Here you are another Ultrabook from Toshiba, the S955. This new little Satellite will either be powered by an Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5 ULV CPU or an AMD A8 APU and will come with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 750GB of HDD with a lameass 15.6″ (1366×768) display, Hey Toshiba! Never heard of 1920×1080 or 1200? Other specs includes Windows 8 (Obviously), USB 3.0 and 2.0, HDMI, WiFi, DVD… Finally this new Satellite S955 is schedule to hit US shores early October.
In addition to unveiling that U925t laptop / tablet hybrid yesterday, Toshiba is announcing some more conventional-looking PCs this week at IFA. These new models include the Satellite U945, a low-end Ultrabook; the Satellite P845t, an Ultrabook with a touchscreen; and the Satellite S955, a 15-inch thin-and-light. Across the board, these will be available October 26th, the day Windows 8 formally launches. For now, too, Toshiba isn’t revealing prices, though we already know plenty about the specs. Join us after the break where we’ll spell out those nitty-gritty details.
Gallery: Toshiba Satellite S955
Continue reading Toshiba outs Satellite U945 and P845t Ultrabooks, Satellite S955 thin-and-light
Filed under: Laptops
Toshiba outs Satellite U945 and P845t Ultrabooks, Satellite S955 thin-and-light originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Intellectual Ventures is best known for its tendency to sue everyone, but it’s going some distance to mend that bruised image through a newly spun out company, Kymeta. The startup hopes to improve the quality of satellite broadband through mTenna-branded, Ka-band hotspots made from metamaterials — substances that can boost and manipulate a satellite signal while occupying virtually no space, leading to self-pointing transceivers that are just a fraction of the size of what we use today. That still amounts to equipment the size of a laptop running at a peak 5Mbps, although it’s small enough that Kymeta sees hotspots reaching individual customers who want access from a boat, a car or the field. We’d just advise against tossing out the MiFi too quickly. Kymeta doesn’t expect the hotspot to be ready before late 2014 at the earliest, and that leaves many questions about how much of a hit we’ll take to the pocketbook.
Filed under: Wireless, Networking
Intellectual Ventures launches Kymeta spinoff, promises slim satellite broadband hotspots originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Toshiba’s most recent Ultrabook offerings have something of a split personality. On the one hand, there’s the Satellite U845W, a high-end machine with solid quality and a funky, 21:9 display. Announced alongside it, though, was the Satellite U845, a more modest sort of machine for folks who can’t afford to spend $1,000 on their next laptop. Starting at $750, it offers all the specs you’d expect from a mid-range laptop: Ivy Bridge, Intel Wireless Display and a backlit keyboard. And, given that it’s a slightly larger Ultrabook, it also makes room for key ports like HDMI and an Ethernet jack. But the U845 is hardly the only 14-inch thin-and-light on the block, and it’s definitely not the only sub-$800 system aimed at the back-to-school crowd. Read on to see if there’s enough pizazz here to make this a memorable machine.
Gallery: Toshiba Satellite U845 review
Continue reading Toshiba Satellite U845 review: an inexpensive Ultrabook worth considering
Filed under: Laptops
Toshiba Satellite U845 review: an inexpensive Ultrabook worth considering originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Bus-sized satellites require massive engines for even the slightest movements, but as far smaller structures become a possibility, a tiny driving mechanism can offer usable thrust. To serve this next-gen tech, MIT saw a need to develop “microthrusters,” which are each the size of a penny and can be mounted to tiny cubed satellites. With thruster components measuring a few microns each, the magnetic levitation system is able to accommodate 500 microscopic tips that emit ion beams in a very small package, serving to push two-pound structures through space. The tiny devices have not made their way into orbit yet, but they have been tested in a vacuum chamber. Because of their size, it’s possible to add several to each satellite, then enabling sophisticated movements for more precise turns.
There are currently two dozen “CubeSats” in orbit, each measuring only slightly larger than a Rubik’s cube, but without any thrusters to power them, positioning can’t be adjusted once they’re released. Because of their current location, CubeSats eventually burn up in the atmosphere, but once they’re released farther from Earth, they won’t be able to enter the atmosphere on their own, remaining in orbit as “space junk” even after completing their missions — micro thrusters could also serve to move these satellites closer to the planet so they can burn up during re-entry. There’s no word on when, or even if, MIT’s invention will make its way to the launchpad, but you can take a closer look in the demo video after the break.
Continue reading MIT ‘microthrusters’ are the size of a penny, could reposition tiny satellites
Filed under: Science
MIT ‘microthrusters’ are the size of a penny, could reposition tiny satellites originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Aug 2012 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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There are a significant number of Americans around the country that don’t have access to broadband Internet. The reason many of these people don’t have access isn’t that they can’t afford it. The reason that they don’t have broadband is because in many rural locations broadband is simply not available by traditional means such as cable or DSL. That leaves the only option in some instances being satellite broadband.
