New Toshiba Screen Lets You Bend to Zoom in Google Earth [Flexible Display]

Toshiba is showing off a novel user input case for its flexible LCD screen: you can physically bend the screen to zoom in or out in Google Earth. Shown off at the Society for Information Display 2010 Conference, the bend sensor in the display changes resistance values as the screen is flexed.
The 8.4-inch LCD panel is only 0.1 mm thick and displays at an SVGA resolution of 800 x 600 pixels. Custom software from Toshiba handles the translation between changes in the bend sensor’s resistance values and the level of zoom in the aerial Google Earth display.
It’s a surprisingly simple gesture that looks awfully intuitive. Check out a video of the flexible display in action below and let us know what you think. Do you want to see consumer devices begin to incorporate flexible displays?




[Mashable via Engadget]

Toshiba Prepping World's Lightest 13-Inch Laptop [Unconfirmed]

There's no official confirmation yet, but it looks almost certain that Toshiba is gearing up to launch the lightest 13-inch notebook ever. We're talking just over two pounds with an SSD. But how on earth did they do it?

It's not the processor. The info unearthed at vozExpress indicates that the mystery laptop will coming in standard voltage Core i3, i5, and i7 varieties pretty standard these days.


Instead, look to the battery: this new Toshiba's going to employ a second Super Charged ion Battery (SCiB) that we'd previously seen achieving 90% charge in ten minutes. That was back in 2008, so we could see improvements even over that. The laptop's honeycomb rib structure, another first, will presumably also save some weight.


Other presumed specs: up to 4GB memory, 500GB hard disk or a 512GB SSD, 16:9 aspect ratio, and USB 3.0. Not to mention the 'Blaze Mountain' cooling system, which at the very least sounds impressive. But that kind of power with that little weight, and a sleek design to boot? Yes, please.
[Gizmodo via vozExpress via Engadget]

An Underground Nuclear Reactor Powered by Bill Gates' Money [Nuclear Power]

A unit of Intellectual Ventures—the patent firm started by ex-Microsoft chief tech dude Nathan Myhrvold and funded partly by Bill Gates—called TerraPower is talking with Toshiba about using its nuclear reactor tech to build underground reactors.

Their reactor tech supposedly can 'run for decades on depleted uranium without refueling or removing spent fuel from the device.' So, these reactors are built way, way underground, without people actually working in them. Of course, these safer, cheaper and awesomer reactors are years and years away from actually being developed.

Still, Bill Gates + nuclear power sounds kind of nerdsexy, maybe more so than the nigh-mythical Bloom Box, even if you're ambivalent about what Intellectual Ventures actually does (just Google—or Bing—"Intellectual Ventures patent troll"). And, hopefully, we won't see any blue smoke screens coming out of windows in the ground.
[Gizmodo via WSJ, Image via bibliodyssey/Flickr]

Coming soon: Postage stamp-sized 1TB SSDs

SSDs haven’t found their way into the mass market yet, but a team of Japanese researchers is already trying to make them more worthwhile. The team claims it has developed a technology that helps to shrink the size of SSDs by no less than 90%, makes them cheaper and boosts energy efficiency by 70%.
The research group is comprised of people from a handful of different institutions, i. e. Toshiba or Keio University in Tokyo (where Professor Tadahiro Kuroda is the main person responsible).
The new technology makes it possible to produce 1TB SSDs that are as small as a postage stamp. The current prototype (pictured) is sized just like that and made of 128 NAND flash memory chips and one controller chip. It boasts a data transfer speed of 2Gbps and is based on radio communication, which (according to the researchers) leads to lower production costs.
A practical version is expected to be ready by 2012.
[CrunchGear via The Nikkei]

Better MultiMediaCards: Toshiba announces world’s first 64GB embedded NAND flash memory module

Toshiba has announced today the launch of the world’s first 64GB NAND chips that are fully compatible with the so-called e-MMC standard (embedded MultiMediaCard) established last year. The new modules were produced by combining 16 32Gbit NAND chips with Toshiba’s proprietary 32nm process technology and include a controller.
The modules are just 30mm thick and can be used in smartphones, netbooks and digital cameras. You’ll be able to store 1,070 hours of music or 8.3 hours of full HD video on them.

