Toshiba Launches New Range Of 29-Inch LED TVs

New laptop has included value to its LED TV profile with the release of its new variety of 29-inch LED TVs in Native indian. The new variety offers the 29-inch dimension from Toshiba’s well-known LED TV sequence in Native indian – PB200 and PU200 LED TV sequence.

The organization statements that the new LED TVs will give included motivation to customers to move from their old CRT tvs to its cost-effective LED variety. The LED TVs amalgamate key product features like high quality, performance, style, audio and energy saving according to New laptop. 

The LED TVs are performance focused and use Toshiba’s trademarked Regza Engine that reproduces high definition pictures to improve the obtained indication so that it shows the highest video high quality. A quicker processer also results in a smaller reaction time, thereby offering an amazing image performance.

The organization says that the PB200 and PU200 LED TVs have been motivated by the slogan “less is more”. The TVs are lifestyle centric with their filter frame improving the TV watching experience with its beauty.

Below the frame sets a devoted audio bar with the new Power Fish Enhancer that produces harmonics at different regularity durations. As a result, the detail of the regularity is increased and quality of the bass audio is increased, which results in the customer with a audio that is not only powerful but also clear. 

Both the 29PU200 and the 29PB200 feature of innovative function such as Auto Signal Enhancer that has been included to improve indication understanding and watching in areas with poor indication strong points. The AutoView function watches room lighting and adapts the backlight and various image factors according to it, thereby reducing the running costs by decreasing energy consumption. The LED TVs also have a comparison booster function that uses a luminance and chrominance modification process to select the maximum color on the image comparison without impacting the unique color configurations.

Pranab Mohanty, Vice Chief executive – Sales and Marketing (TV/HA products), New laptop Native indian – DS Department, said on the occasion of the release “We analyzed the Native indian market substantially and noticed that people, especially in the level 2 & 3 places had the tendency to update from their current CRT TV or even LCD TV, but without having to bargain on the dimension or burn an opening in their pouches. Being the biggest and well-known CRT TV dimension available in Native indian, the 29 inches wide TV dimension is not only most well-known but also maintains a expressive value to the Native indian customers. With the release of 29PB200 and 29PU200, we offer Native indian customers, the same famous dimension in a high level LED technology cheaply."

Posted by Unknown Thursday, March 14, 2013

New Toshiba Camera Module Lets You Refocus Snapped Pics

New laptop Corp has developed a photographic camera component that lets you redouble any aspect of a picture you have already shot. According to a review by The Asahi Shimbun, the component is really small and can be fixed in mobile phones and pills. Currently, cameras require customers to pay attention to images before launching the shutter. Although you can make significant changes to images post capturing with picture application, this technological innovation guarantees to take digital cameras and picture to an entirely different level.

This small, cube-shaped photographic camera component actions only about 1 cm square and contains 500,000 contacts. Each of these 500,000 contacts is 0.03 mm across. What's interesting here is that the component places to use the same procedure as that of the substance eye structure found in bugs.  

Each contacts in the component catches an picture that is a little bit different and the photographic camera is a "large, truth by using unique application to merge the 500,000 small images." The review elaborates that the photographic camera actions the distance to an item, based on the variations between the small images—just how cameras do in case of two contacts used to make 3D images.

The component can concentrate on things by magnifier and superimposing only those areas the images that have come out well. "Unlike traditional cameras, the new photographic camera can make images that are focused on every single aspect of the picture," the review contributes. It is even possible to record video clips using this component. The review shows that it can be used to "retain the picture of a figure in the forefront while changing the background."

Toshiba plans to commercialise the component by the end of FY 2013. It will enable smart phone producers and other companies to take up the idea soon after that. Considering how important it is for any smart phone to have reasonable photographic camera abilities, a technological innovation like this going popular is sure to work amazing things.

A similar photographic camera was revealed in July last year: Lytro allows you concentrate or redouble an picture after it has been visited. Lytro catches light data from various possible perspectives, for which it comes loaded with microlens array—a special indicator which basically places together many contacts in a small space. When the picture is considered on a screen, high-end application steps in to allow customers to set the point of concentrate. Those who examined the model of this photographic camera recognized it as a innovative moment in digital cameras.

The Lytro photographic camera is the creation of Ren Ng, who is also the Primary Professional at Lytro. He's had this concept with him since 2006 as a aspect of his Ph.D. thesis at Stanford School. It has won him the Best Doctor's Dissertation in Pc Science prize from the Organization of Processing Equipment.

Posted by Unknown Sunday, December 30, 2012

Techrange : Mobile Tech I Am Thankful For

The christmas period is a fun a chance to provide thanks for the people who create our life delighted. I am so greatful to have my buddies and family in my lifestyle. May the vacation be excellent for everyone who enjoys it, and also those who don't.

Mobile technological innovation has performed a big part in my lifestyle and I am pleased for the developments I have experienced direct that create my lifestyle better. It's worth discussing the mobile technical for which I am most pleased that has gotten us to the place we are these days.

Phone tech :

I am pleased for the Hand Lead for displaying us how little computer systems could be, even at once when most were not very mobile before its overall look. The Ms windows Mobile foundation of old took the technological innovation of the Lead and introduced it into the cellphone globe, providing the way for the mobile mobile phones we currently take for provided.

I must put the BlackBerry on my record of things for which I am pleased. This technological innovation revealed the energy of mobile email, first in the business enterprise and then in the personal area. It introduced the way for the smart phone of the long run.

The iPhone, whatever you feel about Apple company, was a complete game-changer in the cellphone area and I am pleased for that. Never before had so much energy and application been put into such a little program, and that modified the cellphone area permanently.

I am pleased for Google and its perspective for the Android operating system foundation. From the unique confusing G1 system to the an incredible number of mobile phones in users' arms these days, Android operating system has modified mobile technical for the better. Android operating system may be crazy and wooly as opposed to firm structure of most systems, and I am pleased for that. It has permitted Android operating system to progress quicker than any foundation in mobile technical record, and I am pleased it has.

