Toshiba celebrates laptop milestone with new models

[Julio Franco]

Toshiba is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its first laptop with a second wave of mobile releases this month, following the various new models that we detailed a week ago including their first 3D-capable Satellite notebook. Two of the most interesting releases of the day are new Portege R700 13-inch thin and light system and the eye-catching new Libretto W100 UMPC that sports dual 7-inch multitouch screens.

The Libretto W100 is expected to become available in August, powered by a 1.2GHz Intel Pentium U5400 processor, 2GB RAM and a 64GB solid-state drive running Windows 7 Home Premium. The W100's dual 1024 x 600-resolution touchscreen design reminds us of Microsoft's Courier concept that was recently cancelled. The Libretto will carry a built-in sensor so that the dual screens can be used in both horizontal and vertical positions. One of the screens can also act as a full keyboard with haptic feedback. For those of you thinking running Windows 7 is going to be too painful on such a small footprint, an Android-based device is also being announced today. The AC100 netbook will use a Nvidia Tegra 250 processor, 512MB RAM and 10.1-inch LED-backlit display, claiming instant on boot ups and an eight hour battery life.

Finally, the Portege R700 is a customizable 13.3-inch ultraportable that can pack quite the horsepower for the size. Choose from an Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 CPU, hard drive or SSD, an optical drive comes standard, multiple USB ports, multitouch trackpad and HDMI support. The Portege R700's pricing can range from $999 to over $1700 depending on features chosen.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/39366-toshiba-celebrates-laptop-milestone-with-new-models.html

 

[maxdakota]

For those who want large battery time, this new laptop will be good hope as The R700 will run for up to eight hours on a single charge of its six-cell battery, according to Thomas Teckentrup, Toshiba's general manager of product development and strategy.

 

[ET3D]

The Libretto W100 immediately caught my eye. A bit of a web search found a few more specs (here: http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2010_06/pr2101.htm). The 2 hour battery life sounds pretty disappointing, and the 4 hour battery ups the weight from 699g to 819g. Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/21/toshiba-libretto-w100-resurrects-the-classic-umpc-brand-with-dua/) quotes a price of $1099 and talks about its hands-on experience with an early version.

Even with all its limitations, I find this quite appealing. The dual screens make the normally too limited 1024x600 resolution bearable, and the CPU is decent enough to run limited games (though I wonder how comfortable it is to play with the touch keyboard), unlike the Atom. Decent RAM and SSD, too, for the form factor.

 

[Wendig0]

While the W100 looks badass, I think the $1K+ pricetag, and shoddy 2 hour battery life, will make most people shy away from it.

 

[ET3D]

You're right, but it's still on my list of nice to haves. I've been waiting for a good replacement for my Fujitsu P1510D, and that's one device that I think would fill that slot.