Toshiba says samples are already available and mass production (3 million units a month) will start next month. The company introduced 32GB NAND packages just in spring this year.
[CrunchGear]

HP, Dell, and Lenovo Adding SDXC Card Readers to New Laptops? [SDXC]

The new SDXC standard (which theoretically tops out at 2TB) replaces SDHC in 2010, and according to DailyTech, some of the bigger laptop makers may add SDXC support to their upcoming laptops with 32nm Core i5/i7 processors.
Toshiba's long had 64GB SDXC cards in the works, and with claimed read speeds of 60MB/s (yep, megabytes) and write speeds of 35MB/s—upgrading your storage is about to get a whole lot easier.
[Gizmodo via DailyTech via Electronista]

Sony: World’s first TransferJet-compatible LSI for fast data exchange are ready [Wireless]

TransferJet is a close-proximity wireless transfer technology that was introduced by Sony in 2008. Toshiba announced during IFA in Berlin this year they are planning to use the technology in their products soon. The idea is to let two electronic devices quickly exchange data, theoretically at up to 560 Mbps, just by bringing them close together (touch is possible, too).
And today, Sony announced in Tokyo [press release in English] that the first LSIs supporting the standard will be shipped to manufacturers before December starts. The “CXD3267AGG” (pictured on the left) and the “CXD3268AGW” will cost $17.45 each. Sony says they managed to optimize the technology so that TransferJet can now be integrated into smaller electronic devices, too. The LSIs can be used by makers of cell phones, digital cameras, computers and HDDs.
Toshiba and Sony are just two of the 19 companies of the so-called TransferJet Consortium Promoters. Other members include powerhouses such as Panasonic, Sharp or Samsung so it’s possible we’ll get to see a slew of new TransferJet-compatible electronic devices next year.
[CrunchGear]

Toshiba announces world’s first 1.8-inch HDD with 320GB Capacity

Just in September this year, Toshiba proudly announced a 1.8-inch HDD with 160GB capacity, which was pretty impressive already (their new SSDs aren’t too shabby either). But today, not even two months later, Toshiba unveiled another 1.8-inch HDD with 320GB capacity [press release in English].

The MK3233GSG features a 3Gbps SATA interface and 16MB buffer, produses just 19dB of seek noise and spins at 5,400 rpm. Needless to say it’s the only 1.8-inch HDD with 320GB capacity out there.

Toshiba says mass production will start in December this year. In the past few months, the company has announced one high-capacity HDD after the other.
[CrunchGear]

Toshiba launches new BSI 14.6Mpix CMOS for mobile devices.

Toshiba today announced the launch of a new CMOS image sensor that will bring 14.6 million pixels to digital still cameras and to mobile phones supporting video imaging. The sensor, the latest addition to Toshiba’s “DynastronTM” line-up, is also the company’s first to integrate the enhanced sensitivity offered by backside illumination technology (BSI). Sampling of the new sensor will begin in December and mass production will follow from the third quarter of 2010 (July--September).

BSI brings new levels of responsiveness to CMOS imaging. Lenses are deployed on the rear of the sensor on the silicon substrate, not on the front, where wiring limits light absorption. This positioning boosts light sensitivity and absorption by 40% compared to existing Toshiba products, and allows formation of finer image pixels.


Toshiba has made full use of the advantages of BSI to realize image pixels with a pitch of 1.4 microns, and to pack 14.6 million of them into a 1/2.3-inch sensor that meets the high level imaging and processing requirement, and that will also bring a new level of image quality to mobile phones. Toshiba will use the new sensor to promote its full-scale entry to the digital camera market, and will continue to develop BSI products as a mainstream technology.

[Akihabaranews]

Dynario: Toshiba finally commercializes fuel cell for mobile devices

Toshiba has been announcing fuel cells for home use for ages now, but it seems the announcement [press release in English] they made today is really serious. The company has unveiled the Dynario today, a mini fuel cell that can charge mobile devices on the go. Japanese mobile gadget geeks can already order the fuel cell on Toshiba Japan’s online store (where it’s available exclusively).

