Toshiba A3X, A7 User Manual

We don’t just make Notebooks.
We make history, too.
Notebooks. Power stations. Satellites. Robots. All in a day’s work.
Three things make Toshiba Corporation unique amongst the world’s major computer companies:
We have an unusually wide range of skills in areas ranging from power generation to robotics.
We have a strong focus on mobile computing technology.
These factors have helped make Toshiba the world’s leading Notebook brand.
In fact, we introduced the world’s first Notebook in 1985, and we’ve led the way ever since, with a string of innovations that have since become industry standards.
This process is driven by three objectives – to make our Notebooks as powerful, versatile and reliable as possible.
To find out more about the latest generation, read on.
Toshiba. The company behind
the Notebook.
Toshiba is the world’s ninth largest integrated manufacturer of electronic equipment. We have 161,000 employees distributed across 750 group companies in 55 countries.
Group sales in fiscal year ending March 31,
2005 totalled A$73 billion.
Toshiba is a world leader in technology with activities centered around three key domains. These are Digital Products, Electronic Devices & Components, and Infrastructure Systems. These domains cover an array of products including PCs, mobile phones, AV equipment, portable personal equipment, semiconductors, electron tubes, optoelectronic batteries, printed circuit boards, industrial apparatus, power generating equipment, transportation equipment, social automation equipment, telecommunication systems, broadcasting systems, elevators & escalators, medical systems and more - the list goes on. Toshiba also focuses on Consumer Products such as digital home entertainment systems and home appliances.
Our annual R&D budget is in excess of
A$4 billion – close to the total R&D expenditure made by all Australian businesses in 2003.
devices, LCDs,
Toshiba’s activities
in Australia.
Toshiba (Australia) Pty Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation. It has four divisions.
Information Systems: markets Notebooks,
projectors and other mobile computing products and accessories.
Electronic Imaging: markets high quality
business photocopiers, facsimiles and multifunction printers. The division was named ‘Most Favoured Manufacturer’ in seven of the past eight years by the Business Technology Association.
Medical: markets advanced medical imaging
systems to private and public hospitals and clinics. The range includes CAT scanners, ultra-sound systems, X-ray systems and cardiovascular angiographic systems. We have pioneered many developments in the field, and our most advanced systems are world leaders. We actively participate in R&D programs at the University of Wollongong (in partnership with Westmead Hospital) and with the CSIRO.
R&D: develops new features and products
for our Information Systems and Electronic Imaging divisions. Work done by this group in Australia has now been incorporated into our product range and marketed worldwide.
Meet the Toshiba ApriAlpha Robot, one of TIME magazine’s ‘Most Amazing Inventions of the Year’ in 2005.
The Toshiba ApriAlpha is a prototype of a sophisticated new class of robot designed to interact closely with people. It pioneers some important capabilities in this area, including being able to identify which direction a voice is coming from, follow spoken instructions, and handle voices coming from more than one direction at once. It can also recognise and respond to up to 100 different people, thanks to its image recognition software. Its primary purpose is to act as a personal assistant, so it can read out the news and e-mails, control appliances, keep an eye on elderly people, children or a home, and engage in simple conversations. In a way, it too is a mobile computer.
2
Some notable achievements in
areas other than Notebooks.
Toshiba has a broad range of interests. What unites them is an emphasis on advanced technology, and a concern with providing people with essential services and the tools they need to get more out of life.
3
If you ever have a malfunction,
Toshiba can help identify the problem.
Toshiba has a medical equipment division that leads the world. Take the new Aquilon CAT scanner, for example. It builds extremely precise 3-D images of a patient’s body. Then, because each tissue has a slightly different density, a radiologist can remove them one at a time leaving only those of most interest – like the blood vessels and heart in the images at right. It’s a revolutionary technology, made possible by a winning combination of Toshiba software and hardware. A balance also achieved in our notebooks.
The quickest way to
get to the top.
A Toshiba elevator.
The Taipei Financial Centre is the world’s tallest building – it has 101 above­ground floors and towers half a kilometre over the city. To handle the daily flow of people, Toshiba supplied and installed 61 elevators. Two of these service the highest floors. They’re able to reach speeds of 1,010 vertical metres a minute, making them the fastest elevators in the world – a fact recognised in the Guinness Book of Records in 2006.
Some of Toshiba’s electronics move
very quickly indeed.
Notebooks aren’t the
only power stations
Toshiba build.
Toshiba is one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation plants, and produces some of the world’s most efficient and reliable steam turbines and generators. The company also develops all of the complex control systems that keep them running smoothly. The same emphasis on reliability applies to Toshiba’s approach to engineering Notebooks – after all, millions of people depend on both to get things done.
If you’re in a hurry to get to a meeting, Japan’s the place to do it. The bullet trains on the island of Kyushu, for instance, operate at speeds of up to 260 km/h. Ensuring that everything runs smoothly at these speeds is not a trivial task. Toshiba supplied over
70% of the key electrics that keep these trains on track. Something to ponder, as you’re gliding through the countryside with a Toshiba Notebook on your lap racing through the work.
Toshiba received over
1,250 patents in
the US in 2005.