The fast development of LTE is something I am most thankful to see. This technological innovation has modified the mobile area as much as any other, and I am pleased for that. LTE is the first technological innovation to create the phrase "mobile broadband" not a contradiction.

Tablet tech :

I am pleased for the perspective of Invoice Gateways with the unique Product PC. While too far before it is time, it introduced the way for several area that is taking over mobile technical these days. Gates' perspective outpaced the ability of the components to create it practical, but it started out the sight to the key benefits of a mobile computer used in the arms.

Apple took that perspective and pressed the components to create the unique iPad a family product, and I am pleased for that. The iPad modified the mobile area permanently, and it is taking over to this day.

I am also pleased for Google perspective of Android operating system on several, and while its unique initiatives were difficult they have progressed perfectly. It is great to have option in several globe, and I thank Android operating system for providing us that option.

While too beginning to tell if it will be well obtained or not, I am still pleased for Ms and its "reimagining" of Ms windows 8. No gutsier shift has been performed by any company in latest times. Windows shift into generating its own Ms windows 8 components is just as gutsy and whether effective long-term or not is already forcing OEMs in the area to provide up exercising business as regular. I am pleased for this force by Ms and the good impact it is already having in the PC area.

General mobile tech :

I am pleased for the Sony models Personal stereo of old and how it modified the way customers utilized songs on the go. From audio cassettes to CDs, the Personal stereo line made it very common for us to bring songs selections with us everywhere.

That led the way for Apple company and the famous iPod which taken that modify even further. The iPod was straight accountable for the change from physical songs selections to the electronic collections used these days. This modify has occupied all types of content intake on the go, and I am pleased for that.

The unique MiFi mobile hot spot system modified the mobile area in a big way and I am pleased for that. The MiFi confirmed the benefits of discussing a mobile information relationship when it was easy to do so. That display assured that hot spot technological innovation showed up in mobile mobile phones, a activity title filter for mobile experts.

Thankful to be a mobile addict :

This record of mobile technical for which I am pleased is quite short actually. There are many other companies that created technological innovation and gadgets that have favorably affected my globe. Perhaps one day I will be able to discuss what would be an impressive conclusion of all the mobile technical I am pleased for. It is a fun a chance to be dependent to mobile technical, and it keeps getting better at a fast speed.

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Review : Toshiba Satellite P855-32G

The Toshiba P855-32G is an updated version of the Toshiba P850 home entertainment laptop released earlier this year, featuring more power for the masses.

What this upgrade does is put the P855 on a competitive standing with current laptops, which are featuring powerful third-generation Ivy Bridge chips as standard.

If you didn't know about the differences under the hood, you'd think the two Toshibas were identical and, well, that wouldn't be too far from the truth.

The mid-range market for 15.6-inch laptops has been a little quiet of late, which is understandable given the intense focus on Ultrabooks and – now that Windows 8 has been launched – tablets, as well as all sorts of funky-looking convertibles and hybrids.

A regular laptop just feels a little boring these days, but that's not to say there isn't still demand for something more down to earth, such as the Samsung Series 3 or Asus K53S; and the Toshiba P855 has appeal too.

There isn't too much to shout about when it comes to the P855's aesthetics – it looks the same as its older sibling the P850, featuring a brushed-metal finish which is reasonably attractive in an industrial sort of way.

It has a full-size Chiclet keyboard with a number pad, which makes it really useable, and it looks good too - although there's no fancy backlighting as you might expect with a more premium model.

While most laptops of this type will inevitably spend most of their time at home, the occasional trip will mean the P855 will be called into action, but at an astonishing 2.66kg it really isn't suited to this type of role. 

It even makes less of a case for working on the move than the similarly-priced 15-inch Medion Akoya P6635 does, which also weighs a considerable 2.5kg.

Like the Medion though, the Toshiba P855 concentrates its efforts on serving up a big dollop of performance. 

Sporting a third-generation 2.5GHz Core i5-3201M, 8GB of RAM and a standalone nVidia GeForce GT 630M graphics card, the P855 is certainly no slouch, only just bettered by laptops featuring the latest Core i7 processor.

It even comes with a high-end pair of Harmon Kardon speakers, so for £650 you really do get a lot of laptop.

The only missing features that would make the P855 a powerhouse of an entertainment laptop are a full HD screen and Blu-ray drive. For £300 you can get all this – as well as a glasses-free 3D screen – on its bigger sibling: the P855-32J.

Specification :

While design might not be at the very top of the Toshiba P855's list, power certainly is – with spades of it present.
Aside from the lack of an SSD, there are lots of high-end components here, including that strong processor, 8GB of RAM and a pretty meaty graphics card – if not truly a gaming one.
You can be guaranteed that your £650 will get you a laptop that's going to still be current for the next couple of years. 

If we were to be picky, we'd say that some laptops in this price category have featured Core i7 processors in the past, but it's not a deal-breaker at all.

The 1TB drive representing means there is plenty of space for storing your chunky media collection without having to resort to an external hard drive until things get out of control, which further enforces the P855's home entertainment intentions.

The P855 also features a smattering of other nice hardware touches. 

There is, for instance, a full showing of ports here, including a whopping four USB inputs – all USB 3.0, no less, and two of them even allow you to charge your USB devices while the laptop lid is shut and it's in a low-power sleep state.

There's also an HDMI output for watching hi-def movies on your big screen instantly, a VGA connector (if you'd prefer to just get your screen onto a desktop monitor), headphone and microphone jacks, an Ethernet port, and an SD card to round things off nicely. 

It really is absolutely complete in this regard, so those who are fussy about their ports will find happiness here.

The more standard features you'd expect at this level include an 802.11b/g/n wireless card and Bluetooth 4.0, so no matter what media streaming you're into – whether it's beaming files to the P855, or to other devices around the home – it should be a breeze. 

 
Intel's Wireless Display technology also features, so should you ever feel the need to send movies straight to a compatible TV without the need for wires in future, you're nicely covered.

There's also a 1.0MP web camera for all your video conferencing needs, and it does the job, but let's be honest – it's nothing to rave about here.