Buyers get a methanol fuel cell that’s fairly large (size: 150×21x74.5mm), heavy (280g without fuel) and holds 14ml of fuel. Cartridges, which have to be bought separately, cost $32 for a set of five and hold 50ml each. The reaction between the methanol and ambient oxgyen triggers a chemical reaction, which then results in the production of electricity.

Shipping will start on October 29. The new technology comes at a high price though: Be ready to spend $320 for the fuel cell. Toshiba hasn’t said yet whether it will ever be sold outside Japan, but my guess is the company will see how sales go in Japan first.
[CrunchGear]

Toshiba's Cell-Powered REGZA 55X1 LCD TV Can Record and Display 8 Channels At Once [HDTVs]

Toshiba's first TV with the PS3 Cell processor it helped develop has seriously kick-ass specs. For starters: The 55-incher's LED backlighting divides the 240Hz display into 512 individually controlled areas, and has a dynamic contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1.
The Cell processor also provides self-congruency for improved image quality at the edge of the picture, enhanced color and brightness balance, and a super-high luminance of 1250cd/m². A 7-speaker sound bar is attached underneath the display, and network functionality includes DLNA support, and an HD Web browser based on Opera.
The Cell chip is housed in an external box about the site of an older Blu-ray player. That's also where a 3TB hard disk is installed to allow the TV to time-shift up to 26 hours of programs from up to 8 channels simultaneously. (1TB of storage is reserved for longer-term recordings). Another neat visual trick: the 55X1 can show eight channels on screen at the same time—and step through each without the delay common with rival HDTVs.

The TV is on show at CEATEC (Japan's version of CES), and will go on sale there in December for 1 Million Yen (about $11,115). Toshiba hopes to sell about 1,000 models a month before the 55X1 arrives in the U.S sometime in 2010.
Toshiba also gave some insight into its future plans for CELL processor-based TVs. It talked about using the chip in a range of concepts, including a 3D TV, and a 4K x 2K model that upconverts 1080p to 3840 x 2160. Holy crap. More please.

[Gizmodo via Toshiba via Impress AV Watch]

Toshiba Qosmio X500 Has Ferrari-Like Looks, Core i7 Speed [Laptops]

This big 18.4-incher with Windows 7 has plenty for gamers to drool over. A Core i7 mobile processor and 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTS 250M graphics should crunch out respectable framerates, and the Blu-ray drive and Harmon/Kardon speakers are nice, too.
Yep, that's Blu-ray on a Toshiba laptop. Don't be shocked, you knew it was coming. The X500 also has an HDMI-CEC port, Harmon/Kardon speakers, a multi-touch touchpad (two-finger pinch, swipe, rotate, scroll), and a LED-backlit keyboard with a 10-key numberpad.

Toshiba says you'll be able to tailor the processor and DDR3 memory (it's still deciding on specifics), opt for a 1080p or 720p-capable screen, and go with either a 7200rpm hard disk on its own, or combined with a solid-state drive. We'll know full specs and pricing sometime in mid-October.
Looks like a pretty decent addition to the Qosmio family, but you'll have to wait until Windows 7 arrives on October 22 to get your hands on one.

[Gizmodo]

mSATA: It's Like SATA But Smaller [Standards]

You've heard of SATA. It's the technology used for the majority of today's hard drives and people generally like it. But SATA wasn't designed for tiny portables. That's why the guys behind SATA are introducing mini-SATA, or mSATA for short.
Supporting 1.5 Gb/s and 3.0 Gb/s transfer rates (peaking at half the speed of existing SATA), mSATA is intended for drives that are roughly the size of a business card.
Check out that lead shot. On the left, you see a small Toshiba drive using a traditional SATA connector. On the right, you see a Toshiba drive using the mSATA standard. (Incidentally, Toshiba will be offering that flash drive in 30 and 62GB sizes with 180MB/s read speeds and 50MB/s writes.) The end products aren't really so different in terms of size, but the mSATA connection itself is, what, half the footprint of SATA?
Sounds good to us. [mSATA and Toshiba via Engadget]