Toshiba intros Qosmio X875 gaming laptop with Kepler GPU, fairly tame digs

In case it wasn’t clear, Toshiba’s overhauling its entire consumer lineup for the back-to-school season, and that includes its lone gaming rig. The 17.3-inch Qosmio X875 replaces last year’s X775, ushering in NVIDIA’s spankin’ new Kepler graphics and that same reined-in design we we’ve seen in recent photos. Though Toshiba’s remaining fairly mum on specs (we bet this has something to do with not wanting to steal Intel’s Ivy Bridge thunder), we can confirm it packs “third-generation” Intel Core processors, NVIDIA GTX 670M graphics with 3GB of video memory, dual hard drive bays, quad Harman Kardon speakers and four memory slots, with up to 16GB of RAM on board out of the box. The resolution can be either 1600 x 900 or 1080p, with that latter pixel count only available on the 3D model. As you can see in the photos, Toshiba’s moved to a subtler aluminum aesthetic it’s calling Black Widow, but what you can’t tell from that vantage point is that this guy is 25 percent thinner than its predecessor. In case you needed more proof this is an Ivy Bridge machine, note the release date: this beastly fellow won’t be available until June 24th. At that point, it’ll start at $1,299, though the highest-end configuration will set you back a cool $2,499. That’s more than two months away, of course, so for now you’ll have to content yourselves with our teaser shots below.

Toshiba Qosmio X875 hands-on

Toshiba outs Qosmio X870 gaming laptop with 3D display, not-too-tacky design

What’s this, then? Why, it’s what appears to be a brand new, redesigned gaming laptop, courtesy of ‘ol Toshiba. Though it hasn’t been announced here in the US, UK-based site TechDigest is showing us the first photo of the Qosmio X870, which seems to have a rather reined-in design compared to previous Toshiba gaming machines we’ve seen (to the extent that a PC with red accents can ever be called staid). According to the site, its specs include a 17.3-inch, 1080p, 3D-capable display; the “latest” Intel processors; unspecified, next-gen NVIDIA GPUs with 3GB of video memory; and up to either 2TB in HDD storage or a (presumably smaller) hybrid SSD. Rounding out the list, the laptop is said to rock Bluetooth 4.0, four USB 3.0 sockets (including two with Toshiba’s Sleep-and-Charge technology), HDMI, Harman Kardon speakers, an optional Blu-ray player and that all-important LAN port. Sounds good to us, though as of this writing we’ve yet to see a press release posted on any of Toshiba’s regional or global sites. If TechDigest‘s report is on the money, though, this thing should land sometime in Q2, which means Tosh has a few months yet to clarify that minor pricing question.

TechDigest

Harman Kardon Unveil New Home Theatre Systems Ready For CES Launch

As with most electronic manufactures appearing in the CES show in Las Vegas, Harman Kardon has revealed their BDS x70 series of home theatre systems that will be making their debut at CES next week.

Within the new BDS x70 series is the Harman Kardon 5.1 channel BDS 770 system priced at $1100, which comes with the BDS 570 Blu-ray receiver with BD Live capabilities, “multiple” HDMI inputs and a USB input.

Other systems in the series include the Harman Kardon BDS 370 system 2.1 channel home system, with BDS 270 Blu-ray receiver with basic HDMI connectivity priced at $999. As well as a new SB 30 sound bar complete with wireless subwoofer.

Harman Kardon describes their new BSD 770 system:

“This integrated system offers full-size performance in a space-saving form styled to complement any décor. From 3-D movies to digital files playable through the USB port, the 3-D Blu-ray Disc™ receiver enables picture-perfect viewing, while four satellite speakers, one centre speaker and a powered subwoofer guarantee true 5.1-channel movie surround sound the way it was meant to be heard”

Jump over to the Harman Kardon website for more details.

Source: Harman Kardon

Harman Kardon Unveils High End $689 iOS Speaker Dock

Harman Kardon has unveiled a new addition to its line of iPhone/iPod speaker docks this week with the launch of their new MS 150. The new high end MS 150 speaker dock incorporates a slot-loaded CD player and an FM radio tuner and will retail for a suggested $689. Ouch!

So if your pockets are deep enough you can listen to 30-watt bass-reflex speakers which are fitted in the new MS 150, providing a frequency response of 65Hz-20kHz at +/-3dB and a 75dB signal-to-noise ratio. Together with a subwoofer output, allowing you to connect a powered subwoofer.

Harman Kardon have also included S-Video outputs for displaying photos and videos on a connected display, analog audio inputs, digital audio input, MP3, WMA-CD playback and six presents for the RDS FM tuner. Together with IR remote, alarm, sleep timer and dimmer to reduce the brightness of the three-line dot-matrix display.

Source: The Loop

Toshiba outs blingtastic Qosmio X770 for the US market, new P, C, and L series laptops

See that refined beast? You’re looking at the Toshiba Qosmio X770 — that European gaming behemoth we ogled from afar last month — and in a matter of weeks, it’ll continue its world tour to land on US shores. To recap, the company shrunk the screen from 18.4 inches to a more manageable 17.3, gave it a paint job that ever-so-subtly fades from red to gunmetal gray, and added a matching red backlit keyboard. This beefy guy comes in $1,199 and $1,899 configurations, with the higher-end model packing a 3D display, quad-core Core i7 CPU, and a 1.25TB hybrid hard drive, and the lower end offering a dual-core Core i5 CPU and a 750GB HDD. Either way, though, you’ll get NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M graphics, 1.5GB of video memory, and MaxxAudio3 sound enhancement software.

Meanwhile, Toshiba streamlined its consumer laptops for those non-gamers in the back-to-school crowd, axing the A and M lines, and leaving just the P series, for “premium.” It’ll include 14-, 15.6-, and 17.3-inch models, all decked out in a textured, two-tone Fuxion X2 finish and featuring USB sleep-and-charge ports, HDMI-out, Harman Kardon speakers, and that same MaxxAudio 3 utility. Depending on the configuration, you can also score NVIDIA GeForce GT540M graphics, Intel Wireless Display, a 4G radio, a Blu-ray drive, and a 3D screen (only on the 15-incher). On the inside, you’ve got your choice of Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 CPUs or a spankin’ new A6-3400M accelerated processing unit from AMD. Look for the 14-inch P745 with a starting price of $699, and 15-inch P755 and the 17-inch P775 for $629 and up.

And, rounding out its portfolio, Toshiba refreshed its budget Satellite L700 series with Core 2011 processors and new AMD A4 and A6 APUs, while the entry-level Satellite C800 gets AMD Fusion C-50 and E-350 APU options. None of these laptops go on sale until later this month, so for now you can content yourself with those up-close-and-personal hands-on shots below.

Toshiba Qosmio X770

Toshiba Satellite L700 series

Harman Kardon's MAS 102 stereo has a petite profile, luxury looks and matching $999 price tag

Harman Kardon has departed from its austere design language on occasion and come up with some questionable aesthetic results, but its latest compact stereo system sports the clean and classic lines for which H/K is famed. Of course, looks aren’t everything, so the MAS 102 slings songs at your skull using a two-channel 65W amp, five-inch mid bass drivers, and one-inch waveguided dome tweeters. The MAS 102 also has dual USB ports for accessing digital music and a phono input for those who prefer sourcing tunes from an old school turntable. It’s not all sonic bliss, however, as an optional dock (sold separately) is needed to hook up the iDevice of your choosing. That’s a glaring omission for a stereo that costs just under a grand — but forgiving that flaw should be easy for the form-over-function crowd. More info can be found in the PR after the break.