The only big omission on the Toshiba P855 is the lack of a 1920x1080 full HD display. OK, so there's no Blu-ray player in tow either – a standard DVD drive does the job instead - but people still watch 1080p movies in other formats and this feels like a missed opportunity, especially for a laptop that is all about home entertainment – although in that respect it delivers on every other front.

 

Performance :

Benchmarks :

3DMark06: 8922
Cinebench 10: 10,980
Battery eater: 168 mins

While the Toshiba P855 isn't an absolute top-of-the-line performance laptop, the benchmarks show that it put in a very respectable performance.

It betters the old P850 by some way, with a Cinebench score 40 per cent higher, highlighting that the Ivy Bridge Core i5 gives it a significant leap in performance. 

It falls just behind the similarly priced, but slightly better-specified Medion Akoya P6635 which has a third-gen Core i7 and a much higher Cinebench score.

The P855 can comfortably handle anything you want to throw at it; you can even expand the memory to 16GB if you really want to do some super multi-tasking.

As the P855's 3DMark score indicates, this laptop can handle a certain degree of gaming without too much bother.

It's not an out-and-out gaming machine, naturally, but it really held its own – Max Payne 3 at medium settings ran almost flawlessly, so there's scope here to play nearly all the current crop of high-end games, provided you don't mind turning the dial down a touch.
Unfortunately, while the P855 is certainly capable, at times it felt a little on the sluggish side. 

We can only put this down to either a lack of an SSD, which would really make it extra spritely over the standard spinning drive, or – more likely - the fact that the P855 has been outfitted with an outrageous amount of bloatware from the factory.
Toshiba has absolutely rammed the poor thing with all sorts of nasties. 

There's the usual security suspect thrusting its warning notifications in your face every five minutes, but otherwise it's mostly Toshiba's own offerings. 

One of them even has its own dedicated launch button next to the keyboard, which instantly puts it in a low-power state mode. While this might seem useful for people who don't know much about the power-saving modes, is it really that hard to access in the taskbar?

As an entertainment machine, the Toshiba P855 certainly delivers.
It's got plenty of power, as we already know, and a huge hard drive.
But what of the screen? Sure, it lacks 1080p, but this is one of the nicer screens you'll come across.

The TruBrite display really does bring movies to life, making HD files look bright and vibrant. Admittedly, it does suffer from a degree of glare in natural light, due to its glossy nature, but this is an entertainment laptop at the end of the day – image quality is where it's at.

Similarly, the Harmon Kardon speakers help to reiterate the P855's entertainment intentions. 

Whether it's movies or music, these speakers are crystal clear and have a very solid sound to them. As this is only a 2.0 speaker setup, don't expect a barrel-load of depth to the sound – these still feel very much like laptop speakers, but nonetheless you won't be disappointed.

Outside of entertainment duties, the P855 has a full size keyboard with a built-in number pad, which makes it very useful for work-related tasks, especially those involving lots of number input.

Having said this, we found the keyboard to be a little unpleasant.

The keys are nicely spaced, granted, but the travel is very short and feedback is poor. We might be fast at typing, but more often than not letters in words would be missed off, meaning we had to go back and make corrections.

The battery life of 168 minutes isn't the worst we've seen in this category, especially considering the beef on offer, but it's certainly not going to convince you to take this out for the whole day. Then again, it's much too heavy to carry around for long anyway.

Verdict :

The Toshiba P855 is really nothing new to the market – rather, it's simply an updated version of the P850, which, aside from its less capable Core i3 processor, has an identical spec and costs an astonishing £220 less. 

But for those wanting the extra performance, the £650 for the faster version still feels like good value for money.

Aside from the lack of a full HD screen, this laptop certainly ticks all the boxes for those looking for a quality home entertainment laptop.

The weight and battery life might put those looking for a balance of capabilities off, but for those who consign their computing duties to home, this is just the job.

We liked :

The P855 has a lot of power under the hood, which makes it great for watching hi-def movies, playing newer games, and multitasking till the cows come home. It's good to know that the P855 will be future proof for the next couple of years.

The design might not be particularly inspiring, but the build quality is right up there with the best – it will still feel well put together even after an extended period of use.

The vibrant screen and the crystal clear Harmon Kardon speakers are a particular highlight of the P855, and the huge range of high-spec features (including more USB 3.0 ports than you can shake a stick at) really round off the P855 as a great do-it-all laptop.

We disliked :

The keyboard isn't particularly great for typing, so if you plan to do a lot of this on the P855, then you might want to consider another laptop as it really isn't the best we've seen.

As we've stated previously, the battery life isn't particularly remarkable.

Nor is the weight and thickness of the P855, which means you certainly wouldn't pick this if you were planning to head out on the road a lot.

The bloatware also really put us off, but if you're really prepared you could easily remove all of this or do a fresh install.

Ideally, we would also have liked a full HD screen and perhaps a Blu-ray player at this price point. Then this would have really been the ultimate value entertainment machine.

Final verdict :

The Toshiba P855 is one of the better conventional laptops we've seen of late, offering a lot of performance for a relatively small price tag.

Laptops like the Medion Akoya P6635 might be even more powerful and cheaper, but you notice where corners have been cut. 

Aside from a few small niggles, the P855 delivers the goods. 

This is the perfect machine for someone who wants a home entertainment powerhouse.

Posted by Unknown Friday, November 16, 2012

Toshiba Cuts 2012-13 Forecast On Global Economic Woes

Summary: While the Japanese electronics maker generated profit in its second quarter earnings report, the firm has seen year-on-year decreases. Toshiba has also cut its forecast for the fiscal year.

Japoneses technological innovation massive New laptop has cut its full-year managing benefit prediction to ¥260 billion dollars ($3.25bn) or 13 % after the company cautioned of a contunued economic crisis, particualrly in European countries and Asia, adding that U.S. financial policies will also add to the uncertainty.

However, Toshiba's second quarter results [PDF] show the company is getting back on its feet after a difficult past few sectors. The technological innovation massive documented ¥1.42 billion dollars ($18.1 billion) in revenue, a decrease of ¥169 billion dollars ($2.12 billion) on the same 1 / 4 a season ago.

