satellite

CES overloaded the industry with 3D TV hype, and it's time to bust it. This week on the Roundtable, I interview CNET's own John Falcone and HDNation's Robert Heron on the practical realities, and likely future, of 3D TV.

See also: CNET's FAQ on 3D TV, and TV industry turns blind eye to non-3D viewers.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio)Subscribe with iTunes (video)Subscribe with RSS (audio)Subscribe with RSS (video) Reporters' Roundtable #16: 3D TV, debunked… Read more

For some, the words "El Dorado" represent something magical, a place where untold riches and beauty are there for the taking.

For others, the words represent a much underrated album by the Electric Light Orchestra from 1974.

Still, it is the former that has interested historians, archaeologists, and greedy people for many centuries. There are many legends, some more plausible than others. Yet many seem to have located this wondrous place in Colombia.

But these speculators didn't have satellite technology, did they? So I was delighted, and only slightly skeptical, to read a New Yorker article that … Read more

While most Toshiba Satellites have similar design consistencies across the board, a lone and notable exception was the Best Buy-exclusive E105, reviewed in previous retail round-ups at CNET. Many of the design decisions in the E105 were ones we actually preferred over standard Satellites, so the announcement of the E205 was immediately exciting on these terms alone. But the addition of new wireless display technology that can easily stream video to an HDTV without any physical link makes the E205 technologically unique as well.

The Satellite E205, with a Core i5-430M processor and Intel Wireless Display technology, has one of … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Back when the line first debuted around the Windows 7 launch, we reviewed and generally liked Toshiba's T100 series of thin-and-light laptops, with some reservations. Their glossy plastic construction and uncomfortable trackpads weren't ideal, and although they were affordable, the entire line used single and dual-core Pentium ULV processors, which perform better than Atoms but worse than Core 2 Duos.

Toshiba's CES updates to the T100 line include AMD Neo processors, offering what Toshiba says will be more computing power for a similar price. The official news was announced today, and we had a chance to … Read more

Not so long ago, buying a laptop was as simple as deciding whether you wanted a Netbook (11 inches or smaller) or not (12 inches and larger). Suddenly, however, it's getting to be a fairly confusing time to be in the market for an 11-inch laptop. Why do we say that? Simply put, this size used to be considered a "Netbook" category, mainly populated by Intel Atom processors. With the rise of ULV (ultra low-voltage) processors, however, a number of small-screened laptops--anywhere from 11 to 15 inches in size--have emerged, all thin and light, generally lacking optical … Read more

Google.org demonstrated a new platform on Thursday that, if implemented in conjunction with a proposed United Nations program, could provide a significant tool to combat climate change.

Its new "high-performance satellite imagery-processing engine" can process terabytes of information on thousands of Google servers while giving access to the results online.

The platform, which was demonstrated on Thursday at the International Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, would allow anyone using the tool to monitor whether or not trees were being chopped down in a given forest. It analyzes satellite images to show forest changes over a given time … Read more

Surprises can be fun, but not when it comes to bills. Electronic Housekeeper, a CES newbie, has made it possible for homeowners to monitor their water, gas, and electricity. Knowing which devices are draining the most energy and who's taking the long showers might be the first step toward lower energy bills.

After selling its products in Europe and the Middle East, Denmark-based Electronic Housekeeper will bring its innovations to North America. The company has created a wall-mountable console that communicates wirelessly with electronics, appliances, heating, air conditioning, as well as water and electricity meters.

Monitoring household appliances and … Read more

Just the other day here at the CNET N.Y. offices, a co-worker IMed me with a question from his uncle, who was shopping for an affordable laptop for his niece. Should he consider buying a laptop he saw on sale recently, which had a large screen and a DVD burner, for only $350?

I had a feeling the laptop in question was similar to the Toshiba L455-S5975, and it turns out I was basically right. For ultracheap laptop bargains, there are two ways to go: buy a small, cheap Netbook, or go with a full-size low-end laptop sporting a … Read more

I had a hard time coming up with a title to this post: Intel processors are confusing? Dual-core ultra-low-voltage processors make a difference? How about, what a difference a config makes? All could apply to the Toshiba Satellite T135, a Windows 7 thin-and-light that we've reviewed two configurations of here at CNET. Although similar in design and shape, the small shift from an SU2700 to an SU4100 Intel Pentium processor in the slightly more expensive Satellite T135-S1310 makes a world of difference. Here's why it's worth a look.

First of all, the Intel Pentium SU4100 in the … Read more