Toshiba

Jury finds Toshiba guilty of LCD price-fixing

Toshiba conspired with vendors to keep LCD prices artificially high and is liable for an $87 million fine, a San Francisco jury determined today.

The 10-member jury deliberated for less than two days before finding Toshiba liable to manufacturers for $17 million and to consumers for $70 million. U.S. antitrust laws allow overcharge damages to be tripled.

However, the Japanese electronics giant said it doesn't anticipate paying anything toward the jury's fine because other defendants in the class-action lawsuit have already paid settlements that exceed the fine against Toshiba.

"Given credits for settlements by other defendants, … Read more

Microsoft to take on Apple with own Windows 8 tablet?

Microsoft will announce its own tablet next week at an event in Los Angeles, according to reports, taking a page from Apple's playbook.

If true, this is not the typical Microsoft business model; usually it leaves device announcements to device makers. The PC industry is the classic example of this.

And, so far, that has been the case for Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets. Companies like Acer and Asus demonstrated Windows 8 tablets and hybrids at Computex last week, for instance.

But a report at The Wrap and another at AllThingsD say Microsoft has other plans.

Microsoft reportedly … Read more

The best alternatives to the late, great 17-inch MacBook Pro

The sudden disappearance of Apple's 17-inch MacBook Pro laptop after yesterday's WWDC keynote provoked split opinions on CNET. Photographers and videographers will weep, some said. The 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display has more pixels and will be a great replacement, said others.

Whichever way you slice it, potential suitors of the 17-inch Pro suddenly find themselves looking for a new partner. Alas, here's what you'll soon discover: most 17-inch laptops on the Windows side are "gaming laptops," built clunky, bulky, and leaning toward power over battery life.

(Note: yes, commenters, I agree. Of all Windows laptops, the HP Envy 17 would probably be the closest match. HP still sells the 17-inch version, and it costs as little as $1,249 on HP's website. However, we haven't reviewed the current 17-incher: for the closest equivalent, see our review of the HP Envy 15.)

Here are the closest equivalents we've reviewed at CNET, but you'll rapidly realize that none of them perfectly match what the Pro offered.… Read more

Toshiba Excite tablet reviews: Say hello to the family

Although the Toshiba Excite 10 has already been out since May, the rest of the family is due to be released in just a few days and they're all excited (ha! see what I did there?) to hit the market.

On June 10, the two remaining members of Toshiba's lineup of tablets are due to hit stores. These Wi-Fi-enabled devices all run on Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich and they're powered by Tegra 3, quad-core processors. Oh, and they're also all kind of expensive.

The smallest-size option is the Excite 7.7. Unlike its big … Read more

Computex: Roundup of hottest Windows 8 devices, day 2

Device makers continue to concoct novel designs to take advantage of Windows 8 Metro interface.

On Tuesday at Computex in Taipei, Samsung showed a Series 5 ultrabook running Windows 8 with a 13.3-inch touch display. … Read more

Toshiba serves up ultra-wide-screen, budget Satellite U845W and U845 ultrabooks

Toshiba used to have just one ultrabook line: the Portege Z835. Toshiba's added to its ultrabooks arsenal with a new pair of Satellite models: one's an affordable mainstream $749 model, the other's a wide-screen 14-incher that feels like it escaped the concept lab. And as for that Portege, it's been upgraded to Ivy Bridge processors and renamed the Portege Z935. We took a look at all of Toshiba's latest ultrabooks up close; here are our impressions and details on the ultrabook trio.

All three of Toshiba's new ultrabooks sail under $1,000: the Satellite … Read more

Toshiba shows off Windows 8 prototypes at Computex

We recently got chance to check out some concept laptops and tablets from Toshiba, all built around Windows 8. Today, Toshiba is unveiling those systems at Computex, as a sneak peek at the company's road map for Microsoft's upcoming operating system.

Toshiba describes the system as:

A Windows 8 ultrabook convertible designed in partnership with Intel A touch-screen Windows RT clamshell PC A Windows RT tablet with keyboard dock

Below, check out a few shots we snapped of the systems in question. The versions we saw were nonworking mockups, and there's no guarantee these exact models will … Read more

Computex: Roundup of hottest Windows 8 devices

One of the reasons Windows 8 is a big deal is the promise of newfangled devices that span laptop and tablet design. Here are some the hottest appearing at Computex in Taipei so far.

Asus more than any single PC maker is pointing the way toward this brave new device world with the Taichi, a dual-screen Windows 8 ultrabook sporting an extra tablet-mode display on the back of the display panel.

And that screen is no ordinary display: it boasts a resolution of 1,920x1,080: that's a lot of pixels for an 11.6-inch tablet screen. And there'… Read more

Asus, Acer, Toshiba to unveil Windows 8, RT tablets

Asus, Acer, and Toshiba will roll out a mix of tablets based on both Windows 8 and Windows RT at the hardware-centric Computex trade show next week, according to Bloomberg.

Windows 8 will run on chips from Intel, while Windows RT is powered by ARM chips from Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments.

One Asus tablet uses an Nvidia chip, said Bloomberg. CNET reported earlier in the month that Asus and Lenovo are expected to bring out Windows RT tablets built around Nvidia Tegra 3 chips.

A Windows RT-based Toshiba tablet is using Texas Instruments' silicon, according to Bloomberg.

This jibes … Read more

Toshiba Excite 10 review: Monstrous expandable storage potential

Not two months after its release of the "thinnest and lightest" tablet, the Toshiba 10 LE, Toshiba is back with a new 10-inch tablet: the Toshiba Excite 10.

It's not thinner or lighter than the LE, but the Excite 10 does bring Android 4.0, a Tegra 3 CPU, and 128GB expandable storage option to the table.

That may be enough to outclass the LE, but what about tablets that offer more than just a thin profile? My full review of the Toshiba Excite 10 attempts to find answers.