satellite

In what's sure to be a growing trend in laptops, Toshiba is rolling out WiMax connectivity in several of its fall laptop models, including the Satellite M645, the Satellite A665, the Portege R705, and the Satellite E205. The new WiMAX-ready configurations will go on sale starting September 26.

Though 4G wireless broadband isn't available in all U.S. cities yet, at 54 cities and counting, it's on the rise. It's currently soft-launching here in New York City, a place where good mobile Internet can be extremely handy. However, the costs of 3G and 4G wireless Internet … Read more

AT&T has unveiled a new satellite phone that can provide phone reception in areas where there are no cell towers.

Available today, the TerreStar Genus is a dual-mode smartphone that uses AT&T's cellular service by default but kicks in with satellite reception as a backup in remote areas. The satellite service offers the standard mobile phone trio of voice, data, and messaging, so it can function as an overall smartphone.

Though the hybrid phone might be intriguing to AT&T subscribers unhappy with their cell service, the company is gearing this model more toward enterprise, government, and small business customers. Specifically, AT&T sees the TerreStar Genus as an option for people who work in government departments, utilities, and transportation companies, as well as members of public safety agencies and disaster recovery groups.

However, a story from PhoneScoop last year said that AT&T is working on a consumer version. And TerreStar's Web site does include a signup form if you want to be notified when a consumer version is available. An AT&T spokesperson told CNET that there are no details on a possible consumer version yet. But the company does believe the satellite service would be ideal for recreational boaters, outdoor enthusiasts, and rural users who want broader mobile communications coverage when it's made available to consumers in the future.

As a smartphone, the TerreStar Genus runs under Windows Mobile 6.5 and offers a touchscreen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2.0 megapixel camera, MicroSD card slot, and a full QWERTY keyboard.

There are a few issues, however, worth noting. Coverage is available only in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and territorial waters. The phone requires a clear line of sight to the satellite in the southern skies, so you can't be surrounded by trees or other tall obstructions.

The price tag?… Read more

On September 15, OnStar announces what it is calling a relaunch, with new hardware and 21st-century services. We discussed the relaunch with OnStar President Chris Preuss. Most details of the announcement are still under wraps, but we were able to get some information.

Current OnStar hardware, called "the box" by OnStar staff, uses a 2G CDMA voice and data connection through Verizon, along with a GPS chip. Preuss said that on September 15, the company will announce a new box that is "better all around," with improved hardware and user interface.

A jump to a 3G … Read more

Back when thin-and-light laptops were all the rage in 2009, a surprise contender for the most affordable thin 13-inch laptop came from Toshiba. The Satellite T135, an optical drive-free laptop with an Intel Pentium or AMD Neo dual-core CPU, managed to provide exactly the sort of computing power that most Netbooks lack. For everything from video streaming to general office work, it was more than adequate. It wasn't as cheap as a Netbook, but it wasn't as expensive as many thin laptops, either.

Toshiba's update, the Satellite T235, is much like its predecessor in many ways--perhaps in … Read more

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, an arm of the U.S. government that oversees satellite imagery collection for military and intelligence work, has awarded two satellite imagery companies contracts worth more than $3 billion each.

The two 10-year contracts are part of a program called EnhancedView to produce a new generation of satellite imagery. GeoEye, based in Dulles, Va., was awarded $3.8 billion, and DigitalGlobe, based in Longmont, Colo., was awarded $3.55 billion.

Each contract is paid annually, subject to congressional approval, and can be canceled annually. The long-term funding paves the way for development of next-generation satellites with … Read more

Summer pricing for consumer laptops demonstrates why Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer, and Toshiba continue to beat Apple in shipment numbers--ergo, popularity.

Apple has stuck to its pricing guns, refusing to go lower than $999 on laptops. And that may indeed be a solid business strategy, but it also means that inexpensive PCs remain extremely popular with consumers.

As a yardstick, we'll use the Apple $999 MacBook--what Apple calls "the notebook for everyone." At $999, that's not quite everyone, especially when you put it up against the PC competition. The 13-inch MacBook specs include a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics processor, a 250GB hard disk drive, 8x DVD-R DL/DVD-RW drive, Webcam, and Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard.

So, what can you get for less than $999? A lot. Here's the evidence.

Exhibit No. 1: $299 Toshiba Satellite: Model C655-S5049 includes a 2.2GHz Intel Celeron 900 processor (single core), 15.6-inch display, 2GB of memory, 250GB hard disk drive (HDD), DVD-RW/CD-RW drive, and Windows 7 Home Premium. Granted, you only get a single-core processor (like the Apple A4 chip in the pricier iPad, by the way) but you can't bicker too much when it's priced at $299 at Best Buy.

Exhibit No. 2: $399 Dell Inspiron: Model I1545-3232OBK (Best Buy) includes a 2.3GHz Intel Pentium processor T4500 (dual-core), 15.6-inch display, 2GB memory, a 250GB HDD, DVD-RW/CD-RW drive, and Windows 7 Home Premium. Essentially, a hundred bucks more than the Toshiba, which gets you a faster dual-core chip and… Read more

Last week I asked if it was time to pull the plug on home phone service, and the response was through the roof! Thanks for all the great comments and suggestions. Much to think about.

Next up: cable, the white whale of monthly subscription services. I gotta have my Internet, obviously, but can I live without cable TV? That's an extra $70/month or so I wouldn't mind keeping. (Heck, it would pay for my iPhone!)

Obviously there are countless ways to watch TV that don't involve cable. Services like Fancast and Hulu stream all kinds of … Read more

The Federal Communications Commission is looking to free up spectrum allocated to satellite services as the agency moves forward on plans to get more spectrum in the market for wireless broadband services.

The agency said in the National Broadband Plan issued in March that it planned to make 300MHz of spectrum available for wireless broadband use over the next five years. To meet this goal, the agency has suggested getting about 120MHz of spectrum from TV broadcasters. And now it's planning to reclaim 90MHz of spectrum from the Mobile Satellite Service band, or MSS.

The FCC's spectrum task … Read more

The time of year has come for Toshiba to update its lineup of consumer laptops, and it's as imposing and multiform a lineup as ever. Spanning across A, M, L, C, and T lines, it has more letters than the NYC subway map. We'll focus on a few highlights from a diverse portfolio of offerings that caught our eye from the lineup we glimpsed a few weeks ago.

Toshiba's 3D laptop: the Satellite A665 3D Edition is a 3D-ready laptop in the vein of the Asus model we saw last year, with a 120Hz 15.6-inch display … Read more