So there’ll be lots
more interesting
things happening soon.
When you’re this far from a Service Centre,
reliability is really, really important.
If you think you have a tough day, try working in space. Satellites in orbit experience temperatures of over 100 degrees Celsius when they’re in direct sunlight, and then plunge to minus 170 when they move into the Earth’s shadow. This is a high stress environment. No wonder things can go wrong - and no wonder reliability is so important. Toshiba
has an active space division, building key components for the International Space Station (including a multi-jointed robot arm to help with docking and experiments) and numerous communications and research satellites. Like many of Toshiba’s Notebook technologies, these too are designed to handle the rigours of travel.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR...
Toshiba’s background,
capabilities & achievements.
Go to page 2/3/4.
A history of
Toshiba’s Notebook
innovations.
Go to page 6.
How we protect
Notebooks from damage. Go to page 8.
How we make our
Notebooks easier to
network & use. Go to page 10.
How we protect the data on a Notebook.
Go to page 12.
The next
generation of
innovations.
Go to page 22.
Corporate social
responsibility
& environmental
initiatives.
Go to page 24.
A desktop
replacement?
For a small or mid-size
business or for professional use?
Multi-media
powerhouse
Feature-rich desktop
replacements at
an affordable price
Fully featured ultra-portable
An ultra-portable
Notebook?
Thinnest and
lightest
ultra-portable
For a large organisation or
to minimise the total cost of ownership?
Desktop replacements with premium features
and performance
Compact
ultra-portable
Highly-mobile desktop
replacements with premium
features and performance
A Notebook that
lets you work with a pen?
Full size
Tablet
Ultra-portable
Tablet
Go to page 21
Go to page 21
Go to page 18
Go to page 19
Go to page 19
Go to page 17
Go to page 17
Details about
warranties,
service & support.
Go to page 25.
Go to page 15
Go to page 14
In 1985, Toshiba developed the
world’s first industry standard Notebook.
We’ve come a long way since then.
Designing and building Notebooks is a complex exercise. It requires innovation on many fronts, and a careful balance between competing priorities. This section outlines some of the key challenges, and introduces a few of the technologies we’ve developed over the years to overcome them.
Cooking up new
ways to handle heat.
Thermal management is one of the main challenges in Notebook design, and heat is one of the leading causes of failure. The faster the processor, the hotter it gets. So dissipating heat is essential if you want more power and more reliability.
Fortunately, we can draw on the expertise of other divisions to help our efforts. For instance, our refrigeration engineers helped develop the world’s first water­cooled Notebook.
A battery’s usefulness depends on its size, its energy density, and its ability to be recharged. All three need to be optimised for a Notebook. Toshiba has pioneered many innovations in this area, including developing the nickel metal hydride battery, and its successor, the now almost universal Lithium-Ion battery. Recently, another innovation emerged from the laboratory. To see what’s so remarkable about it, see page 22.
Bringing new
batteries to life.
Shrinking
components to fit.
To make Notebooks smaller and more powerful, parts need to be made smaller and more powerful too. Toshiba’s expertise in areas like components (hard disk drives, screens, batteries and so on) and semiconductors (chips of all types) helps us drive this process. For instance, we’ve pioneered generation after generation of ever-smaller hard disk drives, culminating with the current World’s Smallest. For details, see page 22.
Reliability that’s
built in, not bolted on.
From a user’s point of view, reliability is the single most important attribute a Notebook can possess. And that’s why it is for us, too. Easier said than done, though. Reliability isn’t something that can be bolted-on, it has to be built in. So we’ve structured our business to do this. For instance, we still design and manufacture our Notebooks in-house. And we develop most of the main components – screens, drives, memory and so on – ourselves. The result? Industry leading levels of reliability.
To make sure we last, we aim to be first.
We think that innovation and creativity is fundamental to our long-term future as a business. It’s this attitude that led to the development of the world’s first Notebook. And it’s why we’ve driven its evolution ever since. Here are some of the firsts we’ve accumulated in that time.
1985 1987 1989 1991 1993
1985 – Toshiba
develops the world’s
first industry
standard Notebook.
1986 – World’s first
Notebook with an
Intel® 286 Processor.
1987 – World’s first
Notebook with an
Intel® 386 processor.
1988 – World’s first
Notebook with
an internal
hard disk drive.
1989 – World’s first
Notebook with
a nickel metal-
hydride battery.
1991 – World’s
first Notebook
with an active matrix screen.
1992 – World’s first
Notebook with
a colour thin film
transistor (TFT) display.
1993 – World’s
first pen-based
Tablet PC.
1994 – World’s
first Notebook with an Intel® Pentium®
processor.
Meet our partners.
Toshiba EasyGuard™.
Some of the world’s great technology companies have chosen to partner with us over the years. The following relationships are current, and bearing fruit.
“Microsoft® values our strong relationship with Toshiba, a company we admire for its long-standing commitment to innovation.”
Bill Gates, Chairman and Chief Software Architect, Microsoft® Corporation.
