The Satellite A660/A665 is the latest generation of 16-inch multimedia notebooks from Toshiba and is the “big brother” to the Satellite M640/M645. At first glance, the design of the A665 is pretty traditional with sculpted edges, a mixture of smooth and textured glossy plastics, and some attractive LED accent lighting. If you’re familiar with the 14-inch Toshiba Satellite M645 and 15-inch Satellite C655 then this laptop just looks like a larger version of those notebooks. The exterior is covered in what Toshiba calls the “Fusion X2 Finish in Charcoal.” Personally, I call it black glossy plastic with a textured “chain” pattern imprinted in the surface to help hide fingerprints and dirt. Despite the silly marketing name for the finish, I have to give Toshiba credit here. The textured chain pattern gives you the modern look of the glossy plastics but doesn’t look like a horrible magnet for smudges, dirt, or whatever else a student spills on a laptop.

The build quality of the A665 is very good with a durable main chassis that doesn’t squeak, creak, or flex even under significant pressure. The screen hinges are a little loose, making it easy to open the laptop with one hand but also making it easy to accidentally move the screen if you bump the laptop. While we’re on the topic of the screen, the screen lid doesn’t provide as much protection as we’d like. If you press on the back of the screen while the laptop is running you’ll see obvious distortions on the screen itself. In addition, placing more than one heavy textbook on the screen lid causes the lid to bend inward sharply toward the screen … suggesting that the screen lid doesn’t offer much protection during travel.

The bottom of the notebook includes two access plates for the RAM and the hard drive. Despite the fact that most consumers buying this type of general purpose or light multimedia notebook don’t perform upgrades, Toshiba engineers made is very easy to get inside this laptop. You only have to remove one screw to access the hard drive and one screw to get to the RAM.

The Toshiba Libretto W100 (the W100 is the Japanese versionof the tablet with a WiMax radio, and the W105 and the W100 share the same hardware, sans WiMax) is the most exotic computer form factor to be released in years. After all, Toshiba branded it a “concept” device.

Whatever it is called or compared to (Nintendo DS, Courier, iPad), the W100 is a mix of the tried and true spiced with uniqueness that combine to form a compelling product. For most people, it is probably too expensive, but there isn’t any other device on the market this size that has this level of functionality. In essence, it is a pound and a half miniature laptop with virtual input devices.

These dainty little machines brought to the mass market the idea that you can have a computer with all the functionality of a laptop which can fit into your bag with no unsightly bulge and without the back-breaking weight.

Then came the iPad, giving users the idea that you can have your netbook cake and eat it, while doing away with unnecessary things like keyboards, replacing usability with bit-sized functionality, in the form of apps.

When TechRadar was summoned by Toshiba to a secret press conference late last week which would show off the ‘future of mobile computing’ we thought that some sort of tablet device was just what we were going to see – bearing in mind Toshiba brought us the Journ,E just last year – but what was announced was something quite different.

Toshiba’s Portégé R-Series has been running since 2004, the R700 we’re reviewing today being the seventh iteration. This range has always been about producing the thinnest, lightest laptop possible for business users on the move. In recent memory the R500 and R600  both stuck to this brief strictly, sometimes too strictly. In the R700, however, it appears as if Toshiba might have learnt to stop chasing the headlines, and made a better laptop as a result.

The chassis of both units is stiffened by a framework of honeycombed metal, which adds to the durability of the base and palm rests. Indeed, while we were carrying the machine around by the base’s corner, it did not flex or bend, and we felt as though it could withstand some rough handling.
toshiba portege r700.

When we first put our hands on the previous version, the Portégé R600, our first reaction was, “Whoa!” The system was a design marvel, weighing 2 pounds and featuring a 12-inch screen. So, when we first saw this 13.3-inch, 3-pound system, the “whoa” factor dissipated a bit. It came back slowly, however, as we spent more time with the R700. For starters, we love the brushed black metal of the 1×12.4×8.9-inch body and the contrasting shiny silver hinges. The lid is nearly paper-thin, a feature we’ve come to appreciate, as it increases the system’s sleek aesthetic. The mouse buttons resemble a nickel-plated finish on a flute. That’s a contrast to the shiny, chrome-like hinges at the base of the screen but less distracting.