Meanwhile, the Seattle, Japan-based company published a better-than-expected managing benefit of ¥57.5 billion dollars ($722 million), but the figure has decreased by 23 % year-on-yea according to Reuters, due to falling income in its semiconductor, television and home gadgets departments.

The company's public facilities unit documented a "healthy performance" increase by 10 % to ¥41.3 billion dollars ($518 million), while its ebooks and technological innovation units saw decreases. New laptop citied ongoing Japoneses yen admiration and market destruction as a result of the every quarter inadequate performance.

Earlier this season, New laptop cut its NAND display storage development by 30 % after the company oversupplied elements. Its NAND processor company came back to benefit in the 1 / 4 leading up to Sept, thanks to the iPhone 5's release in early Sept, in which New laptop supplies the storage snacks. The gadgets massive will continue to see less severe development cuts during the third and fourth 1 / 4 between Oct 2012 and Goal 2013.

Toshiba's perspective desires lower revenue and inadequate managing profits. While the company's public facilities company draws in healthier income, it has to make up for the other divisions' inadequate performance.
 

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Review : Toshiba Tecra R950-11F

Summary: The Tecra R950 is a hefty 15.6in. business-grade notebook with an up-to-date set of security and manageability features, integrated mobile broadband and a solid but understated design. It performs well enough for its market, but we'd prefer a higher screen resolution.

Toshiba's range of third-generation Intel Core (Ivy Bridge) notebooks, announced in June, included the business-grade R9 series, comprising the ultraportable 13.3in. Portege R930, the mid-range 14in. Tecra R940 and the desktop replacement 15.6in. Tecra R950. There are four preconfigured R950 models on Toshiba's UK website, starting at £799 (ex. VAT); we looked at the top-end R950-11F, which costs £959 (ex.VAT).

Design:
As noted above, Tecra notebooks are business-grade systems, and so Toshiba doesn't feel the need to make everything consumer-shiny — which suits us just fine. Built around a magnesium alloy chassis, the case is a sober graphite colour with a textured finish that will not require constant wiping to remove unsightly fingerprints.

The 2.49kg Tecra R950 has a 15.6in. screen, but the resolution is a moderate 1,366 by 768 pixels. 

If you're planning to travel with the Tecra R950 (and the presence of integrated mobile broadband suggests that this is expected), be prepared to lug a hefty 2.49kg system measuring 37.9cm wide by 25.2cm deep by 2.54cm-2.08cm thick. More realistically, it's likely to spend most of its time deskbound — perhaps plugged into one of Toshiba's port replicator options. If you do take the R950 on the road, you'll need a sizeable laptop bag, but the system feels robust enough, with relatively little flex in the screen or elsewhere.

The 15.6in. screen is a non-reflective LED-backlit unit with a (moderate) native resolution of 1,366 by 768 pixels. With brightness set to maximum, it's crisp and clear, and even with Toshiba's power-saving Eco mode enabled, which drops the brightness to 50 percent, it's perfectly readable in normal office lighting. As usual, viewing angles are better in the horizontal plane than the vertical, but the screen hinges are solid enough to position the display optimally at angles up to 180 degrees (i.e. flat, level with the keyboard). There's a basic 1-megapixel webcam and a microphone in the middle of the screen bezel, at the top.

The 102-key isolation-style keyboard includes a separate number pad on the right-hand side.

The first thing to note about the keyboard is that, thanks to the screen size, there's room for a separate number pad, which is always useful. It's a spill-resistant, isolation-style unit that, despite its width, feels pleasingly solid to type on. We have no major complaints about the layout, although some may find the spacebar a little short for comfort. When you press the Fn key, a useful map of the available functions — and multiple functions on a single key if present — pops up at the top of the screen. For example, pressing Fn-F8 lets you cycle through options to toggle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile broadband on or off, either singly or en masse.

There are dual navigation options, in the shape of a two-button multitouch touchpad with vertical and horizontal scroll zones and a small blue pointing stick between the G, B and H keys. The stick has its own pair of buttons, and there's a button just below the spacebar that toggles the touchpad (but not the stick) on and off, to guard against accidental pointer movement when you're typing. An icon pops up temporarily on-screen when you press this button, but an LED indicating that the touchpad is disabled would be useful as you can easily forget that you've activated the button. (Incidentally, Fn-F9 also performs the same touchpad-toggling function.)

There's a fingerprint scanner nestling between the touchpad buttons, and beneath these is a row of status LEDs. Between the keyboard and the screen you'll find the stereo speaker grilles along with the power button, a button that invokes the power-saving Eco mode and a Presentation button that fires up Intel's WiDi (Wireless Display) utility.

The Tecra R950 measures between 2.54cm and 2.08cm thick.

Features :
Like all but one of the four preconfigured Tecra R950 models on Toshiba's UK website, the R950-11F is powered by Intel's 2.6GHz Core i5-3320M processor, which can go up to 3.3GHz in Turbo Boost mode. The CPU, which is supported by 4GB of DDR3 RAM (expandable to 8GB), also handles the graphics courtesy of its integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU. The operating system is Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.

For storage there's a 500GB Toshiba hard drive spinning at a respectable 7,200rpm. The other three models all have 320GB drives, and one (the R950-106) has a self-encrypting drive for maximum data security. By default, Toshiba's accelerometer-driven HDD Protection is over-sensitive, but you can adjust this via a system tray utility if it's too intrusive. All models have an optical drive and a multi-format flash card reader.

There's a full complement of wireless connectivity available: dual-band Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0 and mobile broadband (HSPA up to 21Mbps down, 5.76Mbps up, network permitting). Gigabit Ethernet is also available for wired networking.

Ports and slots are restricted to the two sides. On the left, from the back, is a VGA port, a DisplayPort connector, a USB 3.0 port and a multiformat flash card reader (SD, Memory Stick, xD Picture Card), with a smartcard reader above the latter two components. The right-hand side, again from the back, has an RJ-45 (Ethernet) port, an eSATA/USB 2.0 port (with sleep-and-charge support), a USB 2.0 port and a second USB 3.0 port.