Toshiba worked closely with Microsoft® during the development of Microsoft’s® Tablet PC operating system. We developed the hardware that became the testbed, and evolved into the first generation of commercial tablet PCs. Currently, we’re working with Microsoft® on the development of the next version of the Windows® operating system.
“Together, Intel® and Toshiba have been able to change the way the world thinks about mobile computing.”
Paul Otellini, President and Chief Executive Officer, Intel® Corporation.
Toshiba has worked with Intel® on the development of many generations of processors, including landmarks like Pentium™ and Centrino™, and now the Core™ and Core™ Duo.
We’re also working closely with these companies to develop next generation technologies:
SanDisk® – Flash memory
Matsushita™ – LCD displays and memory
NEC™ – MRAM development
Canon™ – next generation flat panel displays
Samsung™ – next generation hard disk drives
Harman Kardon® – high quality speakers
nVidia® – graphics cards
Four ways to make a better Notebook.
EasyGuard™ is the name we use to encapsulate a wide range of technologies that are focused on enhancing the reliability, security, connectivity and usability of our Notebooks. Each of these is – in our view – fundamental. And each is the focus of ongoing research and development. There’s a lot to look forward to.
Protect: These EasyGuard™ technologies protect Notebooks from the rough
and-tumble of everyday life. The idea? Help stop accidents from turning into disasters. For more information, see pages 8 and 9.
Connect: Access to a network – any network – is central to usability and
functionality. For more information, see pages 10 and 11.
Secure: Data loss or theft can be a disaster. These technologies are designed
to protect and secure your intellectual property. For more information, see page 12.
Optimise: Everyone’s different. This software cluster lets you customise your
Notebook’s systems and optimise its functions. For more information, see page 11.
Toshiba EasyGuard features will vary between model specification.
This cluster of utilities helps you connect and stay connected.
1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005
1995 – World’s first
Notebook with
a CD-ROM drive.
1995 – World’s first
Notebook with a
Lithium-Ion battery.
1997 – World’s first
Notebook with an
integrated DVD drive.
1997 – World’s first
Notebook with a
Poly-silicon display.
1998 – World’s first
Notebook with a
CD-RW drive.
2002 – World’s first
full performance
convertible Tablet PC.
2003 – World’s first
Notebook with
a DVD writer.
2003 – World’s first
Notebook with a 17”
widescreen display.
2004 – World’s
first 4-in-1 AV-
Notebook with an
in-built TV tuner.
What’s next?
See page 22
2005 – World’s first Notebook
to comply with the EU’s
Restriction of Hazardous
Substances regulations.
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EasyGuard™ Protect: six ways to stop accidents from turning into disasters.
Everyday accidents like knocks, drops, splashes and spills are one of the leading causes of damage to Notebooks and data. That’s why Toshiba builds a Notebook like an advanced passenger car – it’s not just designed to get you from A to B, it’s also designed to protect what’s inside. These EasyGuard™ Protect technologies are the latest examples of this philosophy.
3D Drop and Impact Detection System
This unique device is based on an accelerometer
the devices used to trigger airbags in cars. This one’s better though, because it senses trouble before impact. And it’s sensitive to motion on three axes. If your Notebook is accidentally knocked or dropped, it detects the sudden change in motion and docks the hard disk drive head. This reduces the risk of the head crashing and causing data damage.
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- like
Shock Absorbers for
the Hard Disk Drive
Every document you create,
every note you make, every
e-mail you send or receive ends up stored on your hard disk drive. The volume of data increases daily. As does its value, and the difficulty of replacing it. So protecting it is of paramount To back-up the 3D drop detection
importance.
**
system,
we also mount the hard disk drive on shock absorbers. Four of them. These provide further protection for your data in the event
of an impact.
Impact Protection for the Display and Inverter
The LCD screen and the
inverter are two of the most delicate components in a Notebook. The screen, in particular, is expensive to replace in the event of an accident. To reduce the risk of damage, we’ve developed an array of shock absorbing materials that surround and support both components. As a result, they can reduce risk of damage by a drop from heights of up to one metre – the equivalent of getting knocked off a desk, or dropped from waist height by a basketball player.
A very tall one.
Crumple Zones
A simple idea to reduce the impact of impacts. We’ve left a gap of 2 to 6mm between the edge of each
circuit board and the inside of the casing. In
**
effect, this creates a crumple-zone that helps to protect the motherboard in the event of impacts severe enough to deform the casing. For most normal falls, the damage will be cosmetic, not catastrophic.
It is crack and corrosion resistant, expand and contract with temperature and has a high heat transfer rate. It is also very light and very strong, which means a Notebook built around it has a better chance of surviving knocks and drops.
Magnesium Alloy Chassis
Magnesium alloy has unique properties that make it ideal for the chassis of a Notebook.
doesn’t
changes
Spill-Resistant Keyboards
Liquids like coffee and tea are a Notebook’s worst
enemy. And yet there’s always a temptation to have a cuppa while you’re tapping away. That’s why we’ve developed a system that combines seals, insulation and other physical barriers to buy you some time and help to prevent a small splash from becoming a total wipe out.
**
Our Notebooks are
designed to forgive
and not forget.
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Toshiba EasyGuard features will vary between model specification.
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