The newly launched Toshiba XL700-series Regzas are some of the Japanese company’s most promising LCD TVs by a mile. For starters, these panels are based on the latest LED-edgelit backlighting technology to output a high 3 million:1 dynamic contrast in an attractive 48mm-thin bezel. We also received news that there is built-in local dimming for enhancing black levels, which is an undocumented feature verified by a reliable source. This not only puts the XL700 Regzas in the same league as a handful of competing models like the LG LE7500, the Toshibas are easily one of the more affordable choices in the market.

Other performance-centric functions include ClearScan 100 Pro, AutoView and Resolution+. ClearScan 100 Pro provides a fast 100Hz refresh rate to minimize film judder and motion blur, while AutoView optimizes onscreen visuals on-the-fly by monitoring both room brightness and playback content. Rounding it up is Resolution+, which promises improved video-upscaling quality for standard-definition programs. On the multimedia front, added DLNA-compatibility facilitates MP3, JPEG and DivX streaming from remote PCs to complement its USB port and SD card slot (JPEG only). Networking is via Ethernet and there’s no Wi-Fi, unfortunately.

“With the Launch of LED-Backlit Series our LCD TV line-up has become stronger in India and now the customers have the choice to choose between LED -Backlit and CCFL -Backlit LCD TVs. With our Advanced Technology and Superior Design coupled with the imagery of Sachin, our brand ambassador is sure to place Toshiba at the helm of the FPD market in the country”, said Pranab Mohanty, Business Head, Consumer Product Division, Toshiba India on its launch.

The new Toshiba REGZA XL700 series LED TV comes in three sizes: 138.7cms (55XL700E), 117.5cms (47XL700E) and 106.7cms (42XL700E).

These LEDs feature slim design and come in metallic-feel finishing bezel. These LEDs are equipped with Toshiba’s proprietary Resolution+ technology, its blazing-fast 14-bit video processing and Meta Brain Premium Video Engine.

With Toshiba’s M100 system the core principal is the same; scanning the picture 100 times a second rather than 50. But here, with LCD being a largely flicker-free technology, the reason for doubling the scanning rate is actually to counter the problems LCD traditionally has showing rapid motion. The thinking being that adding extra frames of picture – which is effectively what 100Hz processing does – will make motion across the screen look smoother and sharper.

The home for this M100 is the 37WLT68. And a very attractive home it is too, looking suitably high-tech in its shiny black and silver finish and slenderness-emphasising lines.

It’s a supremely well-connected TV too, giving you not one, not two, but three HDMI inputs – just the job for simultaneous connection of a PS3, Blu-ray/HD DVD deck (or both!), and Sky HD receiver. It’s great to discover, too, that these HDMIs can take premium 1080p content as well as the customary 720p and 1080i options. However, the HD support only goes so far; the screen isn’t a ‘full HD’ 1,920 x 1,080 model, instead ‘only’ carrying the normal 1,366 x 768 pixel count.

The 37WLT68 is a fine LCD, but perhaps not quite as impressive as the rest of the Toshiba range. It has a lot to live up to with such a good pedigree behind it, but disappoints with poor black levels. Not so very long ago, we wouldn’t have had any complaints, but alongside today’s white hot competitors, the black levels look a little washed out.

The 37WLT68 is a fantastic High Definition performer, but Standard Definition again, disappoints. Remember that SD is still going to form the majority of your viewing schedule for broadcast pictures, and the 37WLT68 is shown up a little by the competition. Pictures are just not as crisp as we have seen for SD on some other LCDs.

M100 technology however, works, and works well. Fast motion scenes look cleaner and smoother than the 37WLT68s competitors, and this is a major plus point for the screen especially if you are an avid action movie viewer. The blurring which is a traditional LCD fast motion problem is vastly reduced.

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