The underside carries the proprietary docking port and provides easy (single screw removal) access to the memory slots, PCIe MiniCard slots and the hard drive compartment.

As well as hard disk protection, smartcard/fingerprint reader access control and an encrypted hard drive option, the Tecra R950 offers vPro (out-of-band management) and TPM (hardware access control) support and a panoply of security/management utilities under the Toshiba EasyGuard banner.

Performance & battery life :
The Tecra R950-11F's Windows Experience Index (WEI) is 5.0 (out of 7.9), the WEI being determined by the lowest component score — Graphics (Desktop performance for Windows Aero) in this case. The remaining scores were 5.9 for Memory (RAM) and Primary hard disk (Disk data transfer rate), 6.4 for Gaming graphics (3D business and gaming graphics) and 7.2 for Processor (Calculations per second):

This adds up to system perfectly capable of handling the mainstream business workloads for which it's designed. Boosting RAM to the full 8GB will make it more responsive generally, but this is not a notebook for running demanding graphical software.

The Cinebench 11.5 benchmark confirms that, compared to the fastest notebook we've seen recently (the 11.6in. Eurocom Monster 1.0), the Tecra R950-11F is no speed demon:

To estimate battery life we measured the Tecra R950's power consumption when idling and when loaded (running Passmark Software's Performance Test 7), under the system's High Performance and Eco power management schemes. Dividing the wattage (recorded using a Voltcraft VC940 Plus multimeter) into the 6-cell battery's 66Wh capacity gives an expected battery life figure in hours:

 

Toshiba's Eco utility gives a graphical display of power consumption, and lets you invoke the power-saving Eco mode.

On this basis, you can expect the Tecra R950 to last for between about 8 hours and 2.5 hours, depending on the workloads you're running. As mentioned above, though, this isn't a notebook you're likely to be using away from a desk (and a source of mains power) for long.

Conclusion :
The Tecra R950 is a hefty 15.6in. business-grade notebook with an up-to-date set of security and manageability features, integrated mobile broadband and a solid but understated design. It performs well enough for its market, although we'd prefer a higher screen resolution.

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Hybrid, Slider, Convertible : A Tablet Terminology Guide

Summary: The multi-faceted focus of Windows 8 is already resulting in a variety of form factors getting ready for market. In an effort to make sense of these devices, this terminology guide should help.

Microsoft told us that Windows 8 was built to handle desktops, notebooks, tablets, and all sorts of devices. We're already seeing OEMs unveil notebooks, tablets, hybrids, sliders, and other types of PCs for Windows 8. This is resulting in confusion in online discussions about them.

You've no doubt seen the terms convertible, hybrid, slider, and tablet and are wondering what they mean. Here's a simple way to tell the different forms apart.

Notebooks/ laptops: No confusion here, these are the clamshell computers we've come to know and love. It doesn't matter if they are thin, thick, big, or small, if it has a keyboard and a clamshell lid that opens it's a notebook or laptop.

Ultrabook: This is strictly a marketing term coined by Intel to indicate a laptop that is thin and light. It is the Windows equivalent of the MacBook Air. All Ultrabooks are notebooks/ laptops, but only very thin and light notebooks are Ultrabooks.

Tablet: These are the new iPad-like slates that most OEMs will be making for Windows 8. They will either run Windows 8 or Windows RT. Real tablets are displays only, if they have a keyboard physically attached (not a cover) they become one of the other terms.

Convertible notebook: These are regular laptops with a screen that swivels around to turn the display into a tablet. It achieves this by rotating the screen around and slipping it over the keyboard which is hidden in tablet mode.

Slider: These are a form of convertible notebook that has the display slide toward the user to form a tablet. The display covers (hides) the keyboard for use as a tablet. Note that while sliders are convertible notebooks by definition not all convertible notebooks are sliders, thus the separate designation.

Hybrid: These are two seperate devices, a tablet (screen) and a keyboard (dock) that can be used together like a laptop. The Surface tablets are hybrids due to the keyboard covers. Other hybrids have been shown where the tablet snaps onto a keyboard dock to form a single laptop device. This is similar to the Transformer from Asus, an Android tablet and laptop dock.

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Review : Toshiba Portégé Z930-10Q Ultrabook

Summary: Toshiba's 13.3in. Portégé Z930 is a small, neat and lightweight business-grade ultrabook with mobile broadband support. However, it's expensive, and the screen could be better.

With its Portégé range, Toshiba was making high-quality small, lightweight notebooks long before they were fashionable — and long before the Intel-inspired ultrabook was around. Toshiba continues to shine at this end of the market with the new Portégé Z930.

Design :
According to Toshiba, the 1.12kg Portégé Z930 is the world's lightest 13.3in. laptop, and we're certainly unaware of anything lighter. It's a delight to handle, unobtrusive in a laptop bag, and generally an excellent travelling companion.

The Z930's internal 'honeycomb' design helps to achieve its low weight, although the magnesium alloy chassis clearly also has a part to play. There are also a couple of slight weight-saving design elements in the general build. The lid section wraps around the hinges, while the base is recessed along its left and right edges where the keyboard sits. Both are nice design features that also shave a few grams off the overall weight.

As far as robustness is concerned, the base section should handle normal working circumstances perfectly well. The lid gives us more cause for concern, though. As with many ultra-lightweight designs, the lid is extremely thin and flexible. With the notebook open, it flexes alarmingly if pressed — and although you might not deliberately do this, it's still a worry. When it's closed, the lid depresses easily, raising the spectre of screen damage if enough pressure is applied. You'll definitely need a protective case for the Portégé Z930 in your travel bag — which, of course, will increase the weight you have to carry.

Needless to say, a notebook weighing 1.12kg is small: the maximum thickness is 15.9mm at the back, which is where most of the ports and connectors are located. The chassis tapers to just 8.3mm at the front, while the footprint of 31.6cm by 22.7cm is pretty much minimal for a 13.3in. notebook.

