Ah Friday! Mythical day of the week, and the ideal opportunity for workers across the world to dust down their wallets, and prepare for an evening of socialising with chums!

But with still an hour or two to go, till the office has fully wound down – then why not pop over to one of the best websites in town, gaj-it.com – who are offering free stuff galore. You see, to help celebrate the launch of Toshiba’s new help forum for laptops called,‘Answers from Laptop Experts’, they are teaming up with the generous folk at M80, to giveaway 5 x 2GB MP3 Players.

And not only is the forum an excellent place to get a whole heap of answers for any problems you may have, but to win one of their shiny new MP3 players – all you have to do is leave a comment in the comment box here before Friday October 17^th…

And as Ben tips – “humour, interesting facts or even some good old fashioned flattery about Gaj-IT or Toshiba could help your case”. So go win!

Isn’t it strange when you don’t quite realise the beauty of something until it’s lain out in front of you, and the latest video from ‘HellasAthens1’ of the Toshiba Satellite A300 does just that!

Accompanied with an undoubtedly (ahem…) bangin’ soundtrack, this YouTube user seeks out all the prettiest angles, and delights in capturing the shiny notebook at its very best. Snapping from every angle you can think of, and packing the video with full spec, he kicks off the video by announcing “Is it enough to say TOSHIBA SATELLITE series?”  

With camerawork like that, we think it probably is Hellas… Why not take a look for yourself?

As this Thursday dawned, there was a stirring at talkToshiba – for a whole batch of shiny new Toshiba laptops have arrived at our doorstep, with the only brief being to ‘send them out into the wild.’

That’s because we at talkToshiba are particularly keen to hear your opinions on the laptops that we are featuring on the blog everyday. Whether you be a blogger, regular forum poster or particularly active within the Social Media, we’d like to send you one of our laptops for three weeks to have a good play with. Or perhaps your current laptop is broken and you need a replacement?

All we ask in return is that you post or blog about the notebook during the trial, and let your readers know what you think – good or bad.

So if you would like to trial either a Toshiba Satellite P-300, Tecra M9, Qosmio G40 or Satellite X-200, do drop us an email, and we’ll try to accommodate your wishes.

With the rather exciting Toshiba Satellite limited designs (sadly restricted to being released in France only) being launched at the Take a Closer Look Event in Paris recently, with designs provided by some impressive names - Agnes B, Superkitsch and Ajun Park – we got to wondering, what would you put on your laptop if you had the choice?

Depending on the price and ease of use of these skins, perhaps it would be a hip band, the latest film (The irrepressible Doctor Jones maybe as our quick artists rendition suggests) – or maybe a classic retro Star Wars look perhaps? Or would you rather pay the extra to obtain a customised photo of a loved one, favoured pet or obscure cultural icon? Either way, the general consensus seems to be that with laptop design set to become more and more customisable over the next few years, things could be certainly heading in this direction.

But are skins really enough, and will those of us who really embrace the potential of making ones laptop their own, will nothing short of intricate engraving, or insisting on shop floor customisation, provide the answer. After all, as potentially one of the most expensive, and well-used consumer product one purchases in a year, plain laptop covers may soon not be enough.

Only time will tell…

So one of our Qosmio G40s has landed in the blogosphere – and despite initial scepticism, its recipient Joeb over on Joeb’s Blog (which specialises in Ubuntu, Windows, Xbox 360…& Stuff) is now the proud owner (for a few weeks at least) of said laptop.

Of course, having been in possession of the computer for but 24 hours or less, he hasn’t found out too much about the general running of it just yet – but he has come up with some initial reactions to the machine, as well as treating his readers to some rather nifty pictures too.

So, to read his whole post – follow this link – and be sure to keep an eye out for any more updates. Oh, and if you blog, post in forums or are generally active in the social media, and would like to be placed on the waiting list to trial a Qosmio, or a Portégé R500 – do drop us an email.

Over a week since Toshiba’s official announcement that they have ceased production of the HD-DVD, and we were surprised to learn that over at amazon.co.uk, demand for the now bargain prices of HD-DVD seems to be outstripping that for Blu-Ray – at least within their top 10 selling players. Already chocked full with standard players offering HDMI, Toshiba’s HD-EP30 - HD DVD Player (with 2 Free HD DVD’s) comes in at number 5, while Samsung’s BD-P1400 is the highest Blu-Ray unit in the bestsellers list, scraping in at no.10.

Of course, there is a serious difference in price of approximately £120 – not to mention the fact that the EP30 comes with 2 free DVD’s (300 and the Bourne Supremacy), but it seems that a number of consumers are delighted to pick up an HD-DVD playing bargain. After all, with reports coming through in the mundodvd.com forums (and you’ll have to trust me here unless you speak the lingo) that the HD-E1 player has sold out throughout Spain – such trends may be set to continue for a while yet.

Have you seen HD-DVD’s any cheaper?  Let us know…

Here at Talk Toshiba we’re always on the look out for troubled souls lost and locked out of the Social Media without a computer – and whether it be the curse of spilt carbonated drinks, or drivers just not operating as they should – we know how frustrating it can be without your trusty laptop.

Therefore, we’ve got a number of sparklingly new Toshiba Qosmio machines, which we’d be delighted to send out to any bloggers, forum users or Social Media Moguls, for you to trial for a few weeks or so. All we ask is that you use it like you would your very own, and if you like it, whether you think it’s the best machine since Kit, or just don’t get on with it, write about it and let us know what you think.

So, if you’re interested, simply send us an email with a few words to let us know why you’d like one of our laptops – and we’ll be in touch. Also, if you could include details of any blogs or communities you are active within, we’d very much appreciate it too!

Thanks a lot.

anya_aa has sparked a discussion on the Toshiba Computer Systems Support Forum regarding Tecra A8s freezing.

After buying Tecra A8 in February, she found that within a month of purchase the screen began to freeze randomly, working well sometimes and freezing at others. As there are no resource intensive programmes being used and the general usage is normal it is a bit unclear what the problem is. Since logging the problem many users have discussed experiences and offered their ideas, especially Silas who claims that in his experience Tecras are the best notebooks so it’s probably something software related. Anki62 has also replied, claiming the same problem as anya_aa, suggesting it is more than a one off.

If you think you may know how to solve the confusion or are having similar issues you wish to share, follow this link to the forum now.

joker is having a few problems with a secondhand Satellite Pro 6000 he bought a month ago and has enlisted the help of the PCpitstop guys to help fix it!

Despite being fine most of the time, the notebook’s screen occasionally freezes. So far he’s been told the issue is due to overheating but he isn’t so sure as the fan seems fine.

If you can help solve joker’s problem and ensure he hasn’t wasted his money then jump across to the PCpitstop here.

robertadomson jr has asked for help on the Vista 64 forum as, after upgrading to Vista Home Premium, he is experiencing some problems.

When his notebook’s screensaver activates it Robertadomson jr can’t resume normal function and is forced to reboot the notebook - which isn’t great for the system. Nev Cockerham has since offered some advice on the matter, explaining the procedure he used to partially overcome the problem.

If you know what the cause of the issue is and any ways to fix it, or if you are experiencing the same difficulties and wish to join the discussion, follow this link.