The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Toshiba AC Adapters Sold with Portable DVD Players

Units: About 142,000

Distributor: Toshiba America Consumer Products LLC, of Wayne, N.J.

Toshiba and Microsoft today announced plans to form the Advanced Interactivity Consortium (AIC), an open forum aimed at the promotion of superior interactivity for a wide range of next-generation consumer devices, digital content and distribution scenarios. The newly formed organization's mission is to maximize consumer satisfaction worldwide by accelerating industrywide adoption of advanced interactivity and interoperability across a broad array of HD DVD products.

The Satellite X205-SLI3 and Satellite X205-SLI1 are both 17" notebooks packed with Core 2 Duo processors, 2GB of DDR2 memory and two hard drives (120 - 160GB 5400rpm). The X205-SLI3 sports a 2.2GHz processor and a 1650x1050 LCD screen, while the X205-SLI1 comes with a 2.0GHz processor and a 1440x900 LCD screen. Both notebooks are SLI capable, coming with dual NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT mobile GPUs (512MB DDR3 discrete memory + up to 255MB shared memory with TurboCache). Toshiba goes even further by including an HD DVD/DVD burner on both machines as well as an HDMI-out port, Harman Kardan 5.1 surround sound, Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN networking, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, embedded webcam and a biometric fingerprint scanner. The X205-SLI3 also comes bundled with an USB HDTV tuner. Pricing for the Vista Ultimate-equipped Satellite X205-SLI3 is $2,499.99, while the Vista Home Premium-equipped Satellite X205-SLI1 will cost $1,999.99. Both notebooks are available now from toshibadirect.com.

It appears that Sony and Toshiba could be in talks regarding Sony's production facilities used to manufacture the Cell processors found in the PlayStation 3 console. This move comes as part of Sony's strategy to focus more of its resources on products such as image sensors used in digital cameras and camcorders, rather than managing costly semi-conductor assets. The rumoured figure for the sale is 100 billion yen, which is approximately $870 million US, with a final agreement expected within a few months, although Sony and Toshiba have both declined to comment on this. If a deal is reached, it is expected that Sony would set up a joint venture with Toshiba in order to secure a stable supply of chips for its consoles.

Back in January, Toshiba brought their 51GB triple-layer HD-DVD to the DVD forum. Six months later, the DVD forum has officially green-lighted the new disk. The new disk should play fine on most HD-DVD players, and even if it doesn't, the majority of people that bought an HD-DVD player probably wouldn't mind an upgrade anyways. There is no word as to when production will start, or when we'll start seeing this disk. The DVD forum is also working on a new format. By placing a double-layer HD DVD disk on the back of a standard DVD, they hope to create a future proof DVD disk.

Toshiba has announced that its SD High Capacity is to be the first of its kind to reach 32 GB's. This is welcome news to enthusiasts who desire to expand the capacity of their digital cameras, mobile devices, camcorders, etc. Prices have yet to be announced, but best guesses put the 32 GB card in the $350 to $400 bracket. There will also be a 16 GB version probably priced around $200, as well as a 8 GB microSDHC card at around $100.

Toshiba Corporation today announced the launch of nine new 2.5-inch hard disk drives that employ the company's latest advances in HDD technology. The new drives include the MK3252GSX, which achieves an industry-leading capacity of 320GB, and the MK2049GSY, which improves performance with a 7,200rpm rotational speed. Toshiba will mass produce the drives in turn, starting from November. The MK3252GSX uses an improved read-write head and enhanced magnetic layer to boost areal density and achieves a storage capacity of 320GB. The high-speed MK2049GSY offers a rotation speed of 7,200rpm and also integrates a large capacity 16MB buffer memory. Both models support an optional Free Fall Sensor function, which detects falling HDD and parks the head before it crashes. Toshiba will feature the new drives at the IFA 2007, one of the worlds's largest consumer electronics trade fairs, which will be held in Berlin, Germany, from August 31 to September 5.

