra 3 tablets offer extras we've seen before

With its Excite 10 LE, Toshiba offered a well-designed tablet with disappointing performance, and (in my opinion) too high a price tag for what was offered. With the company's announcement of new 10-, 7.7-, and 13-inch tablets today, it doesn't seem as if much has changed on the pricing front, but at least now it's offering Tegra 3-based devices.… Read more

Toshiba unveils new AMD/Ivy Bridge Satellite C, L, S, P, and Qosmio laptops

Should you wait to buy a new laptop? If you're looking for a Toshiba Satellite or Qosmio, you'd better prepare to wait until June.

Toshiba unveiled its line of Ivy Bridge-ready laptops for 2012 today. The new Satellite and Qosmio laptops are all non-ultrabooks, and notably absent is any announcement on new Porteges.… Read more

Sony, Toshiba, Hitachi kick off flat-screen JV Japan Display

Sony, Toshiba, and Hitachi today announced that Japan Display, a company they formed with government-funded Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), has initiated operations. The companies, which announced the startup today, said that the official operation start date was Sunday.

Nikkei Business Daily was first to report on the joint venture.

The companies announced plans to form Japan Display last year. Under the terms of the merger, Sony, Toshiba, and Hitachi have combined their small and medium-sized touchscreen LCD operations into the new corporation, and each own 10 percent of the firm. INCJ owns the remaining 70 percent.

Japan Display … Read more

New iPad ranked top tablet by Consumer Reports

The latest iPad has a new fan, namely Consumer Reports.

Apple's latest tablet scored the highest ratings among its rivals in a report out today from the consumer publication.

The new iPad was commended for its 5-megapixel camera, battery life, and 4G coverage through Verizon Wireless. But it was the high-resolution screen that earned the sharpest praise.

Citing the detail and color accuracy of the Retina Display, Consumer Reports said that the screen "establishes a new benchmark in excellence" and is "the best we've seen" on a tablet. Specifically, the publication found that the … Read more

Five tablets that go where the new iPad doesn't

Truth be told, if I purchase a tablet in the next few months, I'll be buying Apple's new 2012 iPad. Haters gonna hate, but from Bluetooth 4.0 support to the improved camera, incremental changes like this will likely lead to the best tablet on the market getting even better.

Even without the "I am the alpha and the omega" 2,048x1,536-pixel-resolution screen, I'd still choose the latest iPad. The ecosystem, app availability, and smooth and fast performance make it an easy choice for me.

That said, people have different tastes, and the new iPad, despite the hype, doesn't do everything. In addition, not everyone can afford to pay a minimum of $500 for a tablet, and even if you can, you may want a few features Apple doesn't natively provide.

That's where these five tablets come in. Each tablet on the list is a quality tablet that sports at least one feature the new iPad doesn't, be it a more affordable price or better port or feature support. … Read more

As ultrabook makers seek stronger sales, some opt for low cost

Ultrabook suppliers are still dealing with pesky market and profitability issues, according to a CNET source and two reports. And some will turn to low-cost designs as a result.

"The ultrabook adoption during the holiday season was ugly," an industry source, who speaks to ultrabook suppliers, told CNET. That source was speaking about sales for one particular ultrabook vendor.

The market for all ultrabook suppliers, however, is still challenging. "You've got a down market on the eve of a new operating system (Windows 8) at a price point that's fairly robust (high)," said the … Read more

Get a Toshiba Thrive 10-inch Android tablet for $259.99

Is now the right time to take a leap (because it's Leap Day, get it?) and buy a tablet? Surely the more curious crowd will wait to see what Apple unveils on March 7.

On the other hand, a deal's a deal, and lately the tablet deals have been coming fast and furious. Like this one: today only, and while supplies last, 1SaleADay has the refurbished Toshiba Thrive 10.1-inch Android tablet for $259.99, plus $4.99 for shipping. Any way you slice it, that's a mighty attractive deal on a 10-inch tablet.

The Thrive is … Read more

Toshiba Excite to launch one day ahead of new iPad announcement

Earlier this year at CES, Toshiba told me to expect a first-quarter release for what is now known as the Excite 10 LE tablet, and it looks like it's sticking to that.

On March 6, would-be buyers can purchase the 10.1-inch tablet from select U.S. retailers at prices of $530 for 16GB and $600 for the 32GB version.

Given yesterday's announcement of an Apple iPad event scheduled for March 7, it's difficult to look at the Excite 10 LE's scheduled March 6 release without a curious eye.

I asked Toshiba if yesterday's iPad … Read more

Toshiba to acquire Western Digital's 3.5-inch HDD manufacturing equipment

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies and Western Digital (WD) announced today a mutual and definitive agreement of property divesting between the two.

Under the agreement, Toshiba will acquire from WD manufacturing and related intellectual property for 3.5-inch hard drives (HDDs), used in desktop PCs and consumer applications, and near-line HDDs for server applications. Near-line storage is a type of data storage supporting larger capacity and with higher reliability than HDDs for desktop PC applications.

"The purchase of part of Western Digital's 3.5-inch HDD manufacturing equipment and with it the capability to produce 3.5-inch HDDs for desktop … Read more