Toshiba launches REGZA ZV Series upscaling TV

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Despite the fact that most people have HDTVs, very few actually view HD content on them, with 99% of TV programs still broadcast in standard definition. What’s the solution? Well, according to Toshiba, it’s “buy another TV!”. Buy the ZV, to be precise. It’s an upscaling television.

It uses a “powerful cell processor algorithm” to turn standard definition TV into something a little closer to full HD, mainly by finding edges and sharpening them. It also tries to improve depth and texture, and even though the result won’t be as good as full-HD signal, it’s better than nothing.

New Toshiba Portégé laptops announced

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There’s an old trick in marketing for if you want your product to stand out: Give it a foreign sounding name. Häagen-Dazs have done it, and even Matsui isn’t a real electronics manufacturer – it’s just Dixons own-brand that they tried to make sound Japanese. Hell, even terrorists do it. Al Qaeda sounds much more scary and mysterious than, say, “The IRA”.

Toshiba knows this too, and have come up with some new laptops for their Portégé range. By the name, you’d think they were some sort of exclusive laptops perhaps available only in a Parisian boutique – the sort of shop that has a wooden floor and practically nothing on display, yet inexplicably stays in business – though all indications point to the laptops being available at PC World.

Toshiba makes small thing bigger on the inside – 250GB SSD on the way this year

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Toshiba’s bulking up its solid-state drive range and boosting the capacity of its 2.5″ model – so the cheap little netbooks of the world can come with more storage space without straining their little batteries too much.

The new 256GB solid-state drive will “roll out” of the Tosh factory in the fourth quarter of 2008, ideal for those exciting Christmas presents containing ultra-portable mini PCs. With a read speed of 120MBps and a write speed of 70MBps thanks to its 3.0-Gbps SATA connection…

Sony and Tosh top notebook PC reliability chart, third of Americans want Apple

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A recent consumer survey by Which? magazine suggests that Sony and Toshiba top the pile when it comes to laptop reliability, both scoring 93%.

Perhaps surprisingly given how they’re used, and the belief that laptop computers don’t last as long, portable PCs scored better than their desktop relatives.

Apple tied with Dell and Compaq at the top of the chart for desktop computer reliability, with 86%.

Of course these results are based on consumer experience rather than scientific measurement, so it doesn’t mean those brands at the top of the pile are necessarily the best…

Toshiba announces secure, business-friendly Tecra laptops: A10, M10

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Toshiba has announced two new notebook PCs aimed at business users concerned about hardware and data security.

As well as a set of fairly standard hardware features, both include Toshiba’s EasyGuard technology, fingerprint recognition, advanced password utilities, and a Trusted Platform Module.

EasyGuard protects against unauthorised users gaining access to the PC, and also includes a shock protection chassis to reduce damage to internal hardware caused by the rigours of life on the road…

Toshiba launches first DVD player with XDE video enhancement technology. Will it sell?

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Just a couple of months ago, Toshiba announced new upscaling technology which the company claimed would rival Blu-ray, building a system in to the latest Qosmio notebooks.

We’ve heard nothing more since, expecting more details at IFA, but today Toshiba has announced a new upconverting DVD player with XDE Technology.

It’s not immediately obvious whether “eXtended Detail Enhancement” is exactly the same system that Toshiba talked about back in June, but given its feature set, it’s highly likely…

Toshiba launches tough and stylish portable USB 2.0 hard drives

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Toshiba today announced the availability of three new portable hard drives, all with stylish, durable casing for keeping data safe on the move.

The Gecko Green drive can store 160GB of data and is also ideal as an external drive for a desktop computer.

The Hot Rod Red 250GB drive is great for users with larger amounts of data, particularly multimedia, while the largest capacity drive is the Carbon Grey model, with 320GB of storage…