toshiba

Android 3.2 official, coming to a tablet near you

The latest version of Google's Android operating system for tablets is official, which means the update will likely be arriving on a range of tablets in the near future.

Motorola has already begun to roll out the update on its Xoom tablet, the company confirmed with CNET on Wednesday. Other tablet candidates for a 3.2 rollout include Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, Acer's Iconia Tab 500, and Toshiba's Thrive.

Huawei last month announced what it claims is the "world's first" 7-inch Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet to pack a dual-core processor.

Android … Read more

Toshiba Thrive review: Heft earned?

Tablets are generally expected to be "thin and light" small computers with unobtrusive interfaces. Some tablets are thinner and lighter than others, however.

While we've praised tablets like the iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1 for their sleekness, and dinged the HP TouchPad for being too bulky, the Thrive poses an interesting question. Is a bulky tablet inherently a bad thing or can a tablet justify its extra mass?

In an attempt to answer that question I take a long hard look at the Thrive, including its full ports, swappable battery, and removable back panel. I … Read more

Android Atlas Weekly 56: Q&A lightning round (Podcast)

Microsoft's wants more money from Android; a new tablet could cost you less money; and a lightning round Q and A session of your questions from Twitter.

NEWS

M$ wants $15/Android handset from Samsung http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20077173-17/report-microsoft-wants-$15-per-android-handset/

Motorola, Toshiba Android tablets go below $500 http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20077260-64/motorola-toshiba-android-tablets-go-below-$500/

Kyocera’s Echo isn’t as fragile as it seems http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skkP0bEsyeU CNET Review: http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/kyocera-echo-sprint/4505-6452_7-34498252.html… Read more

Motorola, Toshiba Android tablets go below $500

Motorola has at long last reduced the Xoom's entry price to $499, while Toshiba's new Thrive starts at $429, bringing some needed price relief to the tablet market.

Motorola today cut the price on the Wi-Fi only 10-inch Xoom tablet to $499, from $599. The Xoom's high price has stigmatized it from the beginning as being uncompetitive with Apple's iPad.

But today's price drop changed that: the Xoom's specifications now make it quite competitive with Apple's iPad. For example, the $499 Xoom with the Android 3.1 operating system has 32GB of flash storage and 1GB of system memory versus the $499 iPad's 16GB and 512KB, respectively.

Motorola's new pricing also takes on Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, whose Android 3.1-based Wi-Fi version is priced at $499 with 16GB of memory and 1GB of system memory.

And Toshiba's 10-inch Android 3.1 tablet is even cheaper. For $429, the Thrive--now up for sale--packs 8GB of flash storage and 1GB of system memory. A model with 16GB of flash is $479, undercutting the price of the similarly configured iPad. Two features of note are the Thrive's removable battery and SD card slot, distinguishing it from the Xoom and iPad. … Read more

Toshiba's no-eyeglass Qosmio F750 3D laptop closer to release (in U.K., at least)

We covered Toshiba's 15-inch no-eyeglass 3D laptop prototype extensively at CES 2011. The hardware worked surprisingly well, using a Webcam to track the viewer's head movement and adjust the stereoscopic image accordingly, but we're still a bit surprised to see the final version so close to an official release.

Toshiba's U.K. arm is the first to announce the retail version, now called the Qosmio F750 3D. A press release says:

The Qosmio F750 3D's state-of-the-art lenticular screen displays 3D images without the need for glasses...An integrated Webcam intelligently tracks the user's eye movements, allowing the Qosmio F750 3D to adjust the 3D effect to match the eye position. The Qosmio F750 3D can also display 2D and 3D content simultaneously-- allowing users to browse the Internet, for example, in one window and have 3D content playing in another window.

Our colleagues at CNET UK got a chance to see the new Qosmio F750 3D in person, and offer the following hands-on report: … Read more

Crave giveaway: 24-inch Toshiba HDTV, plus Blu-ray player

Editors' note: The rules have changed slightly for this week's giveaway. Facebook component now included.

First off, two congratulations are in order. One goes to Nick C. of Chalfont, Pa., who won a Joby GorillaMobile Yogi and GorillaMobile Ori for iPad 2 in last week's Crave giveaway. The other goes to Josh B. of Metairie, La., who scored a $300 gift certificate to DIY site ShirtsMyWay the week before last.

And now, onto this week's giveaway!

Or should I say giveaways? One lucky winner will score a 24-inch 1080p Toshiba SL415U LED HDTV and a Toshiba BDX2200 Blu-ray player.

Normally this combo would cost you $478.99, but we're giving it away gratis. So, how do you try to win? Well, if you've participated in this contest before, the rules have changed a bit, so please read them carefully. … Read more

Do we really need sexed-up business laptops?

We've seen a number of redesigned business laptops lately. "Not your father's business laptop." "A business laptop for the cooler set." Whatever you want to call them, these notebooks are defined by thin profiles, sleek bodies, and features more often seen on "consumer" laptops. In other words, they're trying to be business laptops in disguise.

The ThinkPad X1 and ThinkPad Edge E220s. The Dell Vostro V130. The HP ProBook 5330m. All of them are, in their own way, worth considering for nonbusiness users.

Why, then, call them business laptops?

Report: 80 million USB 3.0 devices in 2011

There should be little doubt that USB 3.0 technology has arrived on PCs after a report released today forecast that tens of millions of devices using the standard will ship in 2011.

"The primary story for USB in 2010 was the emergence of the SuperSpeed standard. 2011 should be a much bigger year for the technology, especially in mobile PCs," said market researcher In-Stat. "This has led In-Stat to forecast that nearly 80 million USB SuperSpeed-enabled devices will ship in 2011."

USB is one of the most widely used connection technologies in the world, found … Read more

Toshiba announces new Satellite P700 laptop, smaller 17-inch Qosmio, both with 3D option

We've often commented on Toshiba Satellites becoming a confusing galaxy of letter-based lines that share similar looks. Today's announcement of the back-to-school Satellite P700 series should help in this regard, since it's effectively replacing the Satellite A660 and M640 lines, both of which we've reviewed in a variety of versions at CNET.

The P700 isn't anything truly new chassis-wise: it's available in 14-, 15-, and 17-inch variations, and share a Fusion X2 finish we've seen on many models. These laptops do, however, offer the newly announced AMD A6-3400M processor with discrete Radeon graphics, … Read more

Toshiba Thrive tablet goes on preorder

Another tablet is available for preorder.

Toshiba's 10.1-inch, Wi-Fi-only Thrive tablet can now be preordered on Amazon.com, Office Depot's Web site, and Toshiba's own online retail page. The device, which starts at $429.99 for the 8GB option and goes up to $479.99 and $579.99 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively, runs Android 3.1. It includes front- and rear-facing cameras, as well as a host of connectivity options, including USB 2.0, Mini USB, and HDMI.

Although the Thrive might seem like a run-of-the-mill tablet, it boasts some features not yet … Read more