Dish Network has been offering satellite broadband in certain parts the United States through a partnership with a company called ViaSat. Reports are coming in that Dish Network is preparing to launch a nationwide satellite broadband network. The broadband network would use a satellite from Dish Network sister company EchoStar according to people familiar with the situation.
The specific satellite Dish Network is tipped to use for the nationwide broadband network is called EchoStar 17 and launched on July 5. That particular satellite is able support download speeds of 15 Mbps. Sources indicate that initially packages are expected to offer downloads of 5 Mbps to allow the system to take more capacity.
Sources claiming knowledge of Dish Network’s plan say that Dish and EchoStar will be able to handle about 2 million new Internet customers with the new broadband offering. The service is expected to launch in late that September or early October and will cater mainly to rural America. Dish Network’s deal with ViaSat is only available in areas east of the Mississippi River and on the West Coast. The new satellite broadband service will augment Dish Network’s existing partnership giving it nationwide coverage.
[via Bloomberg]
Dish Network tipped for nationwide satellite broadband network is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
While the various strands of Dish Network’s “Seinfeld strategy” have yet to come together officially, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal are reporting it could be ready launch satellite-based high speed data services nationally as soon as September or October. This would be separate from the service based on ViaSat’s Exede that’s available in some areas, and Bloomberg‘s sources say it could accommodate up to 2 million customers right away through a satellite Echostar launched in June, although more satellites may be needed to add more customers. Other than hooking up data connections for customers in rural areas, it would let Dish compete directly with data / TV bundles offered by wired pay-TV providers. Of course, this is all dependent on a favorable ruling by the FCC on its technology — you can just ask LightSquared what happens if that doesn’t work out.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet
Dish Network’s nationwide satellite broadband service could be ready to launch soon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 03:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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People living in the sticks, rejoice! Bloomberg is reporting that Dish Network is planning to roll out a nationwide satellite broadband internet service —and promises speeds of between 5 and 15 megabits per second. More »
Just in case you thought the often discussed / as yet unseen Apple HDTV rumor mill was dead, you were wrong. The Wall Street Journal is reigniting things this evening, with sources claiming that instead of competing with cable providers by starting up its own IPTV offering, Apple has switched to sweet talking pay-TV providers into offering their content through its box. If you’re still looking for a Cupertino-embued display you may be in luck, since the anonymous parties also indicate the set-top box tech it’s working on could be integrated with HDTVs. That is still an less than certain path at the moment however, given pay-TV operators current preference to control every element of the experience and relationship with consumers, as well as the split of profits.
According to the Journal report, Steve Jobs was “dismissive” of attempts to build a cable box since cable operators each only have limited regional exposure and don’t own the content they license from studios. Since then however we have seen a few offerings of cable and satellite TV beyond the box as Microsoft offers Verizon and Comcast apps on its Xbox 360, Samsung has brought providers directly to its smart HDTVs and many providers offer streaming access via iPad or other mobile devices. Still, since the rumor doesn’t indicate a deal is inked or even on the way, we wouldn’t hold our breath for any or all of the listed possibilities to come true any time soon.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
WSJ: Apple’s TV focus changes to putting cable TV in its set-top box originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 20:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
People who study Google Satellite images have found curious objects in the images on more than one occasion. People have thought satellite images showed Atlantis, and we’ve seen images in the past that looked to be some sort of giant grid on the ground. A new batch of Google Earth satellite images have unveiled what some are saying are lost Egyptian pyramids.
What is believed to be two separate pyramid complexes may have been discovered using satellite imagery. The complexes are located about 90 miles apart. The satellite images show unusual groupings of mounds that have unusual features and orientations. The features were discovered by a satellite archaeological researcher named Angela Micol from Maiden, NC.
One of the sites is in upper Egypt 12 miles from the city of Abu Sidhum along the Nile River. This site has four different mounds each with a larger triangular-shaped plateau. At this particular site, the two larger amounts are roughly 250 feet wide with a pair of smaller mounds measuring roughly 100 feet in width. The entire complex is arranged in a clear formation with the large mound extending the width of 620 feet, nearly 3 times the size of the Great Pyramid.
90 miles north of the first site near the Fayoum oasis is the second pyramid complex believed to contain a four sided truncated mound approximately 150 feet wide. This particular site has a distinct square center, which is unusual for a mound of the size. 1.5 miles southeast of an ancient town called Dimai three smaller mounds were discovered in a very clear formation similar to the diagonal alignment of the Giza Plateau pyramids. Micol says that both sites discovered using Google Earth images have been verified as undiscovered by Egyptologist and pyramid expert Nabil Selim. The next step after the discovery using satellite images will be field research.
[via Discovery]
Google Earth satellite images may have discovered new Egyptian pyramids is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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