The LED-backlit screen has a 1,366-by-768-pixel resolution and a non-reflective finish, which should help viewability in bright lighting. Viewing angles aren't great though: the horizontal plane is fine, but the optimal range is small in the vertical plane. Colours are somewhat washed out, and although this shouldn't affect basic productivity, it does impact the media-viewing experience — we were even a little disappointed with everyday web browsing.

As you'd hope with a premium-priced notebook, the keyboard has a backlight that kicks in when you tap it. There's no light bleed around the keys when you're using the Portégé Z930 at a desk, although there is when you're slouching in a chair — but not enough to be distracting.

The keyboard exhibits a small amount of flex, but only heavy-handed typists are likely to notice this. The keys are slightly squished, but no more than you'd expect from such a small notebook. The action is nicely springy and we're more than happy with the general feel of the keyboard.

The touchpad has a button above it that disables it, but unfortunately there's no light to remind you of its status. More than once we placed a fingertip to the touchpad and were surprised to get no response, only to realise we'd disabled it several minutes earlier. This could easily become a recurring irritation.

The touchpad's pinch-to-zoom responsiveness is good but not great, but the scroll zones are very smooth. The physical touchpad buttons sit flat rather than standing proud and are a little tricky to use with the thumb.

Features :
Toshiba offers four versions of the Portégé Z930 on its UK website, ranging in price from £999 (ex. VAT) up to £1,479 (ex. VAT). Our review sample is the second most expensive configuration costing £1,229 (ex. VAT).

The good news is that Toshiba uses third-generation (Ivy Bridge) Core processors throughout — opting, naturally, for the ultrabook-specific ultra-low-voltage variants.

Our Z930-10Q review unit is based on the Core i5-3427U with vPro. This runs at 1.8GHz in standard mode with the ability to Turbo Boost a single core to 2.8GHz. This CPU is used in two of the four models, with the entry-level model using the 1.7GHz/2.6GHz Core i5-3317U and the top-end model sporting the 2.0GHz/3.2GHz Core i7-3667U.

The Z930-10Q has 6GB of DDR3 RAM (2GB on the motherboard and 4GB in a DIMM slot); the two cheaper models have 4GB (2GB+2GB), while the top-end configuration has 8GB (4GB+4GB). All four Z930 variants run Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.

Intel's CPU-integrated HD Graphics 4000 is used throughout the range, as is a 128GB SSD, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. All models also include a fingerprint sensor sitting between the two touchpad buttons and a 1.3-megapixel camera complete with no-nonsense software.

There are more connections than you get on an average ultrabook: in particular, there's an RJ-45 port for the Gigabit Ethernet connection and full-size VGA and HDMI ports ranged along the back, along with a pair of USB 2.0 ports and the power jack. To access these connections, you either have to stand up and lean over the notebook or lift it up, and neither approach is particularly ergonomic.

There's a third USB port towards the back of the right edge, which is both easier to access and USB 3.0. On the left edge, again towards the back, is an SD card reader and separate microphone and headset jacks. Toshiba has also found room for a SIM card slot on the back of the right-hand side, with the internal HSPA module supporting download/upload speeds of 21Mbps/5.67Mbps respectively (network permitting).

There's no optical drive, although Toshiba could have just about squeezed one in. Presumably, keeping the weight down outweighed any residual advantage conferred by the ability to access physical media.

Performance & battery life :
The Z930-10Q's Windows Experience Index (WEI) is an impressive 6.4 (out of 7.9), the WEI corresponding to the lowest component score, which in this case was shared by Gaming graphics (3D business and gaming graphics performance) and Graphics (desktop performance for Windows Aero). The remaining scores were all 7.0 or over: Processor (Calculations per second) 7.0, RAM (Memory operations per second) 7.4 and Primary hard disk (Disk data transfer rate) 7.9.

Unless you're wanting to run graphically demanding applications, or do some fairly serious gaming outside work hours, the Portégé Z930 will perform extremely well. The highlight, with an unimprovable score of 7.9, is the 128GB solid-state drive.

As is usual with ultrabooks, you can't remove the battery, which is an 8-cell Li-ion unit that Toshiba claims is good for up to eight hours' life (under the MobileMark 2007 benchmark). In our more demanding battery test we chose the balanced power plan, left Wi-Fi on and set the system to play video from a USB stick continuously until the fully charged battery expired. Under these conditions we got 4 hours 39 minutes.

You'd probably struggle to get a full day's work from the Portégé Z930 away from mains power when running reasonably demanding workloads. However, it should handle the daily commute, or a short airplane journey, with ease.

The Z930's stereo speakers deliver plenty of volume, but the sound quality isn't great — the sound is tinny even at midddling volume.

Conclusion :
Toshiba's 13.3in. Portégé Z930 is small, neat and light. Business-grade ultrabooks are thin on the ground, and mobile broadband support puts the Z930 in a class of its own. However, the screen could be better, and the rear-mounted connectors are awkward to access.

Pros :

• Extremely light and compact
• Good range of full-size connectors
• Integrated mobile broadband
• Very good performance

Cons :

• Poor vertical screen viewing angles
• Rear-mounted connectors are awkward to access
• Expensive

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Hybrids Are On The Rise: Which Design Will Win?

Summary: The flood of convertible tablets and ultrabooks at IFA shows we're going through a creative boom in the evolution of the PC. There are many options out there — which ones will pull in the buyers?

There's no doubting that compounds are the celebrities of this seasons IFA. Every producer of observe has used the Germany technical display to release some version on the sports convertible tablet-ultrabook idea.

Altogether, it's an amazing volley of items for a industry that has hardly been confirmed. Yes, Asus has had some achievements with its Transformer variety of Android operating system tablet-notebooks. Many individuals also use their iPads with a key pad connect.

But there are some significant variations with this new lot of compounds. First of all, they run Windows 8— misguided at this aspect. Secondly, they mostly seem to be focusing on laptops computer audience first and product lovers second. Indeed, they signify both the development of the laptop computer structure and a serious effort on the PC sector's aspect to co-opt the greatly harmful move to pills.

