Hasta La Gadget!

Toshiba promised that a fix for its Thrive tablet’s pesky resume-from-sleep mode issue was coming this week, and the company’s now let us know that the remedy has indeed rolled out today. Thrive owners can download the update simply by opening up the Toshiba Service Station app on the tablet — if only all sleep problems were cured so easily. As mentioned earlier, the update also apparently enhances the “multimedia playback capabilities of the device,” although it’s still not clear exactly what those enhancements entail.

Toshiba rolls out fix for Thrive tablet’s sleep problems originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fujitsu Toshiba Mobile Communications has only been in existence as Japan’s number two mobile company (behind Sharp) for a short time, but it appears even a decent earnings report wasn’t enough for Toshiba to stay in the business. While the joint venture prepares to release the au IS12T WP7 handset running Mango Fujitsu, Fujitsu is preparing to buy out Toshiba’s 19.9 percent stake and take sole ownership in 2012. Toshiba may not be the only Japanese tech giant taking a step back, as Hitachi is considering following Pioneer and exiting the TV biz stage left. As price competition squeezes out all but the largest manufacturers and even Sony feels the pinch, Hitachi is considering outsourcing the brand to overseas manufacturers. Neither announcement should put brakes on hardware we’ve been anticipating, but that REGZA phone or Wooo television you just dropped a few yen on could become a vintage item very soon.

[Thanks, Colin]

Toshiba is dropping out of Fujitsu / Toshiba phones while Hitachi considers exiting the TV biz originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Japan  |  Nikkei (reg required), Toshiba, Hitachi  | Email this | Comments

In the wee hours of the morning, a not-so-little green pheasant flapped through our open window and disturbed our dreams with an official message from Toshiba: the company has developed a fix for the Thrive tablet’s sleep addiction and will release it “early next week” via the Service Station app. The red-faced birdie also told us that the update will improve the device’s “multimedia playback capabilities,” although it didn’t tell us how. Good news, to be sure, but now we’ll need an afternoon siesta to make up for it.

Toshiba promises cure for Thrive’s sleep disorder ‘early next week’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 03:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When you head to Apple’s online store to configure your MacBook Air, you’ll find options to increase processor speed or SSD capacity — depending on the model you select, of course. There’s no mention of flash drive speed, however, though it’s now clear that not all SSDs are created equal at Apple — not only when it comes to capacity, but also performance. Jonathan over at TLD discovered a fairly significant discrepancy when benchmarking both MacBook Air models over the weekend. The 128GB Samsung SSD in his 11-inch Air was able to achieve 246 MB/s write and 264 MB/s read speeds. When he switched to the 13-inch model, however, speeds dropped to 156 MB/s and 208 MB/s, respectively, using that notebook’s 128GB Toshiba SSD. We compared speeds on two generations of 13-inch models, and confirmed Jonathan’s findings. During our tests, the 256GB Samsung drive in our older model achieved 214 MB/s write and 251 MB/s read speeds, while the 128GB Toshiba drive in the new MacBook Air scored 184 MB/s and 203 MB/s during write and read tests, respectively. Overall, you’re not likely to notice a significant difference during normal usage, though it’s certainly an interesting find, nonetheless.

[Thanks, Larry]

Continue reading PSA: Apple using slower SSDs in some MacBook Air models (video)

PSA: Apple using slower SSDs in some MacBook Air models (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The latest member of Toshiba Regza family of HDTVs, the 32BC3, just had it’s pretty little IPS face revealed in Japan. Unlike most sets you see these days, this 32-incher sports only a 1,366 × 768 panel. But what makes the BC3 special isn’t its resolution, its the ability to conserve power by dramatically dropping the brightness (supposedly with out sacrificing image quality) with just the push of a button. Pressing the power save button on the remote drops the brightness by 50-percent, press it again and it dips down 75-percent. The Regza 32BC3 will land on shelves in Japan this September for around ¥ 65,000 (about $830). And, as usual with these slightly odd sets out of the land of the rising sun, there’s no word of when (if ever) this will make it state-side.

Toshiba Regza 32BC3 HDTV features power saving button, destined for Japanese shores originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Tech Fresh  |  Akihabara News, Kakaku (translated)  | Email this | Comments