Toshiba, Fujitsu and NEC Electronics have agreed to jointly develop advanced 32-nanometre chips. All three companies have been discussing about sharing the estimated 1.66 billion dollars in development costs to help compete against giants such as Samsung Electronics. In May, Samsung, IBM, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd., Infineon Technologies and Freescale Semiconductor announced their alliance in manufacturing 32-nanometre chips.

Toshiba today released the Qosmio G45 giving the green light for notebooks with HD DVD recording. The top end AV680 model not only can record dual-layer 30GB discs in the HD format but it is also fully capable of playing movies both on its own 17-inch 1920x1200 screen and on flat-panel TVs through HDMI output. It comes with a a 2GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of memory with a 1GB Turbo Memory cache for faster disk performance, 802.11n wireless, 4.1-channel harman/kardon sound system with a 1-bit digital amp and Dolby Home Theater support for actual or virtual surround sound, 512MB GeForce 8600M GT and dual 160GB drives. The system ships bundled with Vista Ultimate, a USB HDTV tuner and a remote for no less than $3.200.

Concerning Toshiba's recall for battery packs used in its notebook PCs

Toshiba announced today that, after working with Sony, they have decided to undertake a recall of specific production lots of lithium-ion battery packs which were confirmed to have contributed to recent overheating incidents of Toshiba's notebook PC. The Toshiba notebook PC battery packs covered by Toshiba's recall contain different Sony-manufactured battery cells from those subject to the global replacement program for certain notebook PC battery packs which Sony initiated last fall.

Toshiba announced today a dedicated 3D graphics LSI that promises unseen levels of realism and excitement to games played on mobile phones.
The new LSI, "TC35711XBG", is able to render 100 mega-polygons a second a number that is many times over better than the ones we find in handheld consoles.
Toshiba's new chip integrates a new developed 3D graphics processor that achieves 38 times the performance of existing products. Its advanced capabilities open the way to further development of software applications of mobile phones. The new chip is also compatible with programmable shader, and its rendering capabilities will bring realistic shading and reflectivity to mobile phones for the first time.

It seems that every day, one company is suing another. Toshiba filed a complaint against DVD replicating firm EDD just a few days ago with a German Regional Court, claiming that the EDD had not properly licensed equipment with Toshiba or the DVD6C to run their business. Now, Toshiba has decided to sue, asking for EDD to cease and desist all sales of their services, and to give an unspecified amount of money to Toshiba as reparations.

DVD copying firm EDD has not responded to the lawsuit yet.

Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD), today introduced the world's first 200GB 2.5-inch USB 2.0 portable external hard drive capable of storing up to 57,000 digital photos, 52,000 MP3 music files, 88 DVD videos or 23 high-definition videos. The 200GB portable external hard drive delivers the highest capacity of any backup solution in the compact 2.5-inch hard drive class. Available in 200GB, 160GB, 120GB and 100GB capacities with 8MB buffer, Toshiba's new personal storage line offers consumers convenient and simple options for preserving and transporting treasured digital files. The 200GB drive is available now at Toshibadirect.com for a suggested retail price of $229. The 160GB model is priced at $180, the 120GB version for $150 and the 100GB drive for $130.

Toshiba is attempting to sue 17 companies, mostly Hong Kong and China based, due to alleged infringement regarding some of Toshiba's DVD patents. The company is demanding monetary damages from companies including Daewoo Electronics America, Dongguan GVG and Star Light Electronics claiming that they are illegally selling DVD products in the USA because they do not have any licensing agreements with Toshiba. "The infringement of Toshiba's patents by these companies has damaged Toshiba's DVD-related business, and also caused damage to the legitimate and licensed DVD product manufacturing and distribution and business as a whole," Tokyo-based Toshiba said in a statement. No comments have been made by the companies mentioned above, but Toshiba has also filed a complaint to the US International Trade Commission demanding that the 17 companies accused stop importing their products to the US.

Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology (TMD) announced development of new 10.4-inch(1024x768/XGA) and 10.6-inch(1280x768/WXGA) thin-film transistor (TFT) LCD panels for notebooks. The displays incorporate a LED (light emitting diode) backlighting system to provide low-profile, lightweight, and low-power consumption features. Compared with a conventional cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) backlighting system, the LED backlighting has distinct advantages such as reduced thickness, reduced weight, increased brightness, and decreased power consumption. In addition, it is Mercury-Free and RoHS- Compatible. Moreover, an LED backlighting system contributes to increased durability against impacts and vibration. Including the two newly developed panels, TMD's lineup of LED-backlit TFT LCD panels now offers screen sizes from 8.9-inch to 13.3-inch and pixel resolutions of XGA, WXGA, and WXGA+. In these notebook PC panels, in addition to the adoption of an LED-backlight system, TMD has also adopted thinner glass substrates of 0.3 mm or less, reduced the number of component parts to the minimum requirement. TMD foresees strong growth in this area, and these types of LED-backlit panels will exceed 50 percent of TMD's production in late 2007.

Hynix Semiconductor Inc. and Toshiba Corporation announced today that they have signed patent cross licensing and product supply agreements covering semiconductor technology. Under the agreements, Hynix and Toshiba will be cross licensed to use one another's semiconductor patents. The agreements settle all pending patent-related litigation between the companies in the U.S. and Japan, including that before the U.S. International Trade Commission. Mr. OC Kwon, Senior Vice President, Hynix Semiconductor Inc. said, "We believe the agreements will become a good foundation for our two companies to build a mutually beneficial business relationship in the future." Mr. Shozo Saito, Corporate Vice President and Executive Vice President of Semiconductor Company, Toshiba Corporation, said, "The signing of the agreements is a positive step for both companies. With litigation behind us, and through these agreements, we can now strengthen our respective businesses."

Toshiba has announced three new additions to its Satellite P100 range of gaming laptops - the ST9752, the ST9762 and the ST9772, priced $1,999, $2,499 and $2,899 respectively. All three feature Windows Vista Ultimate, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900GTX graphics, a 17" screen and Bluetooth. The ST9752 comes equipped with a 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo, a 120GB hard drive and 1GB DDR2 RAM, the ST9762 has a 2GHz Core 2 Duo, a 160GB hard drive and 1GB DDR2 RAM, whilst the ST9772 tops the range with a 2GHz Core 2 Duo, a 160GB hard drive and 2GB DDR2 RAM. They come in at 7.1 lbs, with dimensions of 15.5" x 10.8" x 1.41" and are available for purchase now.

Single and double layered HD DVD's can reach 15 and 30GB, respectively. While most experts claim this is more than enough for a 1080p movie along with a ton of goodies, Blu-ray fans have been claiming that the HD DVD is no match for the Blu-ray in terms of space. Toshiba is going to enjoy debunking that theory. They sent a three layered HD DVD to the standards overseer, in hope to get this thing patented. If they succeed in making triple-layered HD DVD's a standard, then HD DVD will officially be able to hold more data than a Blu-ray (double layer Blu-ray holds 50GB). The only problem with the triple-layer HD DVD is that it is currently not compatible with any players...but, then again, neither was Blu-ray.

Toshiba today brought the wide ranging capabilities of HD DVD to the desktop PC with the announcement of a standard height HD DVD drive able to read and write to HD DVD and to standard DVD and CD discs. Sample shipments of the new drive, SD-H903A, are scheduled to start this month. The new SD-H903A integrates a blue-violet laser diode that can read and write to HD DVD-R discs and that offers support for high-density HD DVD-ROM discs, including high definition movie and video images. The drive also offers all the functionality of a super multi-drive, with high performance, high-speed read and write to all flavors of standard DVD and CD discs. It comes with SATA interface and 8MB buffer. Toshiba will feature the new drive at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2007.

Toshiba, manufacturer of a number of electrical goods, has announced a new 100GB hard drive only 1.8 inches in size. This enormous capacity gives it the largest storage of its class, with a low power consumption of 0.003 Watts per gigabyte. The drive manages to store an impressive 155.3 gigabits per square inch, spining at 4,200rpm with transfer speeds of up to 100MB/s. It is expected to begin shipping in the second half of 2007.