Whether or not that effort will be effective is up for controversy. Tim Anderson has provided an elegant disagreement against the pattern, observing that many product lovers are not in the marketplace for a laptop-like encounter, and directing to the failing of Windows previously Tablet PC performs.

I don't agree, simultaneously warily. I think many individuals are relaxed with the laptop computer structure and will use this new overflow of compounds as a way of dropping their feet into product ocean.
 

 Indeed, as a fan of the seven-inch structure (I own a Nexus 7) on a 'companion device' base, I'm of the viewpoint that bigger pills be preferable as computer alternatives when they can actually substitute laptops, with all the performance and convenience of coming into that that requires. I don't see why I should lug around a 10-to-12-inch product if it can't actually do what a laptop computer can.

So I think this multiple company will pan out — but not for all the producers that are trying it.

Although many of the new compounds look quite identical, overall there is an amazing quantity of trial and error going on. This is a excellent thing: I accept of option, and the industry will choose in the end which styles perform and which don't.

And it really does come down to design. We are now at the aspect where the internals of new PCs/tablets have more-or-less plateaued. So too have slots and connection options, at least for now — hardly any multiple does not come with USB 3.0, HDMI, Wireless 4.0, 802.11n Wi-Fi and so on. Some use Intel's Ivy Link, some Clover Pathway, and of course some ARM — all will do the job for most customers, with power supply being the only actual determining aspect.

Which basically leaves the question: what performs and what doesn't?

Different approaches :

Given the likely focusing on of these compounds at the conventional computer individual, the compounds that hew to that structure are the most secure wagers. The top producers are getting this route: observe Samsung's ATIV Sensible PC and HP's Covet x2, both of which basically let the individual remove or cut in the display as preferred.

    Lenovo's Yoga exercises 13 also drops into this classification, although here Lenovo has decided for a display that creases returning entirely to allow tablet-style utilization.

The benefits of this strategy is that it allows the returning of the display to act as a guard when it is being transferred, much as has always been the situation with laptops. It also provides a specific substitute to the iPad-plus-keyboard combination.

Enter the sliders :

Then we have the slider mobile phones, such as Sony's Vaio Duo 11 and Toshiba's Satellite tv U920T. At this aspect, two other aspects become key: dimension and the depend procedure.

From the brief periods I've been able to invest with both gadgets, I'd opt for the Panasonic, although it will doubtlessly be more costly. The Duo 11 has an 11.6-inch display, and the U920T a 12.5-inch romance. There may not seem to be much of a gap between those dimensions, but there's a amazing distinction actually — particularly in product function.

Again, I'm one-sided. I think a 10-inch product is a bit significant for frequent use. Sony's 11.6 inches wide just about gets away with it, partially thanks to its styling; but Toshiba's 12.5 inches wide is too much. At that dimension, I cannot see many programs for it apart from verticals such as graphics, medical care and the maker ground.

Bear in thoughts that we're not just referring to a product here, but a product with a non-detachable key pad that, in these two situations, contains the PC's innards. 

Sony has also executed a much more robust-seeming depend mechanism: it prevents the display from moving returning entirely. This is why the Duo 11 doesn't have area for a track pad, but it does look durable. In evaluation, the New laptop U920T's procedure looks susceptible to random hefty stress, especially eventually.

Of course, these aren't the only alternatives. We can also consider straight-out oddities such as Dell's seriously flimsy-looking XPS Duo 12, which has a display that moves within the frame, and Asus's Taichi, which has two displays back-to-back — I'm having difficulties to see any realistic objective for that one, exclusive as it is.

Choice is good :

When I grabbed my ThinkPad Advantage E420s many decades ago, I alleged it would be the last immediately computer I'd be purchasing. If I were in the marketplace now, there is no query that I'd be looking for a multiple.

As for which one I'd go for, I like the Yoga exercises 13 design: it's easy, it looks solid and I believe in Lenovo's craftsmanship.

But there are many alternatives out there, serving a number of use situations. As I described above, option is excellent. And there's little doubting that we're coming into a particularly innovative stage in the development of the PC.

It's no more a issue of the multiple being a port of all deals and expert of none. They're just ultrabooks with contact abilities and more alternatives. Or pills with perfectly-matched computer keyboard and more slots.

Posted by Unknown Friday, August 31, 2012

Toshiba Outs Satellite U920T Windows 8 Convertible

Summary: The U920T, shown off at IFA in Berlin, is Toshiba's 12.5-inch stab at the Windows 8 laptop-tablet hybrid concept.

Toshiba's take on the tablet-laptop hybrid concept is the Satellite U920T, which the manufacturer showed off at IFA on Thursday.

The U920T has a 12.5-inch screen. Like Sony's Vaio Duo 11, which has a slightly smaller 11.6-inch screen, a sliding motion converts it from tablet to ultrabook, or vice versa.

The U920T is a variant for the European market, with some minor keyboard-layout differences setting it apart from the U925T.

This picture shows the U920T in tablet mode.

The screen is an IPS HD affair, with five-finger multitouch. Graphics come courtesy of Intel's HD 4000 integrated GPU.

The screen slides back much further on the U920T than it does on Sony's Vaio Duo 11.

On first impressions, the hinge mechanism also looks a bit less robust.

The U920T's trackpad has touch buttons, which some favour.

On the connectivity side, the machine has two USB 3.0 ports and Intel's Wireless Display (WiDi) technology, along with the usual Wi-Fi.

The U920T is 19.9mm thick and weighs "from 1.45kg". This puts it on the bulkier side when it comes to the current crop of hybrids.

Posted by Unknown Friday, August 31, 2012

Review : Toshiba Satellite Pro L830

Summary: The Satellite Pro L830 isn't a particularly lightweight, compact or powerful 13.3in. notebook, and the screen quality could be better. Still, it's quite solidly made, there's plenty of hard drive storage and the price is reasonable.

Toshiba's Satellite Pro family of business notebooks includes 13.3in., 15.6in. and 17.3in. systems. On test here is the 13.3in. L830, a six-strong range that starts at £389 (ex. VAT), rising to £479 (ex. VAT). Our review sample, the Satellite Pro L830 10J, is at the upper end, costing £469 (ex. VAT).

Design
There's a key visual difference between Satellite Pro and more consumer-focused Satellite (non-Pro) notebooks. The latter sport a white shell, which we've only seen in pictures but looks rather attractive; the former, including our review model, have a more businesslike grey and black finish. The lid has a hatched pattern on its slate-grey plastic, which is repeated inside on the wrist rest. It's a nice design, although the smooth and shiny finish could attract scratches and dings over time.

We're not too excited by the shiny black screen bezel and keyboard surround, both of which are prone to attracting greasy fingerprints. That's a pity given that the wrist rest and lid are quite fingerprint-resistant.

The L830's build quality is reasonably solid, although we've seen better. There's a degree of flex in the lid that suggests you might need a padded case when travelling. When the notebook is closed, the application of even a fairly small amount of pressure to the lid causes it to flex — you won't want to pile books on top of this system. With the clamshell open we found it quite easy to twist the lid section between two hands. The base feels more solid, but there's still some flex in the wrist rest.

The L830's footprint — 32cm wide by 22.1cm deep — is not huge, but it's quite thick at 2.68cm–3.06cm, and heavy for a 13.3in. notebook at 1.86kg. The weight will matter to mobile professionals.

The 13.3in. Toshiba TruBrite High Brightness LED-backlit display has a standard 1,366-by-768-pixel resolution. It's very reflective, and if you need to work anywhere with a light source beside or behind you it might be better avoided. Also, text looks strangely pixelated and fuzzy — something we noticed across a range of applications including WordPad and Firefox, and even in the Control Panel. There's something not quite right here, and we never felt fully comfortable with the L830's display.

The keyboard has its pros and cons. The keys themselves have a responsive action, although they're a little lacking in spring for some tastes. Our main issue with the keyboard, though, is that it's rather spongy with a fair amount of flex that all but the lightest-fingered typists will notice.

The touchpad is recessed in the wrist rest and bounded by a large frame. It looks a little over-designed, but is responsive enough. The buttons require a slightly harder press than we'd like, but you get used to it fairly quickly. Scroll zones and two-finger zooming are supported, the latter suffering a little from slow response times.

Features :
All Satellite Pro L830 models run second-generation (Sandy Bridge) Intel Core i3 processors. Our review unit, the Satellite Pro L830 10J, had the 1.4GHz Core i3-2367M — a relatively low-end CPU with and integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 GPU. It comes with 4GB of RAM, which can be boosted to a maximum of 8GB.

Windows 7 Professional 64-bit was installed on our review sample, but this is only available on the two most expensive Satellite Pro L830 models. The remaining four models run Windows 8 Home Premium, so if you need the added features of Windows 7 Pro you'll be forced towards the top of the price range.

With a 750GB hard drive there's plenty of storage space, although it's relatively slow at 5,400rpm. Wireless connectivity runs to 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0, with wired Gigabit Ethernet networking also available. There's 1-megapixel webcam in the middle of the top screen bezel, with Skype preinstalled for video calling.

Toshiba provides a lot of software on this notebook, including its own webcam application. This lacks the fancy effects offered by some third-party software, although it does have some rather blingy frames that can be applied. The software can capture stills and video, and you can apply 'scenes' such as office, study and conference that affect the colour depth of images (there's a 'beauty skin' scene too). A backlight compensation mode helps a little, but not a lot, if you're sitting with a light source (such as a window) behind you.

Among the many additional applications included on the L830 are Microsoft Office Starter 2010, McAfee Internet Security (30-day subscription), Nero KwikMedia, Nero BackItUp & Burn Autobackup, plus a range of Toshiba utilities and tools.

Toshiba provides a good range of ports and connectors: the optical drive sits on the left side of the chassis, alongside the power connector and, towards the back, two USB ports — one USB 2.0, one USB 3.0.

Beneath the USB ports is the flash card reader, which supports the usual range of SD-compatible formats but not Memory Stick. It's very awkward to get at, as the chassis slopes inwards slightly, making it tricky to reach into the slope and find the slot. You either have to crane your neck towards the notebook or lift it up to see the slot. Not good.

On the right edge is a pair of audio jacks (microphone and headphone), a second USB 3.0 port, HDMI and VGA ports and the Ethernet (RJ-45) port.

Performance & battery life :
The second-generation Core i3 processor in the Satellite Pro L830 can't be expected to deliver blistering performance, and the system's Windows Experience Index (WEI) of 4.7 (out of 7.9) bears this out. The WEI corresponds to the lowest scoring subsystem, which in this case was for Graphics (desktop performance for Windows Aero).

The Processor (Calculations per second) score was 5.2; Primary hard disk (Disk data transfer rate) and RAM (Memory operations per second) both scored 5.9, while the top score of 6.1 went to Gaming graphics (3D business and gaming graphics performance).

You'll have no trouble doing basic 'knowledge-worker' tasks on the Satellite Pro L830, but we don't advise running computationally- or graphically-demanding workloads.

According to Toshiba, the battery in the Satellite Pro L830 is good for up to 6.5 hours' life (tested with MobileMark 2007). When we set the system to play a DVD movie continuously, it managed 3.25 hours. This is a demanding workload, and so Toshiba's claim seems reasonable. This isn't a notebook that'll go all day on battery power, but it'll easily see you through a commute, for example.

The system's stereo speakers deliver average audio quality, with lack of bass tones, as ever, the main issue.

Conclusion :
The Toshiba Satellite Pro L830 10J isn't a particularly lightweight or compact 13.3in. notebook. Nor does it run the latest third-generation (Ivy Bridge) Intel Core processor. The screen also had issues delivering smooth text. Still, it's quite solidly made, there's plenty of hard drive storage and the price is reasonable.

Pros :

• Attractive price
• Solid, if chunky, build
• Large hard drive

Cons :

• Reflective screen, with less-than-sharp text
• Too much flex in keyboard
• Card reader is hard to access

Posted by Unknown Friday, August 17, 2012